When is the first Newmoon of the Year?
There are two main thoughts followed by people keeping the Calendar of Heavens. One is based on the equinox and the other on Barley. Let us look at these two.
First, I am going to look at the one I believe. After that, I will show you the one about Barley, and then you can decide for yourself.
The Spring Equinox.
The argument for this is short and simple, resting on two Bible (Torah) verses.
Gen 1:14 And ELOHIYM said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for appointed feasts, and for days, and years:
Exo 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
All explanations lean on Exodus 12:2, where YAHUAH told Moses, the month that will be the first of the year.
But now, the arguments start.
Did YAHUAH refer to Genesis 1:14, meaning to look at the state of the heavenly bodies?
Or
Did YAHUAH refer to the state of agriculture in the land at that time?
I believe YAHUAH referred to His calendar in the heavens, where no one can interfere or change His ordained Times.
It is also the easiest of the two explanations, to show to be true from scripture. Once again, I believe the truth is in simplicity. And here we need only two verses.
Heavenly bodies - Gen 1:14
It is widely accepted that the beginning of the year coincides with spring in the Holy Land. All explanations go forth from this, so I am not going to elaborate on it.
The question now is, how do we know when spring has begun?
That is where the two methods come in.
We know spring starts with the spring equinox. We also know there is ripe Barley in spring.
To decide, which one YAHUAH referred to, we have to look at scripture.
It is clear that YAHUAH wants us to use the heavenly bodies for His calendar. Otherwise, why are you even concerned with this?
It is mainly because He gave us Gen 1:14. (We will get to the Barley verses in a bit)
So, we know the year starts with the new moon and we know spring starts with the equinox. The question now is which new moon? We (that use the heavenly bodies to determine) tend to agree that we use the one after the equinox, but because this can cause the month to be postponed by a whole month, the feasts then also could be late in the year, out by a month.
Now we refine our method, by saying it must be the new moon closest to the equinox, but the full moon of that month then has to be after the equinox. Why? Because the feasts must be in the spring and the feasts are with a full moon! So if the full moon is the first full moon after the equinox, then we have the first opportunity to keep the feasts.
If we were forced to use the new moon after the equinox, we end up not using the first full moon that occurs in spring, straight after the equinox.
So, what am I saying? I guess I am saying that we look for the month with the first full moon after the equinox, as this is the first full moon in spring.
Barley in Aviv.
That brings us to the Barley must be in Aviv argument.
I will show all the verses people use for this argument. I have read them all, and not one of them tells me the year begins as n result of the Barley. Rather, the Barley is ripe as a result of spring. On the other hand, spring happens as n result of the equinox.
Therefore, yes, barley is ripe during the first month of the year. It can even be ripe during the last month of the previous year. The only concern is that there must be Barley available for use in the agricultural feast.
What does the development of the barley have to do with when we are to begin the new year? Well, we’re commanded to begin the year with Chodesh HaAviv (Ex 12:2, Ex 13:3-4, Ex 23:15, Ex 34:18, Dt 16:1), which is the month in which the barley fields have finished developing and can now be cut (Ex 9:31-32, Ex 23:15, Lev 23:10, Lev 23:14, Dt 16:9, Dt 16:16-17, Joshua 5:10-12). The barley can then either be left in the sun to finish drying, or it can be dried immediately by parching it with fire (Lev 2:14, Lev 23:14, Joshua 5:10-12, Rut 2:14, 1Samuel 17:17, 1Samuel 25:18, 2Samuel 17:28).
“We’re commanded to begin the year with Chodesh HaAviv”
Where are we commanded this? Let us look at the given verses. None of them is a commandment of this nature in my view. What do you think?
Barley verses to hang your hat on.
Ex 12:1-2
Exo 12:1 AND YAHUAH spoke unto El-Mosheh and El-Aharon in the land of Mitsrayim, saying,
Exo 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Ex 13:3-4
Exo 13:3 And Mosheh said unto the people, Remember את eth-this day, in which ye came out from Mitsrayim, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand YAHUAH brought you out from this place: there shall no chamets (leavened bread) be eaten.
Exo 13:4 This day came ye out in the month Aviyv.
Ex 23:15
Exo 23:15 You shall guard את eth-the Feast of Matstsah (Unleavened Bread): (you shall eat matstsah (unleavened bread) seven days, as I commanded you, in the time appointed of the month Aviyv; for in it you came out from Mitsrayim: and none shall appear before me empty:)
Ex 34:18
Exo 34:18 The את eth-Feast of Matstsah (Unleavened Bread) shall you guard. Seven days you shall eat matstsah (unleavened bread), as I commanded you, in the time of the month Aviyv: for in the month Aviyv you came out from Mitsrayim.
Dt 16:1-2
Deu 16:1 GUARD את eth-the month of Aviyv, and keep the Pecach (Passover) unto YAHUAH ELOHAYKA: for in the month of Aviyv YAHUAH ELOHAYKA brought you forth out of Mitsrayim by night.
Ex 9:29-32
Exo 9:29 And Mosheh said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad את eth-my hands unto EL-YAHUAH; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be anymore hail; that you may know how that the earth is YAHUAH’S.
