YHWHHEBREW CALENDAR or Jewish calendar

HEBREW CALENDAR or Jewish calendar (Orthodox rabbinical) THE CALENDAR DEBACLE

THE NEW 2008-2009 Hebrew calendars are in stock, and span Sept 2008 thru Sept 2009. This "Jewish Wall Calendar" is $8.95, or 2 for $12.00 -- (see added shipping when you order - click on photos) It includes beautiful full-color photos of Israel, is spiral-bound, and lets you know when sunset arrives for 41 US cities, from Maine to California. It also includes the traditional Scriptural references called Haftorahs, for reading each Sabbath. They show the coming "fall feasts" for this year, coinciding with late 2008, and will provide the spring moed'im info for 2009, and show the months through Sept 2009. The Scriptural calendar is lunar-solar, not strictly lunar.

While the old calendar supplies last, we will also include a 2007-2008 calendar with each 2008-2009 calendar you order.

10" X 18" - easy-to-read, spiral bound, for home or office.

(these photos are older calendars, but shown for examples)

The first "moon" of the year is in the spring, and occurs at or after the "tequfah", a span of days called the "equinox".

For more info on the span of days called the equinox, click here: TEQUFAH

The Hebrew calendar does not start with the beginning of the REAL 1st moon (Springtime) as it actually should, but rather in the Fall season (which is explained as being the "civil year"; however ideally we would rather it span from the 1st month in the Spring through 12 months, up to the next Spring, as YHWH's year is described as we see at Exodus 12:2). So, you'll find it starts with the Roman month called "September", and includes the month of September for the following year as well - for total of 13 months, since they give you two "Septembers" just for fun.

Except for the "doubling" of the annual Sabbaths, a few months (like "Tammuz") named for Pagan idols, and the counting to Shabuoth, we feel this calendar can serve to teach us the patterns we have neglected in the Western world. The Hebrew or "Jewish" Calendar will give you a general feel for the way modern Orthodox Judaism portrays Scripturally-appointed Sabbaths, and does so in such a way that you can easily interpret it through the common Roman Calendar. Many Messianic scholars generally follow "closely" to this pattern, with subtle variations in observance. Many identify a New Moon as a crescent, rather than the dark, unseen New Moon used by this calendar, which is going to be an issue until our Messiah Yahushua returns. This calendar also begins in the autumn of the year, contrary to the Scriptural Springtime beginning for the year as declared by Yahuah. As you study Scripture, you'll find differences between it and Judaism's traditions, because fallible men are constantly bending and wrestling with the easy way. This produces the "traditions of the fathers", such as the Talmud, which can contain conflicts with Torah, if only because they "add" to it. Even among the Messianic Natsarim today there are many different ways of keeping track of the calendar, so in spite of all the diverse methods there are to look at, we offer this version used by the Orthodox Jewish brothers and sisters so that you can at least have a familiar Roman Date to relate to, then compare how it stacks up to the Scriptural time-keeping method. You'll find - through study - when to observe the correct times, and this calendar can certainly be of some basic help in spite of the problems it may have. Those of us looking for more Truth must wrestle with tradition, because Truth and tradition are often opposed to one another.

THE SEVEN ANNUAL SABBATHS

YAHUAH’S REDEMPTION PLAN FOR HIS WIFE, ISRAEL

Moed’im for "2008", also called 5768:

(2008 Pagan Roman days are used for reference):

The first moon is called ABIB

(This means grain, and is referring to the moon when barley ripens for the first-fruits harvest)

1st day of the new year begins: For more info on the equinox, click here: TEQUFAH

MOEDIM (APPOINTED TIMES) Set according to the first new moon of the year, in the spring for the northern hemisphere (winter must be over in the northern hemisphere for the appearance of this 1st day of the new moon, so the first moon will be at or after the spring “equinox”, when the Earth-orbit reaches the point where the sun is directly over the equator). The 7 annual MOEDIM consist of very special days through the year, and each is a “shadow” of the redemption plan for Israel. Yahushua's redemption of Israel cannot be understood without them (see Lev. 23, Dt. 16).

(NOTE: the “Gregorian” calendar ignores the real moon entirely, and is strictly “solar”. The Hebrew calendar is lunar/solar. The “year” begins with the first new moon in the spring in the northern hemisphere, and this applies to the whole Earth - Ex. 12:2. It is the beginning of moons, so the festivals are all established by the first moon. To properly understand the Hebrew calendar, remember that each day begins at sunset, not midnight as the Roman paradigm).

