When Should a Hebrew Leap Year Be
Intercalated?
Can Passover Come Before Spring?
Can Passover occur before Spring? The Karaite Jews tell us
that the only true key to the beginning a year is whether the
barley is ripening, or at the “abib” stage – hence the first month
of the year is called “Abib.” In their belief, therefore, Passover
can occur before Spring begins, or March 21, if the barley begins
to get ripe by that time. But is this true? Is the “barley condition”
the ONLY or the MAJOR factor to begin the year?. What are
the determining factors in starting a new year? What does the
Bible tell us? What does the evidence of the Talmud, the record
of
ancient Jewish practice during
William F. Dankenbring
Can Passover occur before the advent of Spring? According to science, “spring” is the first quarter of the year beginning with the vernal equinox, which occurs March 21. Says the Winston Dictionary of “spring,” “the season of the year when plants begin to grow, usually in the northern hemisphere, from March 21 to June 22 . . . Astronomy, in the northern hemisphere, the period between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice, or from about March 21 to June 22.”
The Karaite Jews, however, believe that Passover can occur before the advent of Spring. They claim that only the ripening barley is used to determine the beginning of a new year.
In an email letter, Nehemia
Gordon stated, “Only by examining the barley in various regions of the
According
to the Karaites, therefore, this year if the barley is in “abib” condition by
the 1st of March, then Passover and Unleavened bread will commence
on
Clearly, March 16 is 6 days before the Spring Equinox (March 21)! Can the Passover be celebrated properly 6 days BEFORE the coming of actual “Spring”? Is the state of the “barley” the ONLY “key factor” in determining the beginning of a year?
What
does Scripture say? And what DO the
ancient Jewish rabbis of
The first mention of a subject in the Scriptures is to be considered fundamental to understanding a subject. It sets the overall pattern and is the basis for whatever comes later. The first relevant Scripture regarding years is found in Genesis 1:14-16. God said: “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; let them be for signs and SEASONS, and for days and years” (Gen.1:14).
The Hebrew word
for “seasons” is moadim – the
plural of the Hebrew word moad, which means “an appointment, a fixed
time or season, spec. a festival, conventionally a year; by impl. an
assembly (as convened for a definite purpose), tech. the congregation, by
extension the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand).” Clearly this Hebrew word has many related
meanings. Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee
Lexicon says of this word: “a set
time, (a) of a point of time . . . spec. a festival day . . . the feasts of
Jehovah . . . and thus by meton. of the festival sacrifices . . . (b) of a
space of time, as appointed, defined . . . specifically in prophetic style of a
year . . .(2) an assembly . . . (3) Meton. a place in which an assembly is held
. . . (4) an appointed sign, a signal.”
Genesis
In the Hebrew calendar, each month begins
with a New Moon, the first sighted crescent of the new moon as seen from
The key to beginning the year involves TWO
great questions, according to the Scriptures.
First, as Genesis 1:14 shows, the YEAR’s beginning is determined in part
by the position of the SUN in its orbit.
It also is a key factor in determining the annual “moadim” – the annual
Festivals and Holy Days of God.
The other key factor, mentioned later in
Scripture, is the condition of the barley harvest in
The very name of the month is “Abib” and the
term “abib” refers to the condition of the growth of the barley plants. “Abib” is the month in the spring when the
first-fruits of the barley harvest had to be offered up on the second day of
Passover, or Abib (or Nisan) 16, to the Lord (Lev.23:10-11). To prove that this “Omer” offering was made
on the 16th day of Abib or Nisan, write for our articles: “How Should We Count Pentecost?”, “Pentecost
– the Final Answer,” “The Saga of Pentecost,” “Counting the Omer,” and “Sefirat
Ha Omer – Key to Overcoming.”
How do these two Biblical keys to determining
the beginning of a new year interface and interact with each other?
The normal Jewish year has 12 months or about
354 days, about 11 days short of a solar year (of 365 ¼ days). In about three years, the Jews add a 13th
month, called Adar II, to bring the lunar calendar in line with the solar
calendar, to prevent the seasons from cycling through the year, as the Muslim
calendar does. In the Muslim lunar
calendar, because the solar year is completely ignored, the Fast of Ramadan
rotates throughout the year – it occurs about 11 days earlier every year! Muslims therefore celebrate their fast about
one month earlier every three years, going from Fall to Summer to Spring to
Winter! But God’s Festivals must be kept
‘IN THEIR SEASON” (Gen.1:14; Lev.23:4; Numbers 9:2-3, 13; Num.28:2).
Why is this necessary? Because the Festivals of God have to be
observed in their proper SEASON!
