Rosh Hashanah, Yahweh’s New Year

Did you know that Yahweh told Moses when the year will start? I am going to read it for you right now:

Exodus 12:1-7

Now the Lord Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. ‭‭

Yahweh’s people are still in Egypt. They are ordered to eat a lamb and strike the blood on the doorposts and on the lintel, because Yahweh will kill every firstborn in Egypt. This is the 10th plague. The blood on the doorposts and the lintel will protect their firstborns. After the 10th plague the people of Yahweh are allowed to leave Egypt. They leave in the night. 

Yahweh told them to celebrate this memorial moment every year. We can read that in several bible texts, I read one text for you: 

Deuteronomy 16:1

“Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 

They celebrate Passover in the month Abib. I am going to read now a bible text that shows that Abib is the first month: 

Leviticus 23:5-6

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.

It's clear that Passover is celebrated in the first month Abib. Nowadays the month is called Nissan on the Hebrew calendar. This leaves the question how Yahweh’s people know when the first month starts. 

This is what I am going to explain now.

The feasts of Yahweh are aligned with the agriculture cycle in the land that Yahweh gave to His people. The very first harvest is the harvest of the barley. They have to bring a sheaf of ripe barley to the priest. The priest shall wave it on the day after the sabbath. I am going to read this passage for you where this is written: 

Leviticus 23:10-11

“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

They have to be sure that they have a sheaf of barley for this day. This day falls on the Sunday in the week of the celebration of the feast of unleavened bread. Every month starts with a new moon. This is why they search one week before the new moon for just ripe barley. One sheaf is enough. The Hebrew word for just ripe is abib. Do you remember that the first month was also called Abib? 

As soon they find the first abib barley they declare that the coming new moon will be the start of the new year. Because now they're certain that they can bring a sheaf to the priest.

This day is a joyful day. We wish everyone a happy and peaceful new year. We can choose to eat a celebration meal. And we have a church gathering we thank Yahweh for what He has done last year and we ask for blessings for the new year. We bring an offering. The pastors blow on 2 silver trumpets over the offerings. 

I wish you already in advance:

 A Happy New Year! 

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