The whole 7-day festival of Unleavened Bread (Matsah) is often called "Pesach", or Passover.

Memorial of Yahushua’s death, the preparation day for PESACH (Passover):

Observed at twilight (sunset) at the beginning of the 14th day of the first moon.

For “2008”, this will begin at sunset on Apr. 18. This is not necessarily a day of rest from work, but this year it happens to occur when the weekly Sabbath in beginning, so it is a day of rest because of that.

1st day of MATSAH (Unleavened Bread): Memorial of departure from Mitsrayim

Observed at the beginning of the 15th day of the first moon, so the moon is FULL.

Day of rest from work.

For “2008”, this will begin at sunset on Apr. 19, and extend until the sunsets on Apr. 20. No “chemetz”, or leavened bread, is to be in our homes for 7 days.

For 7 days, all Israel is to abstain from leavened bread. This applies to all believers in Yahushua. They have become Israel through the Covenant (Eph. 2:8-13, Romans 11).

Side note: The Wave-sheaf (omer) offering is traditionally thought of as being Abib 16; however Yahushua IS the omer (first-fruits offering), and ascended to perform this on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath. The wave-sheaf offering is a "shadow" of Yahushua's resurrection. This is why He would not allow Miryam to touch Him when she met Him at the tomb, He had not yet performed this act before Yahuah. His resurrected body IS the wave-sheaf, or "first-fruits" offering.

The count (seven complete weeks) to Shabuoth (7 x 7 complete weeks) is determined by getting this correct.

The 50th day will be the "morrow after the 7th Sabbath", and always falls on the first day of the week.

7th day of MATSAH (Unleavened Bread): Memorial of crossing the Yam Suph

Observed at the beginning of the 21st day of the moon.

Day of rest from work.

For “2008”, this will begin at sunset on Apr. 25, so it will correspond with the weekly Sabbath for this particular year. It will end at sunset the following evening, Apr. 26.

SHABUOTH (weeks): Memorial of the giving of Torah at Sinai

This day is counted from the “morrow” after the Sabbath during Matsah (ULB), and 7 complete (intact) weeks are counted from that day, up until the “morrow after the 7th Sabbath”.

Day of rest from work.

For “2008”, this will begin at sunset on June 7th, and end at sunset on June 8.

Shabuoth is the wedding anniversary between Yahuah and Israel, because He took Israel as His wife at Sinai. Gentiles have referred to this with a Greek term, “PENTECOST”, meaning “count 50”. It is the 50th day from the weekly Sabbath day during Matsah (ULB).

Calculated from the weekly Sabbath during Matsah, counted up to "the morrow after the 7th Sabbath", being the 50th day.

Commemorates the giving of Torah at Sinai, the wedding anniversary of Yahuah and Israel. The “Covenant” is a marriage.

YOM TERUAH (also erroneously called “Rosh haShanah”, or “head of the year”).

Observed on the 1st day of the 7th moon.

Day of rest from work.

For “2008”, this will begin at sunset on Sept. 29, and end at sunset Sept. 30.

The blowing of the SHOFAR is commanded.

YOM KAPHAR (also known as “Yom Kippur”, the Day of Covering / Atonement)

Observed on the 10th day of the 7th moon.

Day of rest from work. A “Sabbath of Sabbaths”.

For “2008”, this will begin at sunset on Oct. 8, and end at sunset Oct 9.

We are instructed to “afflict our beings” (fast from food) during this 24-hour period, from evening-to-evening.

SUKKOTH (also known as Tabernacles, Tents, or Booths)

Observed on the 15th day of the 7th moon; dwell in tents for 7 days.

Day of rest from work.

For “2008”, this will begin at sunset on Oct. 13, and end at sunset Oct. 14.

The blowing of the SHOFAR is performed, “in the new moon, and in the full moon, the day of our festival” - Psalm 81:3.

LAST GREAT DAY, OR SIMCHAT TORAH (rejoicing in the Torah):

After the 7 days of Sukkoth, the last great day is observed as a day of rejoicing, a

Day of rest from work.

For “2008”, this will begin at sunset on Oct. 20, and end at sunset Oct. 21 - so we have 7 days for the festival, then a last "great" day called Simchat Torah.