Passover therefore must fall in the Spring, and the Feast of Tabernacles
in the Fall. Adding a 13th
month is called “intercalation.”
Says the Encyclopedia Judaica,
the Jewish calendar is “luni-solar,” meaning “the months being reckoned
according to the moon and the years according to the sun.” Twelve lunar months equal about 354 days,
whereas a solar year is 365 and about ¼ days, a difference of 11 days.
The authority
continues: “The cycles of 12 lunar
months must therefore be adjusted to the solar year, because although the Jewish
festivals are fixed according to dates in months, they must also be in specific
(agricultural) seasons of the year which depend on the tropical solar
year. Without any adjustment the
festivals would ‘wander’ through the seasons and the spring festival (Passover), for example, would be eventually
celebrated in winter, and later in summer. . . . In Temple times this
intercalation was decided upon in the individual years according to
agricultural conditions” (“Calendar,” vol.5, page 43).
The seasons themselves
are determined by the sun. Says this
authority, “Tekufot (‘Seasons’).
As stated, the four seasons in the Jewish year are called tekufot. More accurately, it is the beginning of
each of the four seasons – according to the common view, the mean veginning –
that is named tekufah (literally ‘circuit’ . . . ‘to go round’), the tekufah
of Nisan denoting the mean sun at the vernal equinoctial point, that of Tammuz
denoting it at the summer solstitial point, that of Tishri, at the autumnal
equinoctial point, and that of Tevet, at the winer solstitial point.”
Says the Encyclopedia,
“the main reason d’etre of intercalation – to prevent the lunar Nisan 16 from
occurring before the day of the tekufah of Nisan . . . on the
presumption that the tekufah of Nisan stands for the true, not the mean,
vernal equinox.”
According to the
Jewish Encyclopedia, “Astronomy was, however, always a powerful factor, as the
state of the crops is ultimately determined by the sun’s position in its annual
path” (p.50).
A very useful book on the Jewish Calendar is Understanding the Jewish Calendar, written by Rabbi Nathan Bushwick (copywrite 1989, printed in Israel). In the chapter ‘Months and Years” he points out that a year is one complete cycle of the sun through the constellations ( Zodiac). This takes about 365 ¼ days. In each year, there are four special days – the longest day, the shortest day, and two days where day and night are of equal length. These are called the four Tekufas, in Hebrew. They are:
1. The winter solstice Tekuva Teves
2. The spring equinox Tekuva Nisan
3. The summer solstice Tekuva Tammuz
4. The autumna equinox Tekuva Tishri
Since the Hebrew calendar is normally 12 months averaging 29 ½ days each, the months would slowly fall behind the seasons. 12 months would equal 354 days, about 11 days short of a solar year. To solve this problem, the Jews add a thirteenth month every 2 to 3 years. This is done to keep the months aligned with their appropriate seasons.
If there were no intercalation or adding of a thirteenth month, the summer months would begin to fall in the spring, and the spring months would begin to fall in the winter. In three years they would be 33 days behind, a little more than a month. In twenty years, they would be 220 days behind, or more than half a year.
The Torah tells us Passover must be in the month of Aviv or Abib. “Keep the month of Spring and make Pesach” (Deut.16:1)). Says Rabbi Bushwick, “We understand this to mean that Pesach must not fall BEFORE the spring equinox, Tekufas Nisan” (page 50).
Notice this passage more carefully. The New King James Version has it: “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover” (Deut.16:1). The month of Abib is the first month of Spring. The word Abib itself means “from an unused root (mean. to be tender); green, i.e. a a young ear of grain; hence, the name of the month Abib or Nisan – Abib, ear, green ears of corn” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, #24). Says Gesenius, “an ear of corn, a green ear, Lev.2:14, Exo.9:31,’the barley was in the ear,’ i..e. the ears were developed.”
“Nisan” itself is another name for this month. “Nisan” in the Hebrew, denotes “the month of flowers” (Gesenius Hebrew-Caldee Lexicon of the Old Testament, #5212).
Thus Nisan or Abib was identified by the ancient Rabbis and Jewish Sanhedrin as the first month of SPRING, when new life is bursting out all over! In the Song of Songs which was written by Solomon, son of David, we read:
“For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The
the flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig
tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender
grapes give a good smell” (Song of Solomon 2:10-13).
Therefore, according to the Rabbinic Jews, PASSOVER must occur AFTER the Spring euinox! What could be plainer?
