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Resource Articles

Browse, read and study through articles adapted from previously published First Fruits of Zion magazines and journals.

Category: Appointed Times

Rosh Chodesh

Tags:  new moon, passover, rosh chodesh

The New Moon Celebration

"For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me," declares Adonai, "So your offspring and your name will endure. And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me," says Adonai. –Isaiah 66:22-23

Most of us avoid horoscopes and astrological signs since they are contrary to a biblical lifestyle–and are often even dangerous.1 But has the enemy so polluted them that our heavenly Father wants us to ignore the heavenly bodies altogether? That seems unlikely, since during the Millennium–while the Master Himself tabernacles among us–our lives will revolve around the Sabbath, 2 New Moon 3 and Feast of Booths. 4

In this study, we will look at some specifics about an often-overlooked celebration, New Moon, or pronounced in Hebrew as Rosh Chodesh. This teaching 5 will also be followed by some suggestions of how to apply this festival to our own lives.

To Sanctify the New Moon6

According to the Sages, it is a positive commandment incumbent upon the Sanhedrin or sole authority over Israel (i.e., Messiah) to determine the new month by sanctifying the New Moon.

The biblical calendar is a lunar calendar. The first day of the biblical month is called Rosh Chodesh (ראש חדש), which literally translates from Hebrew as, "Head of the Renewed." A Rosh Chodesh occurs when the first crescent of the New Moon appears in the sky. Note that the biblical Hebrew rendering of Rosh Chodesh does not clearly translate to the English rendering to mean 'New Moon.' However, the 'Head of the Renewed' has been understood as the beginning of the new lunar cycle, which is ordinarily marked by the first visible crescent of the New Moon.

In ancient times, the Rosh Chodesh crescent moon was determined by observation. Fixed calendars were not in use except among certain sectarians. Therefore it was necessary for Israel to have consensus on when the New Moon occurred; otherwise those who lived in different areas or were less careful in their observations of the sky would have had calendars that were out of synchronization.

This issue was especially crucial in Exodus 12, since God was about to give the whole community of Israel several date-specific commandments. Consider the situation with the Israelite community in Egypt. If one group of Israelites believed that the New Moon should be calculated differently, or if another group had missed sighting the moon the first night and therefore were off by only one day, it could have been disastrous. Their houses would not have been marked with the blood on the appropriate night. They would have missed the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt.

For this reason, the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron saying, "This chodesh (renewal) shall be the beginning of months for you..." (Exodus 12:2) He thereby determined the first day of the month, synchronizing the community's calendar.

The commandment to determine the first day of the month by sighting and declaring the New Moon is called 'the sanctification of the New Moon.' It is referred to as 'sanctification' because the New Moon, when declared, is set apart. It is a semi-festive day with special Temple rituals.

The implied commandment of sanctifying the New Moon is addressed only to Moses and Aaron. Were it addressed to the entire community, the determination of the calendar would be arbitrary and subject to all sorts of discrepancies. For that reason, this commandment has always been regarded as a function of the Sanhedrin, i.e., the leadership of Israel.

The Mishnah 7 details the ceremony the Sanhedrin used to sanctify the New Moon. Witnesses who sighted the New Moon crescent traveled immediately to the Sanhedrin (Jerusalem, Yavneh, etc.). The members of the Sanhedrin would cross-examine the witnesses to ensure that they had indeed sighted the New Moon. Then they would declare, "It is sanctified." Word would be passed to the rest of Israel by signal fires and messengers that the new month had begun.

Calendars

However, in the Fourth Century, the Roman government forbade the Sanhedrin from convening and determining the New Moon. The Jewish community throughout the diaspora was left to their own devices for determining the calendar. The result was uncertainty over festival days, discord between communities and general chaos. A cloudy day that rendered the first crescent 'unsightable' could change the day of Passover observance! As a result, the method of determining the moon by observation alone fell into disuse. Astronomical projections were made to fix the calendar in advance. Rabbi Hillel II created a fixed calendar for all Israel to use.

Therefore, most people today believe that until a court of law with authority over all Israel is reconvened, the calendar of Rabbi Hillel II is the standard for determining New Moons, biblical months and the biblical festivals. It is not a perfect system, and occasionally discrepancies arise between the biblically calculated calendar date and the moon's actual phase. There remains debate even in our generation as to what to do: follow the moon's phases and disregard the established calendar, or identify with greater Judaism and celebrate according to the calendar set in place by Israel's recognized authorities. We are left in limbo until the great King and Authority over all Israel arises to correct it. This will happen when the soles of Yeshua's blessed feet rest again upon the Mount of Olives. In that day, the commandment originally given to Moses and Aaron to sanctify the New Moon will be flawlessly and accurately reinstated.

Kiddush Levanah and Messianic Celebrations

Each Torah community that has returned to sighting and honoring the New Moon has their prerogative to celebrate as they see fit. If we believe that God's appointed times are indeed His appointments given to Israel, then it is this writer's opinion that those appointments should be celebrated along with all Israel, not independent of the greater People of God. After all, we are all adopted sons by the same Father. His family is called Israel.

Many creative ways of remembering the commandment to sanctify the New Moon (without attempting to fulfill it) have arisen in Messianic and mainstream Jewish practice.

Within Judaism, an additional prayer service called Kiddush Levanah ("Sanctification of the Moon") has been established. It is usually performed several days after the New Moon has appeared, but before the first quarter is complete. Typically it is done after the first havdalah (closing service of Shabbat) following the New Moon's appearance. The standard liturgy and instruction for the Kiddush Levanah appears in most Siddurim. There is a special quality to this moonlit prayer service. It is replete with dancing, singing and Messianic imagery. It is not, however, a New Moon service and should not be thought of as a declaration of the New Month. It is only performed as a remembrance of the original sanctification of the moon. In many communities people set apart the New Moon by assembling for special prayer meetings or small group studies on the first evening of the biblical month. Others host small celebrations, reminiscent of the mini-feasts that King Saul held on the New Moon.

These are times of gladness. All of these constitute good and creative ways to commemorate the mitzvah of sanctifying the New Moon.

Endnotes

1. Deuteronomy 4:19
2. Isaiah 66:23
3. Isaiah 66:23
4. Zechariah 14:16-17
5. The first segment of this article draws heavily from the commentaries of Torah Club Five.
6. See Exodus 12:2
7. m. Rosh Hashanah

© 2012 First Fruits of Zion. All rights reserved. We encourage you to share this material with your friends for further personal study. However, this material may not be republished, in print, electronically, or any other form without our prior permission.

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