Observe NM

WHY WE OBSERVE 
THE VISIBLE NEW MOON
By Jerry Healan

The modern day world appears to be a marvelous and wondrous world of progress, enlightenment and knowledge. It is a world where the truth and revelation of the Scriptures is relegated to the back seat or second, third, or fourth place in the eyes of most people, even by many who proclaim faith in said documents.

When the world finds out that we in the assemblies strive to observe the Scriptural calendar rather than the modern day Gregorian calendar, it looks upon us as rather strange and eccentric. Of course, our many differences concerning every Scriptural matter from the pronunciation of the names, to when to observe the new moon of the first month, to when to begin and end the day, whether we should do this or that and how, etc., etc. also serves to set us up as a laughing stock to the world. After all, didn’t YAHshua, Himself, say, "...the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light," Lk. 16:8.

But let’s look at what the world does and see if there isn’t a great deal of humor as to how they observe things. The modern day calendar is called the Gregorian calendar, but its basic make-up was provided for the world by Julius and Augustus Caesar. Pope Gregory simply made some adjustments to it during his time which supposedly deemed it as a "more accurate" calendar.

The great Creator YAHWEH gave His own calendar to the children of Israel. He instructed them to begin their calendar in the spring with the new moon of Abib, "And YAHWEH spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ‘This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you," Ex. 12:1-2.

We know that this instruction was given around the beginning of Spring because Josephus writes that Israel was delivered from Egypt when the sun was in Aries. Aries was occurring earlier in the year at that time, but due to the precession of the equinoxes it is occurring at least one month later and, frankly, almost two months later now. However, it was and still is occurring during the Spring season of the year.

The main point is that YAHWEH began His year during the very earliest part of the Spring when things were springing to life after the dead of winter. The Caesars began their calendar just a few days after the winter solstice when the days began to get longer, but of course, this occurs in the DEAD of winter.

They named the first month of the year after the Roman god Janus. Janus is depicted as having two faces looking in opposite directions. Look in Webster’s New World Dictionary and you will find that to be "Janus-faced" means to be "two-faced" and "deceptive." (Does this begin to tell you something?)

The fact of the matter is that the more ancient Roman calendar was very similar to the Hebrew calendar appointed by YAHWEH. The first month of the year was originally March, named after Mars the Roman god of war. It was the time of the year when men began to prepare for and go to war. The interesting thing is that the Spring equinox also occurred during the month of March which signaled the beginning of Spring.

The modern day Gregorian calendar depicts a 365 day year which is divided into 12 months containing 30 or 31 days with the month of February only having 28 days except during a leap year (which adds one day every 4 years).

But what does this word month mean and where does it come from? Again, Webster’s New World Dictionary reveals, month, n. [ME. < OE. monath, akin to G. monat, ON. manuthr < Gmc. *menōth- < IE. *mēnōt, month, moon, var. of mēn: see MOON]. 3. The period of a complete revolution of the moon with reference to some fixed point (in full, lunar month); esp., the period from one new moon to the next (in full, synodic month): equivalent to 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.7+ seconds.

Let’s take a look at the etymology of the word moon as given by the same dictionary; n. [ME. mone < OE. mona. Akin to Goth. mēna < IE. *mēn-, month, moon (whence L. mensis, Gr. mēn, month, mēnē, moon) < base mē-, to measure].

Notice that the words moon and month are interchangeable. As a matter of fact the word "month" is derived from the word "moon!" Such is the same in the Hebrew language. There were two Hebrew words for moon, yereach and chodesh. A comparison of the Hebrew language with the English where these words have been utilized in the Hebrew Scriptures will reveal that both words (yereach and chodesh) are used interchangeably as both moon and month.

A month is actually supposed to be a lunation or cycle of the moon from one new moon to the next. Since it takes about 29.5 days to complete a lunar cycle, a true month will contain either 29 or 30 days, never 28 or 31.

What the Caesars did was to remove the link between the moon and month on their deceptive calendar. Today’s world never gives it a second thought. They have allowed the Caesars to change their times and laws without even a whimper. Such was prophesied concerning the little horn revealed in Dan. 7:8, 20-25, especially verse 25 which states, "And he (the little horn) shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of times."

What a world that we live in! A world that is supposed to be progressive and enlightened, but, with a little study, one finds that we are being misled and deceived! After all, doesn’t YAHWEH'S word reveal that such is the case? "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him," Rev. 12:9.

That being said, we can get to the business of determining just what a new moon is and when it occurs. As in all things, there is a controversy as to what a new moon really is. There is the astronomical new moon which is the conjunction. Many decide to utilize this as the new moon. Others go by the visible crescent which occurs about a day after the conjunction. Still others have been led to utilize the full moon (we will deal with this a little later). The question to deal with right now is whether to utilize the conjunction or the visible crescent.