How is this to be guaranteed? Bushwick continues:
“The way that we prevent this from happening is really quite
simple. If we see that Pesach is going to fall too early we just
postpone it for a month. We add an extra month before Nisan
and we call it Adar Sheni, Second Adar. The day that would
have been the first day of Nisan becomes the first day of Adar
Sheni and we don’t start Nisan until the next new moon. This
results in a year of thirteen months instead of twelve” (p.50).
In ancient times, Bushwick declares, it was the Jewish Sanhedrin which adjudicated these matters. He writes:
“The Sanhedrin used a
similar method to determine whether the year
should be a regular year or
leap year. You will recall that the
reason for
making a leap year is to
make sure that Pesach falls in the spring. Each
year, in the month of Adar,
they would determine how much longer the
winter would last. Their determination was based on weather
and AGRI-
CULTURAL conditions, and
upon calculations of the date of the spring
equinox. IF THEY CAME TO THE CONCLUSION that the NEXT
MONTH would be SPRING
ALREADY, they would declare it a REGULAR
YEAR and the next month would be
Nisan. If, however, they decided
that it would not be spring
for another month, they would declare the next
month Adar Sheni [Adar
Second, or Adar II] and it would be a leap year”
(page 51).
Bushwick states further,
“It was impossible to know
in advance whether a particular year
would be a regular year or a
leap year or whether a particular month
would have twenty-nine or
thirty days, since the final decision of both
of these things was made
by the Sanhedrin year by year and month
by month. The length of the month was never determined until
the
thirtieth day actually
arrived and the length of the year was generally
not determined until the
month of Adar. So you can see it was
impos-
sible to ever publish a
calendar” (p.52).
Bushwick goes on, saying that because God KNEW in advance that there would be times when Israel would not have a Sanhedrin, He gave the Jews the principles by which they could calculate a calendar without having to make regular observations.
Arthur Spier, in The
Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar, also addresses the issue of intercalation of
the calendar in the times of the Second Temple.
He shows that regarding the beginnings of new years in ancient times, a
number of factors -- not just one –
had to be considered. He states:
“A special
committee of the Sanhedrin, with its president as chairman,
had
the mandate to regulate and balance the solar with the lunar years.
This
so-called Calendar Council (Sod Haibbur) calculated the beginnings
of
the seasons (Tekufoth) on the basis of astronomical figures handed
down
as a tradition of old. Whenever, after two
or three years, the annual
excess
of 11 days had accumulated to approximately 30 days, a thirteenth
month
Adar II was inserted before Nisan in order to assure that Nisan and
Passover
would occur in Spring and not retrogress toward winter.”
Notice that the major criteria for determining when to intercalate a year and make a leap year by adding a thirteenth month was plainly based on ASTRONOMCIAL FIGURES handed down as an ancient tradition, and that this was done IN ORDER TO KEEP PASSOVER IN THE SPRINGTIME!
Notice! When the days had accumulated to about 30
days, then an “extra month,” or “leap month,” was declared by the
Sanhedrin. This was to keep the
festivals from retrogressing toward the winter and coming earlier and earlier
every year, so that Passover would always be observed in the proper season –
springtime!—“to assure that NISAN and PASSOVER would occur in Spring and not
retrogress toward winter,” Arthur Spier plainly declared.
Spier continues, giving other
reasons why a 13th month, Adar II, would be added in a given year,
by the Sanhedrin:
“However, the astronomical
observation was not the only basis for inter-
calation
of a thirteenth month. The delay of
the actual arrival of spring
was
another decisive factor. The Talmudic
sources report that the
Council
intercalated a year when the BARLEY IN THE FIELDS HAD
NOT
YET RIPENED, when the fruit of the trees had not grown properly,
when
the winter rains had not stopped, when the roads for Passover
pilgrims
had not dried up, and when the young pigeons had not become
fledged. The council on intercalation considered the
astronomical facts
together
with the religious requirements of Passover and the natural
conditions
of the country” (p.1-2).
Notice
that if the barley was not yet ripe, then a thirteenth month would be
added, so the wave sheaf offering performed on Nisan 16 could be offered. However, he did NOT say that if the barley
was ripe, that a thirteenth month could not be added – for instance, in a year
when the barley became ripe BEFORE spring equinox, thus placing Passover and
Nisan 16 before the equinox (March 21st).
Says
Leslie Koppelman Ross in Celebrate!
The Complete Jewish Holidays Handbook, “The SUN, which determines
the agricultural year, grounds us in nature.
The moon, waxing and waning, reflects our history and destiny of renewal
after diminishment” (p.xxv).
The Jewish Talmud discusses this subject at
length in Sanhedrin 11B. The Talmud
shows that there were other subordinate factors which also related to deciding
when to add a thirteenth month to a year.