Exo 9:30 But as for you and your servants, I know that ye will not yet fear YAHUAH ELOHIYM.
Exo 9:31 And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.
Exo 9:32 But the wheat and the rye were not smitten: for they were not grown up.
Ex 23:15,
Exo 23:15 You shall guard את eth-the Feast of Matstsah (Unleavened Bread): (you shall eat matstsah (unleavened bread) seven days, as I commanded you, in the time appointed of the month Aviyv; for in it you came out from Mitsrayim: and none shall appear before me empty:)
Lev 23:10,
(Lev 23:10) Speak unto the children of Ya shar’el, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap את eth-the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring את eth-a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
Lev 23:14,
(Lev 23:14) And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought את eth-an offering unto your ELOHIYM: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Dt 16:9,
(Deu 16:9) Seven weeks shall you number unto you: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as you begin to put the sickle to the grain.
Dt 16:16-17,
Deu 16:16 Three times in a year shall all your males את eth-appear before YAHUAH ELOHAYKA in the place which he shall choose; in the Feast of Matstsah (Unleavened Bread), and in the Feast of Shavu’oth, and in the Feast of Cukkoth: and they shall not appear before YAHUAH empty:
Deu 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of YAHUAH ELOHAYKA which he has given you.
Joshua 5:10-12
(Jos 5:10) And the children of Yashar’el encamped in Gilgal, and kept את eth-the Pecach (Passover) on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Yeriycho.
(Jos 5:11) And they did eat of the old grain of the land on the morrow after the Pecach, matstsah (unleavened bread) cakes, and parched grain in the selfsame day.
(Jos 5:12) And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old grain of the land; neither had the children of Yashar’el manna anymore; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Kena`an that year.
Lev 2:14,
Lev 2:14 And if you offer a meat offering of your firstfruits unto YAHUAH, you shall offer for the meat offering of your firstfruits green ears of grain dried by the fire, את eth even grain beaten out of full ears.
Lev 23:14,
(Lev 23:14) And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought את eth-an offering unto your ELOHIYM: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Rut 2:14,
Rth 2:14 And Bo`az said unto her, At mealtime come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched grain, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
1Samuel 17:17,
1Sa 17:17 And Yishai said unto David his son, Take now for your brethren an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to your brethren;
1Samuel 25:18,
1Sa 25:18 Then Aviygayil made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.
2Samuel 17:28
2Sa 17:28 Brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched grain, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse,
The closest thing that these verses get to be a commandment to make this time the first month of the year, is the fact that the first month is named Aviyv. This means new corn. So, it is the month where/when you get new corn, it is not the first month as a result of the new corn. As I said before, you get the new corn as a result of the sun crossing the equinox and the weather turns positive for the ripening of the Barley. It is a result of the sun and not the Barley. The Barley is a consequence!
Exodus 12:2
Exo 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
People are trying to find all sorts of things that YAHUAH might have been referring to.
- They say the moon must have had a particular shape that new moon day. From that, the ‘flat bowl moon shape’ argument, was spoken about in another article in this blog.
- Then they say, it was the time in Egypt for Barley to be ripe or in Aviyv. The thing is, there was no Barley in Egypt that year. The hailstones have destroyed all Barley.
So, what was there to look at? What was YAHUAH referring to?
The answer is the equinox. But people are stubborn and do not want to accept it. They say, that Moses did not have the capability or knowledge, to tell when the equinox was.
Guess what, Moses and Yasrael had much better technology than we can dream of today. Look at what Joseph made Benjamin look at to see where his lost brother is…
And this was long before Moses’s time.
And he ordered them to bring before him his map of the stars, whereby Yoceph knew all the times, and Yoceph said unto Binyamiyn, I have heard that the Ivriym are acquainted with all wisdom, do you know anything of this? And Binyamiyn said, Your servant is knowing also in all the wisdom which my father taught me, and Yoceph said unto Binyamiyn, Look now at this instrument and understand where your brother Yoceph is in Mitsrayim, who you said went down to Mitsrayim. And Binyamiyn beheld that instrument with the map of the stars of heaven, and he was wise and looked therein to know where his brother was, and Binyamiyn divided the whole land of Mitsrayim into four divisions, and he found that he who was sitting upon the throne before him was his brother Yoceph, and Binyamiyn wondered greatly, and when Yoceph saw that his brother Binyamiyn was so much astonished, he said unto Binyamiyn, What have you seen, and why are you astonished? And Binyamiyn said unto Yoceph, I can see by this that Yoceph my brother sits here with me upon the throne, and Yoceph said unto him, I am Yoceph your brother, reveal not this thing unto your brethren; behold I will send you with them when they go away, and I will command them to be brought back again into the city, and I will take you away from them. And if they dare their lives and fight for you, then shall I know that they have repented of what they did unto me, and I will make myself known to them, and if they forsake you when I take you, then shall you remain with me, and I will wrangle with them, and they shall go away, and I will not become known to them. At that time Yoceph commanded his officer to fill their sacks with food, and to put each man's money into his sack, and to put the cup in the sack of Binyamiyn, and to give them provision for the road, and they did so unto them.