Explaining the Current Calendar Confusion Among Observational Calendar Keepers
Greetings Saints of the Most High. Trusting that this special post finds you, your families, and fellowships are well and blessed at the start of this new week.
As I am posting this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer, the date is 3/24/2024, which translates to the 13th day of the 13th biblical month of the Torah-based observational calendar. Consequently, there are many within our Faith Community who are at this time keeping the observational calendar, but who believe that we should all be in the 1st Month of the Biblical Calendar year – the month of the Aviv. And these brethren, who I love dearly and who I don’t have any gripes with whatsoever, are on the eve of Passover/Pesach 2024. And I’m certain that many of you are asking how could this possibly be happening? And that’s why I’m coming to you with this special post to explain the current calendar confusion that is currently ongoing amongst our faith’s observational calendar keepers. My purpose in bringing this information to you is not to sell you on the virtues associated with keeping the observational calendar over that of the calculated Jewish Calendar. Clearly, for me to do so would be foolish since what most members of our Faith Community want is unity and simplicity of life. And what we’re seeing take place in the observational segment of the Messianic/Netsari faith community is anything but unity and simplicity. But What I want to provide to you here today is in this post is an explanation as to why observationalists in our faith community are observing the biblical New Year at different times this year. This is an explanation of the current calendar confusion that exists among observational calendar keepers this year.
So, as it stands today, the observationalists of our Faith Community are once again divided. In fact, what we’re seeing take place this Roman Calendar month is a repeat of last year’s split among the observationalists as to when biblical Rosh HaShannah began. But this year, the split is more intense this year than it was last year as more observationalists have found themselves caught up in the chaos.
Why?
The core problem as I see it is that there exist a tremendous disconnect among members of competing barley inspectors in Yisra’el as to what constitutes the true biblical Month of the Aviv in terms of the state of the barley crop. You see, Yah requires that the Levitical Priest must receive an omer (aka sheaf) of aviv barley from Yisra’el and wave it before Yehovah at the place where He places His Name, at the Tabernacle or Temple, during the pilgrimage Feast of Unleavened Bread. This ceremony is referred to as the Wavesheaf Offering. It represented the firstfruits of our spring harvest. Prophetically, it foreshadows Yeshua, our Master, as the firstfruits of the new race of souls destined for the Kingdom through Yeshua Messiah (1 Cor 15.20-23; cf. Rom 11.5-16; Jas 1.18).
The Torah of the Firstfruits/Wavesheaf Offering is found in Leviticus/Vayiqra 23.9-15 and reads as follows:
9The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 10Speak to the Israelite people and say to them:
When you enter the land that I am giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest (customarily the barley harvest) to the priest. 11He shall elevate the sheaf before the LORD for acceptance in your behalf; the priest shall elevate it on the day after the sabbath. 12On the day that you elevate the sheaf, you shall offer as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb of the first year without blemish. 13The meal offering with it shall be two-tenths of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD; and the libation with it shall be of wine, a quarter of a hin. 14Until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God, you shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears; it is a law for all time throughout the ages in all your settlements. (Jewish Publication Society, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985), Le 23:9–14.)
How do we know precisely when to separate out the firstfruit barley for the wavesheaf offering from our overall barley crop? Yah instructed the following:
You shall count off seven weeks (at the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Wavesheaf Offering); start to count the seven weeks (i.e. the 49-day count to Pentecost/Shavuot) when the sickle is first put to the standing grain. (Jewish Publication Society, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985), Dt 16:9.)
In order for the sheaf of barley to be acceptable for the priests to wave before Yehovah on the Day of the Wavesheaf Offering at the Tabernacle or Temple, the barley that comprises the sheaf must be in an aviv state of maturation.
It’s not that the barley inspectors in the land are incompetent when it comes to accessing and distinguishing between aviv and non-aviv barley. The various teams that are scattered throughout Israel of which I am aware are pretty consistent in regard to recognizing when a barley crop is aviv. The problem has to do with how much of the barley at the end of the 12th month needs to be aviv in order to declare the Biblical Rosh HaShannah. The inspectors seem to fall within the following categories:
Category 1: Does Abba Yah require there be just enough aviv barley to make up one omer of aviv barley in all the Land of Yisra’el to be presented to the Levitical Priests and waved on the Day of Firstfruits on behalf of the whole nation of Yisrael? I do not believe this is biblical.
We find in Leviticus that the Wavesheaf ceremony did not consist only of a single sheaf of barley to be waved before Yehovah by a Levitical Priest at the tabernacle or temple. Yah required us to bring to Him the firstfruits of our labor, regardless what crop or agriculture we were involved in for our livelihood. Consider the following passage in Leviticus that I believe clarifies my point:
In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month at the evening is Yahweh’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of this month is Yahweh’s Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day there shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do ⌊any regular work⌋. 8 And you shall present an offering for Yahweh made by fire for seven days; on the seventh day there shall be a holy assembly; you shall not do ⌊any regular work⌋.’ ” 9 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the ⌊Israelites⌋, and say to them, ‘When you come to the land that I am about to give to you and you reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. 11 And he shall wave the sheaf ⌊before⌋ Yahweh for your acceptance; the priest shall wave it ⌊on the day after⌋ the Sabbath. 12 And on the day of your waving the sheaf you shall ⌊offer⌋ a ⌊yearling⌋ male lamb without defect as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 13 And its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of finely milled flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, an appeasing fragrance; and its libation shall be a fourth of a hin of wine. 14 And you shall not eat bread or roasted grain or ripe grain until ⌊this very same day⌋, until you present your God’s offering. This must be ⌊a lasting statute⌋ for your generations in all your dwellings. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Le 23:5–14.)