For example, the Talmud states:
“The court does not intercalate the year unless it is necessary because
of the roads, or because of the bridges that often are washed away as a result
of heavy winter rains, thereby making it difficult, without the added month,
for even the local pilgrims to reach Jerusalem in time for Pesach; or because
of the Pesach ovens, used to roast the Paschal sacrifice, which are often
damaged as well by rain, and in need of drying out” (The Talmud, the Steinsaltz
Edition, vol.XV, tractate Sanhedrin, part 1, 11B, page 107-108).
“A number of considerations might make it
necessary to declare a leap year: If the
roads or bridges are in disrepair, so that pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem
will be unable to reach their destination by Pesach, or will endanger
themselves in the attempt; if the Pesach ovens were damaged by the winter
rains, so that the people arriving in Jerusalem will not have anywhere to roast
their Paschal sacrifices; or if the Diaspora Jews have already departed from
home, but will not arrive in Jerusalem in time for Pesach” (Halakhah footnote,
page 108).
Other subordinate factors include newly
hatched pigeons which cannot fly yet, which are used in various private sacrifices
brought to the Temple. The court also
did not intercalate merely because of newly born lambs or goats, which can use
some fattening up before being used as sacrifices, for they could be used for
that person regardless.
These lesser factors may impinge on a
decision of the court to add an intercalary month or not, but by themselves
would not be enough. Says the Talmud,
“But even though we cannot proclaim a leap year on account of these
considerations, we do produce them as support for intercalations the year when
a more fundamental concern is already present, such as the fear that
grain will not ripen by Pesach or fruit by Shavuot, or the fear that either
Pesach or Sukkot will not fall in its appointed season” (p.108).
The two major factors, however, according to
the Talmud, and mentioned directly in Scripture, are the fact that the feasts
must occur during their appointed seasons, and the barley grain must be ripe
enough for Passover, to make the “omer” offering.
Says the Talmud, reasons for intercalating an
additional month in a year include “a
delay in the ripening of grain or fruit for the arrival of a Festival PRIOR TO
its appointed SEASON.” It goes on to
declare, “The Rishonim disagree in regard to the difference between these two
Baraitot: Tosafa explains that, any
single factor mentioned in our Baraita provides sufficient reason to
intercalate the year, the court would require two from those listed in the
later Baraita. Rabbenu Yona explains
that, whereas the factors listed in our Baraita allow the Sages to intercalate
the year [the subordinate factors), those listed in the later Baraita ACTUALLY
OBLIGATE THEM TO DO SO” (Notes, page 108).
The point is, there are TWO mandatory reasons
for declaring a leap year – 1) because the grain (barley) is not ripe enough in
time, i.e. too “green”, and 2) the
season of Spring, which begins at the Spring Equinox, has not yet come so that
Passover can be observed in its proper season – that is, Spring, which begins
March 21! Therefore, these two factors
must both agree in order to intercalate a 13th month.
In other words, such things as bad roads or
washed out bridges, newly born goats or lambs, or fledgling pigeons, “may be
considered as AUXILLARY REASONS for proclaiming a leap year IF one of the
principal reasons for intercalating the year is also applicable” (same page).
In one example, Rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem
wrote to their brothers exiled in Babylon, saying, “We hereby inform you that
the pigeons are tender and the lambs are slender, and the time of the barley
opening has not yet arrived. Hence, the
matter appearing proper in my eyes and in the eyes of my colleagues, I have
added onto this year an additional thirty days” (p.110).
Even after the Temple was destroyed, the
Sages took into consideration all those factors which would be relevant to
intercalation, as if the Temple were still standing, as a sign of their hope
that the Temple would soon be rebuilt.
This was continued until the advent of the “fixed” Jewish calendar
ordained by Hillel II in 357-58 A.D.
The Gemara portion of the Talmud continues
the discussion of intercalation. We
read:
“The Gemara continues its
discussion of the considerations that lead
to the proclamation of a leap year: Our rabbis taught the following
Baraita: Because
of three issues the judges of the High Court
Intercalate the year:
Because the issue of Pesach approaching
before the barley ripening, a Biblical condition for observing the
holiday (see Deuteronomy 16:1); and because of the
issue of Shavuot
approaching before the fruit of the tree has
ripened, thus forcing
the harvesters to delay bringing their ritual offering of
the first-fruit,
an offering associated with the observance of Shavuot
(see Exodus
23:16), until their next trip to Jerusalem; and
because of the issue
of the equinox not properly coinciding with its
designated Festival
observance, such as when the vernal equinox occurs
after the 16th
of Nisan, or the autumnal equinox occurs after the 21st
of Tishri.