The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Ed. James Hastings, Vol. 3, 1911, Article "Calendar (Jewish)" has this to say, "Records dating from the closing years of the Second Temple inform us that the time of new moon was fixed on the evidence of observers who declared that they had descried the crescent in the sky. This would imply that no one knew beforehand whether the month was to have 29 days (hence called ‘defective,’ rph) or 30 days (‘full,’ rby[m or alm; cf Bornstein, op. cit. 26ff). (p. 117)

Qodesh La YAHWEH Press reports, "The Jews of the first few centuries of the common era continued the ancient practice of determining their months by the appearance of the new moon, which for them presented itself with the first glimpse of crescent moonlight in the first phase of the moon. (It did not start with a completely dark moon as a new moon is often misconstrued today.)" (The Sabbath and Jubilee Cycle, p. 341).

The Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 8 no. 1, 1954 University of Chicago states, "The Jews had a lunar calendar, in which the first day of the month must begin a reasonable time after the conjunction of the moon, since the interval between conjunction and the evening when the first crescent becomes visible (this interval is called henceforth "translation period") is a length which varies from about 16 to 42 hours in the Near East." (p. 6)

Our People, History of the Jews, A text book of Jewish History for the school and home by Jacob Isaacs confesses, "The last Nassi (leader) who played a major role was Hillel II, the thirteenth direct descendant of Hillel the Elder. He brought back some measure of scholarship and authority to the office of the Patriarch. He is best known for the calendar reforms which were instituted during the term of his office. He prepared a permanent calendar based on astronomic calculations. Henceforth, the Jewish calendar was determined and established by a set of definite rules, based on exact scientific calculations of the lunar year, with its twelve or thirteen months of 29 or 30 days. In order to adjust the 354 day lunar year to the 365 day solar year, he introduced the inclusion of seven leap years, with an additional Adar II, in each cycle of 19 years.

"This exact method of determining the Jewish calendar for all subsequent generations obviously had many advantages and benefits. It relieved the Bet Din of Palestine of the difficult and often dangerous task of communicating the date of the New Moon to distant communities. The Jews in the diaspora were no longer dependent upon the Holy Land for the determination of the holidays and leap years. On the other hand, it severed the last bond that tied the entire Jewish community everywhere to the nassi and to the Holy Land. Hitherto, it had been the function of the Nassi to fix the calendar and each New Moon by official proclamation on the basis of the testimony of witnesses who had seen the rise of the new moon. The far reaching innovation of Hillel II ended this personal prerogative of the Nassi, and provided total religious autonomy for the Jewish communities in exile." (Calendar, Palestinian Oral Tradition, pp. 106-107).

Finally, the Mishneh Torah: Set Feasts also witnesses, "2. Witnesses who saw the new moon must go to the court to bear witness even if it happens to be a Sabbath, as it is written: "Which you shall proclaim, each in its proper season" (Leviticus 23:4); and whenever proper season is used in a biblical command, it supersedes the Sabbath. For this reason, they are allowed to break the Sabbath only when the new moon of Nissan and that of Tishri are concerned, to determine the time of the festivals. When the Temple was still in existence, the additional offering presented on Rosh Hodesh superseded the Sabbath, which was profaned on account of any Rosh Hodesh coinciding with it. (Chapter three, p. 100).

The true fact revealed in these testimonies is that the ancients observed the visible new moon crescent to determine the beginning of the month, but under Hillel II the system was reformed to utilize the molad (conjunction) as the beginning of the month. The Encyclopedia Judaica also witnesses to the visible new moon as well as other works, but we have already presented five scholarly witnesses which should be sufficient for this present article.

Paul writes, "Because that which may be known of YAHWEH is manifest in them; for YAHWEH hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Headship; so that they are without excuse," Ro. 1:19-20.

Let me explain it to you by the things that are made. The moon, as we know, goes through a process called a lunation or month. We can’t see a conjunction. We know that the moon is there, but it is hidden from view, from sight so that we can’t determine EXACTLY WHERE IT IS. Then, one evening, a tiny sliver of light will appear which occurs just after sundown. This is the beginning of a cycle or lunation. It waxes strong until it becomes full and as soon as it is full, it begins to wane and weaken. Isn’t this just like the cycle of life that we see here on earth? A seed is planted in the earth. It germinates, but we don’t call it a NEW PLANT until it breaks through the surface of the earth. It grows and waxes strong to full maturity, bearing fruit as it is growing. When the plant and its fruit come to full maturity, the plant begins to wane, weaken and die. Wheat, barley, oats, rice, etc. only live for a season in order to bring forth their fruit. It is an annual cycle for them.