Now this shall be the share of the priest from the people, from ⌊those who sacrifice the sacrifice⌋, whether it is an ox, sheep, or goat, and they shall give the priest the shoulder and the jawbones and the stomach. 4 The firstfruits of your grain, your wine, and your olive oil and the firstfruits of the fleece of your sheep you shall give to him. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 18:3–4.)
“ ‘And if you bring to Yahweh a grain offering of firstfruits, you must bring an ear of new grain roasted by fire, coarsely crushed ripe grain, as the grain offering of your firstfruits. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Le 2:14.)
Seems pretty clear to me from these critical Torah passages that Yah required the whole nation to bring the firstfruits of their harvest to be waved before Him during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, on the Day of the Wavesheaf Offering.
Category 2: Does Abba Yah require the whole of the barley crop in the Land of Yisra’el be in an Aviv state at the end of the 12th month so that each soul may present it to the Priests as a Wavesheaf Offering. Yes and no.
Some barley inspectors believe that as long as some of the barley crop is nearing an aviv state of maturity at the end of the 12th month, it stands to reason that within 10-days time, when we would pilgrimage to Yerushalayim to celebrate and keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then the Month of the Aviv can be called. (Somewhat of a risk.) It seems to me that at the very least, before we were to take our annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate and keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we had to harvest our “aviv” crop (Deu 16.9), of which we were prohibited from consuming, until after our firstfruit sheaf of barley was waved before Yehovah at the tabernacle/temple on the Day of the Wavesheaf Offering. Which is to say, if the barley crop is at the cusp of being truly and fully aviv at the end of the 12th month, and there is a certainty that the crop will be aviv by the time we harvest and separate out firstfruits Wavesheaf offering, then yes, we can call Biblical Rosh HaShannah at that time. But if the barley crop is not for a certainty going to be aviv by the time we take our pilgrimage to the tablernacle/temple for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then we are expected by Yehovah to allow the crop another month to ripen to an acceptable aviv state, a 13th month, which I believe we are currently in.
Unfortunately, the segment of our Faith Community that keep the observational calendar are divided along these stated lines. It is understandable why so many in our overall Messianic Faith Community steer clear of the observational calendar. Clearly, when the state of the aviv is in such flux as we have learned over the course of the past month or so, opinions and egos and personal interpretations take center stage and observationalists are forced to take sides. And when this happens, we have members keeping the set-apart days of Yehovah at different times of the Roman calendar year.
As I put together this brief discussion, some observationalists are preparing for Pesach/Passover which they believe falls on M-nday, 3/25/2024, having called Biblical Rosh HaShannah on T-esday, 3/12/2024. The other half of the observationalists won’t observe biblical Rosh HaShannah, depending on the sighting of the renewed moon, until W-dnesday, 4/10/2024 and Passover/Pesach until T-esday, 4/23/2024.
This disparity saddens and frustrates me. But not enough for me to go back to keeping the Jewish Calculated Calendar. I see this all as part of the sifting process and an important element of my faith and obedience development. If you are interested in learning more about the observational calendar and why Hilary and I have loyally kept the observational calendar for the last 10 or so years, I invite you to read my post entitled: “Why I Keep the Torah (Observational) Calendar and not the Other Popular Messianic Calendars.“
So, where do I fall out in terms of where we are in Yah’s sacred calendar year this Roman Calendar year? After much prayer and meditation, Hilary and I have elected to side with those who believe that there is insufficient aviv barley crop in the Land of Yisra’el to support us being in the Month of the Aviv at this time. Thus, we believe that we are in the 13th Month, which gives the barley crop in Yisra’el the month to mature sufficiently to the required aviv state. Thus, we anticipate, Abba willing and depending on the sighting of the 1st renewed moon of Yah’s biblical calendar year 2024 (aka the Biblical Rosh HaShannah), to hit on W-dnesday, 4/10/2024. If you follow me on our website, themessianictorahobserver.org, I maintain an up-to-date tracking of Yah’s reckoning of time. You may also find my teachings on the Spring Feasts of Yehovah and the Biblical Rosh HaShannah on themessianictorahobserver.org.
One of the benefits that I see in the current 13th month calendar situation is that Hilary and I will be keeping both the Spring and Fall Feasts with most of our friends and acquaintances in the Faith who keep the calculated Jewish Calendar at the same time. And that’s always a tremendous blessing.
I’m going to leave it at that, beloved. Thank you for bearing with me on this issue. I felt it important to give an explanation as to why some members of our community are keeping Passover this month, and other members of our community aren’t keeping Passover till next month. I hope my explanation was useful to you.
And with that, I pray you have an overcoming, and powerfully blessed week in Yeshua Messiah.
Shavua’tov beloved of Yeshua Messiah.