When two of these conditions exist, they
can intercalate the year,
but when only one of them
exists, they cannot intercalate the year”
(p.111).
Let’s notice this CAREFULLY! Here it says when “two” of these conditions
exist, intercalation is possible – unready barley, the fruit of trees not
ready, and the equinox.
Going on, notice what we read under “Notes,” at the same passage. The Talmud states,
“Because
of three issues. Riva suggests
that all three of these issues
essentially
point at the same concern: THAT THE
FESTIVALS OCCUR
IN
THEIR PROPER SEASON. Furthermore, he suggests
that each of
the
three issues relates to a different Festival:
The concern with the
first
ripening grain relates to the importance of Pesach being celebrated
in
its appropriate season; the concern with regard to the ripening of
fruit
relates to the practice of bringing the first-fruits during the Festival
of
Shavuot; finally, the concern with regard to the timing of the seasonal
equinox
relates to the importance of Sukkot commencing AFTER
AUTUMN
HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN” (page 111).
Says the Talmud
commentary under “Halakhah,”
“Because of three
issues. ‘An extra month is added to
the year:
(1) If it appears that the
vernal equinox will occur ON OR AFTER
THE 16TH OF NISAN; (2) it if appears that the
barley will not ripen
sufficiently by Pesach; or
(3) if it appears that the fruit that ordinarily
ripens around Pesach time
will not ripen by then. THE LATENESS
OF THE VERNAL EQUINOX IS BY
ITSELF SUFFICIENT
REASON TO ADD AN EXTRA MONTH
TO THE YEAR, following
Rabban Shimon ben
Gamliel. But if it does not appear that
the
equinox will be late, the
year is ONLY intercalated if both of the
other two factors are
present.’ (Ramban, Sefer Zemanim, Hilkhot
Kiddush, HaHodesh 4:2,3).”
This
clarification is very important. Here we
see that the “lateness of the vernal equinox IS BY ITSELF SUFFICIENT” to add an
extra month to a year, making it a leap year!
Here the passage clarifies that if it does not appear that the equinox
will be late, THEN intercalation is done ONLY IF both of the other two factors
are present, regarding the barley and fruit of trees!
Let’s hold it right there, for a moment! Notice with crystal clarity!
Vernal Equinox –16th Nisan Equinox
or After
“An extra month is added to the year: . . . If it appears that
the vernal equinox will occur ON OR AFTER THE
16TH
OF NISAN . . .”
That is a plain and
straightforward statement! An extra
month is added whenever the spring equinox comes on Nisan 16 or afterward! This passage clears up the whole issue,
according to the Talmud itself.
What does the date of Nisan
16 have to do with it? Nisan 16 is the
SECOND DAY OF PASSOVER! It is the day of
the “wave sheaf” or “omer” offering, which consisted of the FIRST-FRUITS OF
BARLEY from the barley harvest in the Spring!
Notice! The Talmud clearly says, if the second day of
Passover is the Spring Equinox, or if the Spring Equinox occurs AFTER that
date, then AN EXTRA MONTH IS TO BE ADDED, MAKING A LEAP YEAR!
Those
are the clear instructions of the Talmud itself.
This
brings up a dilemma for the Karaites.
According to them, the sole determining factor in beginning a new year
is the ABIB factor of the barley harvest.
They disregard any astronomical factors, and seemingly ignore God’s Word
in Genesis 1:14.
Obviously,
both cannot be right!
This
year of 2006, the Karaites, according to version 1 of their projected calendars
for the coming year, declare that the New Moon of Nisan or Abib will be seen
March 1st, around sunset, making day 1 of Nisan March 2. The Passover would be March 15, and the 2nd
day of Passover would be March 16.
March
16 is FIVE DAYS BEFORE the SPRING EQUINOX which occurs March 21! The Karaite position would place Passover six
days BEFORE the Spring equinox!
But according to the Talmud,
“An extra month is added to the year: . . . If it appears that
the vernal equinox will occur ON OR AFTER THE
16TH
OF NISAN . . .”
If it appears that the vernal equinox will
occur ON OR AFTER THE 16TH OF NISAN,” THEN AN EXTRA MONTH IS
ADDED! Period! That is very plain, according to the Talmud
itself, the ancient Jewish authority and record on the subject.
That means
that the coming year MUST be a leap year, with an extra month added to the
current year – an “Adar II”!
So
the Karaite calendar which would begin the new year on March 2nd
obviously flies in the face of the Talmud and the Rabbinical calendar rules of
old – the rules in existence long before Hillel II made his changes in 357-58
A.D.!!
