My buddy Dean and I visited a well-known hill in our city to do some stargazing. He launched his drone 100 metres into the air to take a picture of the sunset in the west. Afterwards, he rotated his drone camera to capture the full moon rising over the ocean in the east.
Now you need to know that Dean and I are hobbyist astronomers conducting experiments to test a few hypotheses. Although we could have possibly found our answers on Google we were more interested in enjoying our field trip, which also featured dinner by the sea.
By the end of the evening our novice investigation revealed that full moons indeed coincide with sunset, while the crescent of a new moon appears at sunrise.
Here’s a piece of trivia for you.
Are you familiar with how our present-day Gregorian calendar operates? Does it follow the solar cycle, the lunar phases, or a combination of both in a luni-solar system? The answer of course is—it’s a solar calendar.
Here’s another question for you.
Do you understand the principles behind the Biblical calendar? Is it solar, lunar or luni-solar? If you answered it’s a lunar calendar, you’re correct; the Biblical calendar is governed by the lunar cycle. This implies that the moon plays a pivotal role in defining the months. Interestingly, our English word ‘month’ is derived from ‘moonth’, indicating its lunar origins.
The New Moon
Rabbis teach that a new month begins when the first small part of the moon is seen in the sky above Jerusalem.
The moon gets bigger each night until it’s completely full halfway through the month. Then, it starts to shrink and eventually disappears at the end of the month. This cycle then repeats.
This is important for understanding God’s special days, the Biblical festivals. Whenever the Bible talks about a ‘new moon’, it’s the first day of a new month. Halfway through the month, around the 14th or 15th day, the moon is full.
In Hebrew, ‘chodesh’ means ‘new moon’, marking the start of a month.
Let’s have a quick quiz! Passover happened on the 14th day of the month called Aviv. What do you think, was it a full moon or just the sliver of a new moon? Great job if you thought full moon. According to Jewish teachings, the moon is always full on Passover.
The First Month—Aviv
With this interesting fact, let’s jump back into our story from the Torah, right after God talked to Moses, following those nine terrible plagues that hit the Egyptians.
Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Exodus 12:1,2
The ‘new moon’ you hear about in science is when the moon isn’t visible in the sky at all. But in the Bible, the New Moon (Rosh Chodesh) is when we first see the moon’s new crescent.
The verse we’re talking about isn’t just any new month starting. It’s about the first day of a special month called ‘Aviv.’
Rashi puts it simply: “When you hear ‘this month’, think ‘new beginning.’ God showed Moses the moon just starting to show again and said, “When you see this happen, it’s the start of a new month.’” (based on Mechilta Rashi vs 2a)
“On this day you are going out, in the month Aviv.” Exodus 13:4
After the Babylonian captivity, the month known as ‘Aviv’ became known as ‘Nisan’. This month became the first month of the Biblical calendar.
Here’s a reminder of the Scripture again: “Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” Exodus 12:1,2
So, the New Moon mentioned here marks the beginning of the Biblical year.
The New Moon & Jesus
Is this significant for followers of Jesus? Let’s think about it.
All the major Biblical festivals, which are key dates set by God, start from this first day of Aviv/Nisan. For instance, Passover, the first festival, is on the 14th of Aviv, and the Feast of Trumpets, another festival, is on the 1st of Tishrei (the seventh month).
Each festival is a foreshadow of something about Jesus’ kingdom. For example, Jesus’ death happened on Passover, and it’s believed He will return on the Feast of Trumpets.
So, knowing the timing of the first New Moon of the year is definitely important for believers. Happy Biblical New Year.
Join Ps Greg Cumming every Saturday morning from 9.30-11am AEST for The Torah Portion. thetorahportion.org
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