Please confirm these dates with the actual moon! The 15th of the real moon should be a FULL moon. The best place to check the arrival of the full moon (the day of our feast, Ps. 81:3) is the U.S. Naval Observatory web site. The current appearance of the moon may be seen at this link:

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/idltemp/current_moon.html

NOTE: If you use the "crescent sighting" for a new moon, then on your count to the 15th day, the moon will be one day PAST full. The day of our feast is ON the full moon, so beginning your count correctly is of utmost importance. If you can see the crescent moon at sunset, that means it's the END of the first day, not the beginning.

The 13-month controversies, and the Karaites (These are modern-day "doctrinal descendants" of the Sadducees, while the Orthodox are the modern-day "doctrinal descendants" of the Pharisees. Neither agree with one another on certain teachings, especially the calendar):

About every third year, we run into divisive brooding among all of Israel's various sects over the necessary adjustment of the number of moons for that year -- and Roman year 2005 was one of those years. The “intercalating” (adding) of an extra month is needed to keep the seasons balanced with the months, so about 7 out of every 19 years needs to have 13 months. The last Sanhedrin set up the standardized method for the calendar, and no one has the authority to trump or overrule this, except the entire Body of Mashiach. If we use the moon AND the sun to regulate our year, then Passover will not drift backward into the winter, and keep backing up through the seasons as we see the Islamic calendar does. Give the Arabs some credit though, they gave us our numerals zero through 9; you wouldn't want to be using Roman numerals. They also gave us the convention of "north" always being at the TOP of maps.

As you may know, there are divisions among us over a few things. One detail concerns the “barley wave offering”, often sighted by the Karaites in the land of Israel. A small quantity of some species of barley became almost ripe early in 2005, however the whole harvest was certainly not ready. It was still winter when the Karaites proclaimed the discovery of the ripe barley harvest -- yet the whole harvest was not yet ripe at all. Many Messianics among us jumped when the Karaites announced the first moon of the year. The equinox is used in the calculation of the arrival of springtime; this is simply because we use a lunar/solar calendar (not strictly a lunar one as the Islamic world does). Permit me to explain this "year" thing, and how Ex. 12:2 tells us that the arrival of the "first moon" of the year is in the SPRING/SUMMER cycle, not the fall/winter. Also, the barley doesn't determine when to watch for anything; we are simply told to bring a sheaf of the harvest to the priest (SEE LEV. 23:10) -- but the whole crop is being harvested, not just a patch of barley that is turning green that you had to go out and hunt down. If each one of us privately interprets how and when to do things -- as it seems we are -- people are going to be very divided. That's why we must search out the TRUTH of every matter carefully -- and it's not hard to do. Important to note: the BODY OF MESSIAH is to be our critic. The Karaites are not believers in Yahushua. So, let no one judge you in new moons, Sabbaths, food, drink, or a festival, BUT the body of Messiah. (Col. 2:16).

The Karaites may set the appointments differently than some Natsarim, and we all work out the setting of the moed'im as well as we can possibly do it. Some start out the first moon while it is still winter - seemingly ignoring the fact that the sun determines the days and YEARS for us, and unless Earth crosses the point of the spring equinox, it's still winter. If Scripture says to look for the "GREEN EARS", and then to watch for the next new moon, my only question is, WHERE does it say this? Seeing it spelled-out in Scripture will easily convince everyone of how to do things properly. I'm sure that none of us, on either side of this issue, are being willfully rebellious in the least.

ABIB - SPRING: THE FIRST MOON OF THE YEAR (SPRING, EX. 12:2)