In
a paper on the subject, a Karaite actually referred to the Talmud tractate Sanhedrin 11B. I don’t really know why. It seems rather “quaint” that a Karaite Jew
would actually give a passage in the Talmud as a reference for his teachings on
the leap year, when the Talmud clearly contradicts the Karaite position and
conclusions, if we take every word of the Talmud passage seriously. There is no room left to doubt as to the
official Jewish position of the rabbis.
Clearly, the important of the EQUINOX in
these considerations cannot be minimized!
It is of critical importance! So
says the Jewish Talmud itself. The
passages in Sanhedrin 11B do NOT give license to celebrate Passover PRIOR to
the Spring equinox, which would occur this year IF the Karaites FAIL to add an
intercalary month this year!
The Jewish historian
Josephus himself states that Passover must come in the Spring. He wrote:
“In the month of Xanthicus,
which is by us called Nisan, and is the
beginning of our year, on
the fourteenth day of the lunar month, WHEN
THE SUN IS IN ARIES (for in this month it was
that we were delivered
from bondage under the
Egyptians,) the law ordained that we should
every year slay that
sacrifice which I before told you we slew when we
came out of Egypt, and which
was called the Passover: and so
do we
celebrate this Passover in
companies, leaving nothing of what we sacrifice
till the day following. The feast of unleavened bread succeeds that
of the
Passover, and falls on the
fifteenth day of the month, and continues seven
Days, wherein they feed on
unleavened bread . . . . But on the SECOND
DAY of unleavened bread,
which is the SIXTEENTH DAY OF THE
MONTH, they first partake of
the fruits of the earth, for before that day
They do not touch them”
(Antiquities, Book III, chapter X, part 5).
“Aries” is the heavenly constellation which
begins at the Spring Equinox, and continues 30 days. Thus Passover, according to Josephus, could
not come before the Spring Equinox!
“Aries” is the sign of the Lamb, or Ram – which is the sign of the “Lamb
of God” who took away the sins of the world, bearing them upon Himself when He
was slain for us, as our “Passover Lamb” (I Cor.5:7; John 1:29).
The Lamb of God was not slain in the
winter. The Jews knew Aries must follow
the Spring Equinox. So they made a rule
that Passover cannot occur before Aries comes, which begins March 21. So the Karaites, who could celebrate Passover
BEFORE Aries, or the Spring Equinox, are in GRAVE ERROR! This year version 1 of their projected
calendar would place Passover on March 15 – six days before Spring
begins, according to the astronomical cycle.
Philo was a highly
education Jew from Alexandria, Egypt, who lived in the first century. He also wrote about the timing of the annual
holy days of God, and the seasons in which they were to be observed.
In The Works of
Philo, Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Version, translated by C.D.
Yonge, we read of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He connects it with the spring equinox (“The
Special Laws, II, the Fifth Festival,” page 582). Says Philo, “The vernal equinox is an
imitation and representation of that beginning in accordance with which this
world was created. Accordingly, every
year God reminds men of the creation of the world, and with this view puts
forward the spring, in which season all plants flourish and bloom”
(p.582). Thus he connects the first
month, Nisan, with the spring (vernal) equinox, as this is the time of the
flourishing of new life, blossoming and blooming and replacing the barrenness
of winter. The Feast of Unleavened
Bread, he says, “is begun on the fifteenth day of the month, in the middle of
the month, on the day on which the moon is full of light. . .” Thus Philo shows the Passover and Days of
Unleavened Bread must fall in the springtime, the time of the “vernal
equinox.”
Philo also says, of
the Feast of Tabernacles, “The last of the annual festivals is that which is
called the feast of tabernacles, which is fixed for the season of the
autumnal equinox” (page 587).
The Orthodox Jews and their ancestors, the
Rabbis and Pharisees and Scribes, have given much thought to these issues. They have wrestled with them, debated them,
and considered all the consequences, and have determined that in order for
Passover and Sukkot to be celebrated at the proper time, in the proper season,
the ISSUE OF THE EQUINOX IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE!!!
Because in some years,
the weather might cause crops to begin to ripen earlier than Spring, this meant
that occasionally there would be some hardship among farmers, for if a month
was intercalated, even though the barley had begun to ripen, then the “first-fruits”
of the barley would be delayed, and no harvesting could begin until the
offering was made on Nisan 16. This
would not make for happy farmers, but they would have to resist the urge to
begin harvesting before the appointed time.