There is the yearly cycle itself. The true new year begins in the spring with things springing to life. At first they are very young (new) and tender, along with the pleasant spring weather. But as time goes by we approach the summer when the days become longer and hotter. The plants also grow and wax strong. Then the fall comes when the power of the sun begins to wane again and the plants also lose their strength. Finally, the dead of winter arrives when the sun has lost its strength along with the plants.

The same thing applies to people. We are conceived in the womb and we can tell that a child is being formed, but we don’t call it a new born until it passes through the birth canal and enters into the world. If the child doesn’t make it, it is called an abortion or miscarriage. Once it enters into the world kicking, breathing and screaming, it is a NEW BORN and it begins its journey in this world growing and waxing strong to full maturity. When we grow to our full strength, we also begin the waning and weakening process until our life ebbs away and we, like the monthly moon, the plants cycle, the yearly cycle, etc., pass away and are found no more.

Do you understand that we don’t call a plant a new plant until we see it? We don’t call the year a new year until it arrives. We don’t call a baby a new born until it enters into this world and we can see it. So why would we call a moon that we can’t see a new moon? It doesn’t make sense and is not in line with the other cycles that we behold in the creation. I am only explaining through the Scriptural things that I have studied out and also the physical things that YAHWEH has made. But these are the reasons why we will continue to utilize the visible new moon to determine the beginning of our months.

Psalm 81:3 is a verse that has confused many people. It has led some to determine that the full moon is the new moon while others have utilized it to determine that the molad (conjunction) is the new moon. In the KJV it reads, "Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day." The RSV says, "Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day." While the Tanakh reads, "Blow the horn on the new moon, on the full moon for our feast day."

The Hebrew word in question is aosk (kece, pronounced keh’-seh). While the KJV has translated it as "time appointed", the RSV and Tanakh have properly translated it as "full moon." aosk (kece) is word #3677 in the Hebrew dictionary of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and is defined as; apparently from 3680; properly, fulness or the full moon, i.e. its festival.

It comes from the root Hebrew word hosk (kaw’saw) which is defined as a primitive root; properly, to plump, i.e. fill up hollows; by implication, to cover (for clothing or secrecy).

Because this definition indicates "to cover (for clothing or secrecy)", some have taken it to mean that it is the dark of the moon and therefore deduct that this is Scriptural authority to determine that the dark moon, the conjunction or molad is the new moon. But look at the definition again, "to plump, fill out the hollows, to cover (for clothing). If something is hollow, there is nothing there, but this definition means to "fill out the hollows." Darkness doesn’t fill, it empties; light fills and covers. Darkness doesn’t plump, it is light and life that plumps. Darkness is likened to chaos, confusion, sin, corruption and death in the Scriptures.

This word aosk (kece) is only utilized in two places in the whole of Scripture. Of course, we already know of Psa. 81:3, but the other place is Prov. 7:20. In this proverb, a man’s wife is seeking to seduce a young man. She tells the young man, "for the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: he hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed." (KJV) Once again the Tanakh and the RSV differ with the KJV by saying, "…at full moon he will come home." (RSV) "...and will return only at mid-month." (Tanakh). Clearly, these two versions reveal that aosk (kece) means "full moon" not molad (conjunction).

Now that we have determined that the molad or conjunction is not being spoken of in Psa. 81:3, we must dispel with one more error that is being taught from the way this verse is worded in the English. Some have been moved to determine that the full moon is the new moon since it says, "Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day." This Scripture certainly does seem to say that the full moon is the new moon. However, upon more careful study, we can determine exactly what time is being spoken of here.

The words "new moon" are being translated from the Hebrew word "chodesh" which is translated only as the word "month" in 1 Ki. 4:7, 27; 5:14; 6:1, 38; 8:2; 11:16; 12:32; 2 Ki. 25:25, etc., etc. In 1 Ki. 12:32, 33 it is rendered as month in the term, "15th day of the month (chodesh)," "Tenth day of the month" (chodesh) in 2 Ki. 25:1, "ninth day of the month" (chodesh) in 2 Ki. 25:3, "Seventh day of the month" (chodesh) in 2 Ki. 25:8, "Twenty seventh day of the month" (chodesh) in 2 Ki. 25:27, etc., etc. It is rendered as "months" in 2 Ki. 15:8, 24:8

"Chodesh" is more often translated as month or months in the Scriptures, although in some rare cases it has been translated as "new moon." Since it is more often than not translated as month, is it possible that it has been mistranslated as "new moon" in Psa. 81:3 and should have simply been translated as "month?"