"Abib" means ear, or grain, but not a "green" ear. The sun, moon, and stars are all used together for days, years, signs, and moedim (called "seasons", or appointments) - it's "lunar and solar". Torah doesn't come out and actually say "equinox", but uses the word Tekufah; this is because the SUN (and Earth's rotation, tilt, & orbit around it) determines days and years. It's not spring, until the equinox arrives. If we begin before the equinox, then then our "first moon" will begin while it's still winter, and our seventh moon will begin at the end of summer instead of in the fall, dragging everything earlier by a month. While other places on Earth may have more pronounced seasonal variations producing 4 distinct seasons, the land of Israel has mainly 2: summer & winter. Both begin with a marked increase in rain, giving us the "early" and "latter" rains (Dt. 11:14). So, first we are to look for the arrival of the spring and its obvious "early rains", then watch for the ripening of the barley grains -- the WHOLE crop -- and when we harvest this crop, the "first fruits" of this harvest are to be taken before the High Priest, Who now is Yahushua, for Him to wave it before Yahuah. So, "ABIB" would pertain to the ripe grain, harvested and taken from the planted crops to be waved by the High Priest. The barley plays no role presently, because there is no operating priesthood conducting any of the waving of the First-Fruits aspects of the instructions in Torah; we Natsarim know that Yahushua fulfilled this First-Fruits offering when He resurrected and presented Himself before Yahuah. There has been a change in the priesthood - see Hebrews 8. Without an operational Temple with priests performing daily duties, and a high priest to physically satisfy the prescribed offerings, it becomes difficult to take a Nazirite vow, or bring barley, or do anything but seek out the lost sheep -- which is our duty now as priests according to the order of Melckizedek. If anyone tells you they waved barley or took a Nazirite vow, ask them where they are hiding their time machine! So, the unbelieving Karaites don't agree with us on every point. Ultimately, it's not BARLEY, but it's YAHUSHUA they should have been watching for. The barley was a metaphor or allegory which pointed to Yahushua. Now, when we see the full barley crop ready to be harvested, we can better appreciate what Torah was pointing at. Yahushua is the first harvest, and we His qodeshim (saints) are part of a group of the first fruits (Nazarene Israel); the larger wheat harvest in the fall are those who respond to our planting and watering work (all of Israel). See? It's all about "shadows" of meaning -- we need to be more concerned about the meaning behind the actual grains growing in the ground. Many Messianics have been taught that we are to watch for "green ears", then watch for the next new moon; but this is not what is to be done according to Scripture. It's a delusion intended to deceive, and has succeeded marvelously.

As Rob Miller explained it so well, "Since the discrepancy between the solar and lunar years amounts to 207 days every 19 years, the "leap month" of Adar Sheni is added to the third, sixth, eight, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth year of every nineteen year period, that is, seven times in a 19-year lunar cycle." In other words, 7 years out of every 19 years must have 13 months -- so the last sitting Sanhedrin ordained that a month is to be added, or "intercalated", making those years have an ADAR I and an ADAR II. This past year was one of these, and some resist it because they saw a few grains of barley get ripened. The WHOLE barley harvest must be ready to harvest, and ready to reap: "When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest." Lev. 23:10. The barley plays an important part, but it still is the "finger" pointing to Yahushua, our true "first-fruit offering", Who offered Himself to the Father. To keep looking at the finger (barley) is a very foolish thing to do -- it signifies the Mashiach, who "waved" (was dead, then came back to life) before the Father, YHWH.

Pesach, Passover: (ref. Lev. 23, Dt. 16)

The remembrance meal which Yahushua instituted is a full day before the arrival of the 15^th, and I’ve been studying the texts of Shemoth 12 & Luke 22 for the correct way of looking at this. Yahushua sat down with His students at the beginning of the 14th and told them to remember Him, so the night of the 14^th has to be observed - there’s no way to ignore it. The day of the 14^th remains a “preparation” day for the annual festival. Because Yahushua instituted that we take bread and wine at the beginning of that day, we can reflect on His suffering during the entire preparation day, and have something to do on both nights.

The main thing I’ve seen by studying the events in Shemoth 12 concerns which night Yahuah slew the firstborn in Mitsrayim. I’ve always understood that their deaths were on the night portion of the 14^th of Abib, but further study reveals it was on the 15^th that He slew the firstborn, and on the same day brought Israel out.

Exo 12:17 ‘And you shall guard the Festival of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I brought your divisions out of the land of Mitsrayim. And you shall guard this day throughout your generations, an everlasting law.”

Exo 12:18 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening.”

Exo 12:51 “And it came to be on that same day that Yahuah brought the children of Yisra’ĕl out of the land of Mitsrayim according to their divisions.” ~ Notice it says “that same day”; in order to be the Festival of Unleavened Bread, it had to be on the 15th.

If Yahuah had brought Israel out of Mitsrayim on the 14^th, it would not yet be the Unleavened Bread (Feast of Matsah). The thing that was confusing me was the mention of the 14^th “at evening”, because I was sure that days begin at evening. However, look at the way Yahuah uses the same way of expressing Himself for another very important annual Sabbath, the 10^th day of the 7^th moon, Yom Kaphar: The “evening” of the ninth until the “evening” of the 10^th – completely encapsulating the “10^th” 24-hour period:

Lev 23:32 ‘It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your beings. On the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you observe your Sabbath.”