The Talmudic authorities even
address this problem. When a leap year
was declared and an extra month inserted to delay the beginning of a new year,
because the BARLEY is not ready for Passover harvesting, when the first
month of the new year would normally be due, then people are HAPPY, because
this gives them one more month before the grain is ready for harvest. But what if the grain is ready, but the
proper time has not yet come, because of intercalation?
Says the Talmud: “If, however, the grain did ripen by
Pesach, and nevertheless the year was intercalated on account of the other two
issues, then people would indeed be unhappy since the harvestable grain would
have to remain in the field for an additional month without any benefit to its
grower” (p.112).
This was a
concern. However, it was deemed better
to push Passover later, rather than cause it to occur earlier, before the
Spring-time, or Spring Equinox!
Why was this the
case? I suspect it was for RELIGIOUS
REASONS – to keep the months in alignment with the SEASONS which God commanded
(Gen.1:14). Unknown to the Jews, the
true Lamb of God was going to come, and be sacrificed on Nisan 14, in the
Spring, in the sign of Aries!
The Equinox is, therefore, the major key to
determining the official beginning of Spring – not the barley harvest, which
might begin a little earlier some years due to a warm winter and ample
rainfall.
A similar problem occurred in the fall of the
year.
Says the Talmud:
“It was asked of
those Sages discussing this Baraita: Does this last statement
of
Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel’s imply that when the year is intercalated
because
of the issue of the autumn equinox commencing after the
Festival
of
Sukkot has begun, we are happy as well; since otherwise, were autumn
to
begin before Sukkot and the year nevertheless be intercalated for other
reasons,
it would mean having the Festival pilgrims return to their homes
in
the midst of the rainy season? Or perhaps
Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel
meant
to argue with the first Tanna of the Baraita in maintaining that
over
the issue of the equinox alone, the High Court can intercalate the
year
without recourse to any of the other two reasons mentioned? The
Sages
of the Gemara offer no solution to this query, and so it is con-
cluded
that we let the problem stand unresolved” (p.112).
In
other words, the question of the motives of Rabbi Gamliel were not clear to the
sages that came later, so they decided to just let the matter or question lay
unresolved. They did not know the
answer, and knew they did not know, so further discussion was considered
useless.
The Feast of Sukkot or Tabernacles was also
called “the Feast of Ingathering” (Exo.23:16).
By definition, this festival was to occur at the END of the harvest,
during or at the conclusion of “ingathering” of the harvest. Its dating clearly was the seventh month,
Tishri 15-21 (Lev.23:34-41).
But if the year began so early that Passover
fell before the Spring Equinox, this would bring the Fall Festival very early,
cutting into the time of harvest. This
concerned the rabbis. “So Rabbis were
given the option of intercalating the year whenever it appeared to them that,
if they did not do so, there would be insufficient time to ‘ingather’ the fruits
before the advent of Sukkot”, says the Talmud (p.112).
It would be very difficult in Israel for
farmers to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Ingathering when there
was not yet any “INGATHERING” or “HARVEST”, or in the MIDDLE of the harvest! How can you observe the festival of Harvest
BEFORE the actual harvest? The Feasts of
Israel all revolve around the harvest seasons!
This year, if the Karaites go with their
“early” calendar, they would have the Feast of Tabernacles occurring from September
9-15 – before the autumn even comes!
This problem of an early Feast was thoroughly
debated among the rabbis. The issue
revolved around the equinox. They
debated the phrase, “Because of the equinox.”
Just what did this mean? Says the Talmud:
“Rashi explains that Rabban Shimon ben
Gamliel might have meant that an extra month can be added to the year if
it appears that the equinox will be late, even if no other conditions
are met, because this is a stipulation of Torah law. Remah rejects this explanation,
arguing that the other factors are also matters of Torah law. Rather, the late occurrence of the
equinox might be sufficient reason for adding an extra month to the year
because the equinox occurs at a fixed time, and the times at which the
grain or fruit ripen are usually related to the time of the equinox,
although they also depend on the year’s rainfall and other climatic
conditions. Rabbenu Yonah explains
that the year might be intercalated because of the equinox, EVEN IF THERE
IS NO OTHER REASON for adding another month to the year, because the
time at which the equinox will occur can be calculated precisely, but the
time at which the grain or the fruit will ripen can only be estimated. Hence an extra month can be added to the year
only if it appears that neither the grain nor the fruit will ripen in time” (ibid.,
emphasis mine).
Clearly, the whole discussion showed the vital importance of the Equinox. The rabbis concluded the extra month could be added simply because it appeared the Equinox would be late (compared to weather and its effects), 1) because of the Torah Law, 2) because the Equinox occurred at a fixed time, and 3) even if there is no other reason for adding another month to the year! In other words, the sacred calendar considerations “trump” the agricultural considerations, whenever there is a conflict, which seldom occurs, but can happen occasionally.