A quick look at verses that follow will determine that the time being spoken of here is the Passover and days of unleavened bread (vv. 5, 10). The killing of the Passover lamb occurred on the afternoon of the 14th of the first month and the days of unleavened bread commenced on the 15th of the same month. This would have been mid-month or the time of the full moon and the festival observance wherein Israel was commanded to blow a trumpet over their feasts.

Therefore, we can now deduct that Psa. 81:3 is speaking neither of the molad (conjunction) nor the "new moon". It is speaking of blowing the trumpet at the feast of Passover and days of unleavened bread which occur in the middle of the month.

YAHWEH gave the sun, moon and stars as "signs" in the heavens wherein His annual appointed times were to be observed, "And Elohim said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them for signs and for seasons, and for days, and years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth:" and it was so. And Elohim made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And Elohim set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and Elohim saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day," Gen. 1:14-19.

YAHWEH appointed two major festivals to be observed which endured for a 7-8 day period. The first was the Passover and days of Unleavened Bread which occurred in the very first month of the year (spring). The second was the feast of Tabernacles which occurred in the seventh month of the year (fall). Both took place close to the equinoxes when there would be about the same period of daylight and darkness (equinox simply means "equal night"). Both also took place in the middle of the month when there would be plenty of sun and moon light.

The vernal equinox represented the beginning of the year, as has already been covered, when the plants, the earth and sun are waxing strong. The Passover, which is the beginning of YAHWEH'S plan of salvation, was observed near that time. The autumnal equinox represented the end of the year when the plants, the sun and the earth began to wane and become weak. The overall bulk of foods had been harvested, the season of fall had begun and winter would be close behind that. This fall feast was called the feast of ingathering wherein YAHWEH commanded Israel, "And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end," Ex. 34:22.

The word "end" is translated from the Hebrew word "tequwphah." It is defined as; from 5362; a revolution, i.e. (of the sun) course, (of time) lapse.

What would a "tequwphah" be? It is a revolution or the course of the sun. How can we determine just what it is? By Psalm 19, "The heavens declare the glory of Elohim; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof," vv. 1-6.

Notice the word "circuit." It is also translated from the Hebrew word "tequwphah." What is the Sun’s daily circuit or tequwphah? Isn’t it from the rising in the East to the setting in the West? This is would be the sun’s daily "tequwphah."

A year was also likened to a day in YAHWEH'S word. Israel was assigned to wander in the wilderness for forty years, a year for each day that the men had searched out the land of Canaan, "And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know My breach of promise," Num. 14:33-34.

YAHWEH told Ezekiel, "Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed they each day for a year," Ez. 4:4-6.

Just as the 24 hour day has a period of light and darkness, the annual day has the same. The period of light for the annual day is gauged by the equinoxes. The Vernal equinox is the mark for the beginning of the annual day and the Autumnal Equinox is the mark for the end. This, of course, is for the northern hemisphere which the land of Canaan lies in. The annual day (period of light) consists of the seasons of spring and summer during which there is the greater abundance of light while the annual nighttime period consists of the seasons of fall and winter when there is less light.

The sun’s annual "tequwphah" consists of the period from the Vernal Equinox to the Autumnal Equinox.

There has been a great deal of confusion in the assemblies on how to determine the holy calendar. YAHWEH originally set the sun, moon and stars in the heavens as signals for seasons. Josephus states that the original Passover occurred when the sun was passing through the house of Aries. The sun travels through twelve principal houses or heavenly signs each year. Today, people call these houses or signs the Zodiac which simply means "circle."

Referring back to Psa. 19, the psalmist says, "In them hath He sat a tabernacle for the sun, which as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strongman to run a race. His going forth is from the end of heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof," vv. 4-6.

Since the Vernal Equinox is the beginning of the sun’s strength and the Autumnal Equinox is the end "tequwphah" of his race, we can utilize this as the beginning and ending point of the year.

As stated, when Israel left Egypt, the beginning of the year was occurring in the house or sign of Aries. The new moon would have taken place in this heavenly sign. However, there is a phenomenon called the "precession of the equinoxes" which causes them to shift about every 2000-2300 years.

When Adam was created, the equinoxes were occurring in Taurus and Scorpio. About 2,000 years later it had shifted to Aries and Libra. Today, they are occurring in Pisces and Virgo. Thus, the beginning of our annual "holy calendar" should take place when the new moon occurs in Pisces.

This whole system is "...declaring the glory of El; and the firmament sheweth His handy work," Psa. 19:1. The story of the plan of YAHWEH and His salvation is revealed in the heavens for those whom are able to search it out. While we know that there are those who will resist this information, such has always been the case and will be until YAHshua returns to establish His kingdom.

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