In just a few short months the fall mo'adim (appointed times) will once again be upon us. As we were preparing a schedule for our services, I realized that there still seems to be much confusion and disagreement as to the proper days to observe these feasts. You would think that it would be relatively easy to determine the proper dates to observe G-D's mo'adim, but if you just do a simple Google search you would be amazed at the number of resources that would come up. Once you checked these resources, you would be further amazed at the number of different opinions that exist on the subject.
In Exodus 12:2 we read, "This month (Ha'Chodesh) shall be the beginning of months for you." The Hebrew word "Chodesh" literally means "New Moon", and this relates to what is called the "Crescent New Moon", or the "First Visible Sliver." There is no disputing that the moon is what we use to determine the months. Another supporting scripture would be Psalm 104:19, "He created the moon for appointed times."
So, if we know that Chodesh literally means "New Moon" and we also know that it relates to the the visible first sliver, what is all the fuss? Well, there are other factors that are significant to this discussion. In order to fully understand the subject, we need to look at the other side of the argument.
In the science of astronomy we learn of the astronomical new moon, which is often referred to as the "Concealed Moon" or "Dark Moon." This occurs at the moment of the moon’s conjunction with the sun, when the moon is invisible from the Earth. The difference between the astronomical and the biblical new moon is quite simple. There is no way to calculate the biblical new moon, as it is based on actually viewing the first sliver of the new moon. However, the astronomical new moon can be predetermined and pre-calculated. Since the biblical new moon cannot be calculated, it can often appear 1 or 2 days after the astronomical moon when it was actually sited. Once the biblical new moon was sited, an announcement could then be made regarding the "New Month", and then based on that a determination could be made for the 14th of Nisan and the observance of Passover. Without the declaration of the new month it was impossible to know when to observe the mo'adim commanded by G-D in Leviticus 23.
At this point you might be saying to yourself, "OK, you proved your point, we should be observing following the siting of the biblical new moon." Hold on just a little bit longer, there is more.
The problem that exists is that we were not given further instructions. For instance, who is responsible for deciding if the sliver new moon was seen? What if it’s too cloudy that day? Who decides to wait for one or two days before declaring the new month? What if one tribe of Israel thought they saw the moon and begins the month, but the rest of the tribes didn’t see it and wait until the following day to begin the month? Then they will be observing Passover on different days!
One would have to believe that Moshe, Aaron, and the 70 elders that were appointed to help lead the Israelites would have been involved in making the determination. We know that the 70 who late became the Sanhedrim would send out respected men who were responsible for looking for the first sliver and then bringing his information to the Sanhedrin. Only on the documentation of more than one witness was it then determined that the new month had begun. Is this written in the Torah? No! However, I do not believe that we can simply dismiss this. These were the rules that were applied and followed in biblical times.
The break from this observance came with the exile, and the scattering of G-D's people throughout the nations. One of the members of the doomed Sandedrin, Hillel, realizing that it was impossible to pre-calculate the biblical new moon, took it upon himself to prepare a calendar based on the astronomical new moon, which could be calculated. In this way, there would be a calendar that would allow all of the scattered Israelites to observe the mo'adim in unity. Was this a perfect solution? Of course not! The observance of the astronomical new moon would always put the observance at one or two days prior to the actual biblical new moon observance. However, this exile calendar allowed for unified observance that has been followed for over 1600 years.
In our modern day, controversy has arisen from different groups who believe we need to return to the biblical observance of the new moon in order to determine the proper days for the mo'adim. Our modern technology affords us abilities never dreamed of in the days of the Sanhedrin. We have the ability to take pictures of the sliver moon and post them on the Internet, so that people on the other side of the world can view them in minutes. So, why not just go back to this biblical observance?
Here are some of the issues that I see.
1. While there are some people living in the Land, not all of Israel has been restored to the Land.
2. We are without a natural King, kingdom, and priesthood. Thus, we are not able to follow all of Torah. This is part of the curse of our exile, as we eagerly await the return of Y'shua to restore all things.
3. As we discussed earlier the Torah does not say WHO or HOW the new moon is to be announced. However, this does not give us license to just say anyone can determine the proper siting of the new moon and its announcement.
4. No G-D appointed government exists to determine the validity of the sitings of the first sliver moon.
Right now, we have the very thing happening that Hillel was trying to avoid by developing his calendar. We currently have divisions that exist between many of the different communities, and we have many different groups observing the mo'adim on different days. There is no longer unity in our observance.
Finally, there is the issue of "aviv" as an additional safeguard, but some of the same arguments apply. The Torah instructs us to start the first month when the barley is ripe enough to be offered as first fruits. Once again, we would have to believe that the leadership of Moshe, Aaron, and the elders would have been involved in the determination of the ripeness of the barley in order to fulfill this commandment. We read throughout scripture that G-D has always maintained an order and structure for His people. If we know that the determination of the ripeness of the barley was specifically for the offering up of first fruits in the Temple, then how are we able to fulfill this command when we do not have a Temple or a priesthood to offer it.
I have personally struggled with this issue over the years, and have waffled back and forth. However, in my estimation, the observance of the Hillel calendar is what works best for us at this time. The truth of the matter is that we are still in exile. We all eagerly await the return of Moshiach who will establish His government in Yerushalayim and restore all things. At that time, there will be no division and no confusion, as we will all be in perfect unity.
Baruch HaShem!
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