Normally, the date of the equinox comes right about the time of the “abib” of the barley harvest, which places Passover in the official time of Spring. Once in a while, the growing season might be a little out of adjustment, or there could even be a crop failure, but in such cases the factor of the Spring Equinox would be the governing factor, all by itself, as the final arbiter on the matter.
Final Evidence
The final evidence that the Karaites are wrong to begin the month of Abib when it would require Passover to fall BEFORE the spring equinox is Jewish rabbinic practice during Second Temple times. That is, the Talmud shows that the Pharisees and normative Jewish practice was to always begin the new year so that Passover would fall after the spring equinox. Karaites may argue otherwise, but there is no evidence that the Pharisees ever allowed Passover to fall before spring/the vernal equinox. This was the opinion of the Jewish Sanhedrin.
Jesus Christ declared, as to this matter, “The scribes
and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and
follow it” (Matt.23:2, NRSV). In other
words, as I show in my article “What Do You Mean, Moses’ Seat?” Christ was
endorsing the teachings of the PHARISEES so long as they agreed with the
laws of Moses – i.e. the TEACHINGS of Moses!
The scribes and Pharisees taught that the Passover must be in the spring, and the Talmud shows that to be the decisions of the Jewish rabbis. NOWHERE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT DOES JESUS CHRIST OR THE APOSTLES EVER QUESTION OR ARGUE OVER THIS POINT! Therefore, they seem to have accepted the conventional Jewish wisdom on this important issue. Why should we not follow their example?
In particular, the apostle Paul declared, in A.D. 60, about twenty five years after his conversion in A.D. 35, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel [the leading Rabbi of the time], educated strictly according to the ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today” (Acts 22:3) Notice! Paul did not follow the Karaites, or, that is, their predecessors, the Sadducees! He followed the teachings of Orthodox Judaism of the time, so long as they followed the ancestral LAW – the law of Moses! His main teacher was Rabban Gamaliel, the leading Orthodox Jew of that time, a follower of Hillel (Hillel I, not Hillel II who lived some 300 years later and who changed the calendar!).
Later, before the Sanhedrin, Paul asserted, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees” (Acts 23:6). He wrote to the Philippians, saying, “[I was] circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; AS TO THE LAW, A PHARISEE . . . as to righteousness under the LAW, BLAMELESS” (Phil.3:5-6).
Paul followed the Pharisees on calendar matters in that day. The Pharisees kept the Passover in the SPRING, as Josephus plainly says – after the spring equinox! Rabbinical commentary in the Talmud shows that Passover could not occur in winter, but had to be in the spring!
Who will you choose to follow? Modern day Karaites, the spiritual descendants of the Sadducees? Or the apostle Paul, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who said the PHARISEES sat in Moses’ seat, not the Sadducees? Write for my free article, “Sadducees or Pharisees – Who Controlled Temple Worship During the Time of Christ?”
God is not a God of Confusion
God’s Law is not intended to cause hardship among God’s people. However, sometimes we must “gird up our loins,” tighten up our belt, and suffer a little, in order to obey God, knowing that in the end it is the best thing to do. Future reward and ultimate salvation are far more important that present day considerations!
God’s Laws always work together for our ultimate good, if we obey them, and trust in Him! For example, it may seem hard to let the land lie at rest every seventh year, to celebrate the land Sabbath, but it is God’s Law, and is important to allow the land to rebuild itself and rest (Lev.25:1-7).
Likewise, it may seem unduly hard to have the last land Sabbath, a year of rest, with no planting and real harvest to be followed by the Jubilee Year, another year of no planting or harvest, every 50 years Lev.25:8-17). But God declares, “You shall observe my statutes and faithfully keep my ordinances, so that you may live on the land securely. The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live on it securely. Should you ask, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ I will order in my blessing for you in the sixth year, so that it will yield a crop for THREE YEARS. When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating from the old crop; until the ninth year, when its produce comes in, you shall eat the old” (Lev.25:18-22, NRSV).
Our God is not the God of confusion. Nor is He a God who imposes undue hardship. But He does, at times, test our faith! But, as the apostle Paul declared, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (I Cor.14:33, NRSV). The word “peace” in the Greek of this verse is eirene and like the Hebrew shalom literally means “peace, prosperity, quietness, rest.”
“O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable are his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen” (Rom.11:33-36, NRSV).
How clear God’s Word is! How wonderful are His judgments, and His ways
past finding out!