Yahushua indeed instituted a memorial meal as the Passover Lamb at the beginning of the 14^th. Yahushua’s statement that He desired to eat this Passover with them before He suffered can still be very troubling, however when the word “Pesach” is used it can refer to the general time around the festival. As we see the Pagan culture around us perceives that “Christmastime” embraces a large span of days, yet it is only one day, so also the word Pesach is used to refer to a span of time.

We are corrrect in observing the memorial meal at the beginning of the 14^th, because Yahushua Himself did so. We also observe the 15^th as a Sabbath, so generally much is still the same; what has been altered is our understanding of when the Israelites put the blood on the lintel and doorposts, and that the “passing-over” occurred on the night of the 15^th. The night of the 15^th is commanded to be a vigil in Shemoth 12, so we have the 14^th and the 15^th to consider as vigils. The 14^th at midnight recalls the time of Yahushua’s arrest, and the 15^th at midnight recalls the time of the death of all the firstborn. The thing to do is obey first, then the meaning will be revealed. That is my advice for everyone.

The weekly reading portions "traditionally" performed on Sabbath are

called Haftorah (or Haphtarah), from the Hebrew term meaning "finishing-off":

definition:

Haftarah:

A relatively brief reading from one of the Biblical books that are known collectively as the "Nebi'im/Prophets." A specific haftarah reading is assigned to each Shabbat and holiday, usually based on a connection with the Torah portion for that day. The word "haftarah" itself means "finishing-off" -- it finishes off the Scriptural reading for the day. The Ashkenazic pronunciation, "haftorah," sometimes misleads people to think that the word has something to do with "Torah." But it doesn't.

The Rabbis (including Yahushua, Shaul, etc.,.) would stand and read from the Torah, Prophets, and Writings (Torah, Nebi'im, Kethubah) which is seen in the acronym, TaNaKh. It took a yearly cycle to complete the reading, which would allow a new student to hear what they needed to learn so they could be immersed in a mikvah pool, enjoining Yahuah in His Covenant, and becoming an ISRAELITE citizen. This is still what we are supposed to be doing, but calling on Yahushua's Name for salvation, believing in His atoning death, and resurrection from the dead.

Dovid Siegel tells us: "The reading of the Haftorah dates back to the Second Jewish Commonwealth, during the era of the Greek empire. Our enemies recognized the vitality of the Torah and banned us from reading the weekly Torah portion. In response, the Rabbis of those days substituted the reading of a segment from the Prophets, commonly known as the Haftorah. They carefully chose specific sections of the Prophets which correspond to the sedra and intended through this to capture the lessons of the weekly Torah portion. Although the Torah reading has been restored, the Haftorah remains an integral part of Shabbos and Yom Tov experience.

Rabbi Dovid Siegel isolates a hidden theme of the Haftorah after presenting a general overview of the Haftorah together with historic background. He then finds a common thread which runs through the haftorah and the weekly Torah portion. Rabbi Siegel draws from the commentaries and midrashic sources and reveals ethic and moral lessons contained within the Haftorah. He clearly demonstrates how the timely words of our Prophets are, in truth, reflections of the Torah, and attempts to translate them into our daily life."

Our calendars are authentic orthodox, and include the weekly "Haftorah" reading references for each Sabbath.

With the kindest hopes that everyone will overcome certain traditions handed down by fallible men, many will not want to because they love how certain traditions make them feel, or accepted by others. Although traditions are sometimes harmless, those connected with the ancient worship of Nimrod (Satanically designed) are offensive to the One True Creator, whose Name alone is Yahuah. The excuses many give are:

"It doesn't mean that to me." -- "It doesn't mean that anymore." -- "He knows my heart." -- "That's not what's going on in MY mind when I think about it." -- "I'm not Jewish; those rules are not for Gentiles". Our perspective, or world-view, is often the whole problem. We only need to see things from Yahuah's point of view, not our own. His ways are not our ways.

Yahuah Elohim declares, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts" Is. 55

A war rages between Truth and Traditions of men. All Israel will be saved, and only Israel - learn who they are!

Traditions will lose in the end. Truth will free you of them.

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Institute for Scripture Research, USA

ISHTAR, ASHERAH, OSTER EASTER