A)
Rosh Chodesh means “new moon” or
head of the month. The New Moon marks the first day of each Hebrew Month. The
moon was created for a sign, an appointed time, and to mark days, and years in
addition to providing light. 2) Talk about the observation of the moon. Psalms
104:19: He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going
down….Gen:1:16: And Elohim made two great lights; the greater light to rule
the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
1)
How ancient peoples
observed time.
Using the sun, moon, and the
stars.
We
are commanded to keep the New Moon Moed every month in scripture –
Exodus
12:1-2 And YHWH spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This
month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of
the year to you… another translation says “This
month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of
the months of the year for you (Exodus 12:2)“ (This was YHWH setting Israel
up on YHWH’S time clock and away from the Egyptian system of the solar
calendar associated with pagan worship of “ra.” These words when
translated back into the original hebrew read “rosh chodesh” which we now
know is “New Moon”. This Scripture literally reads “This
new moon, is the start of the new moons for you. It is the first new moon of the
year for you.”
“And
in the day of your gladness, and in your appointed times, and at the beginning of your months,
you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over your peace
offerings. And they shall be a remembrance
for you before your Elohim. I am your
Elohim.” (Numbers 10:10)
Psalm
81:1-7: Shout for joy to Elohim our
strength; raise a shout to the Elohim of Yaaqob. Lift up a song and beat the
tambourine, the pleasant lyre and with the harp. Blow the ram’s horn at the time of the New Moon,
at the full moon, on our festival day. For this is a law for Yisrael and a right
ruling of the Elohim of Yaaqob. He appointed
it in Yehoseph (Joseph) for a witness, when
he went throughout the land of Mitsrayim (Egypt); I heard a language that I did
not know. He says, “I removed his shoulder from the burden; His hands were
freed from the baskets. You called in distress and I rescued you; I answered you
in the covering of thunder; I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
Yehezqel
/ Ezekiel 46:1-3
Thus said the Master Yahweh, “The gate of
the inner courtyard facing east is shut the six days of work, but on the Sabbath
it is opened and on the day of the New Moon it is opened. And the prince shall
enter by the way of the porch of that gate from the outside, and he shall stand
by the post. And the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace
offerings. And he shall bow himself at the threshold of the gate, and shall go
out, but the gate is not shut until evening. And the people of the land shall
also bow themselves at the entrance to this gate before Yahweh on the Sabbaths
and on the New Moons
Talk
about how the New Moon was figured in the old days, where there was 24 elders
and 2 out of those 24 woulde travel to Jerusalem and testify that the new moon
sliver had been sighted, at which point the priests would officially announce
the new moon and signal fires would be lit as well as messengers sent out.
"This
can be understood on two levels. As will be noted below, only the court can
proclaim Rosh Chodesh based on the testimony of witnesses who observed
the re-appearance of the moon, and upon this proclamation, the Jewish calendar
is based. Unless the new months can be proclaimed, there is no calendar, and
without a calendar, there can be no festivals. Thus, if the Syrian-Greeks had
succeeded in eradicating the observance of Rosh Chodesh, they would have
succeeded in eliminating large numbers of other mitzvot, as well."
Twelve Chodashim make a
Shanah or year (however, since 12 x 29.5 equals 354 days, but a solar year is
365 days, an extra month (called Adar Sheni) is added to the Hebrew calendar
every two or three years in order to keep the solar seasons aligned with the
lunar calendar).
Aviv also known as Nisan was the first month marked during the Exodus. Rosh Chodesh Tammuz is the 4rth month from the first month. Tammuz as well as all the other official Hebrew names of the months comes from Babylon. The Jews came out of Babylon using these titles for the months
Observing
the New Moon for the month of Aviv calibrates the season of spring in the Solar
cycle and affixes the reference for month/day observances of Passover, First
Fruits, Unleavened Bread, the counting of the Omer, and the Feast of Weeks.
Passover is the 14th of the month of Aviv. Unleavened bread begins on the 15th
and concludes on the 21st inclusively.
5) Tragedies associated
with THE MONTH OF Tammuz
The month of Tammuz
itself has been associated with various tragedies for Hebrew peoples throughout
history. Jews today keep the
“fast of Tammuz” on the 17th of Tammuz to commemorate all the
tragedies that have occurred during this month in history.
Jeremiah 52 6: And in the
fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so
that there was no bread for the people of the land. 7: Then the city was broken
up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the
way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden; (now the
Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.
8: But the army of the
Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of
Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
9: Then they took the
king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of
Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.
10: And the king of
Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes
of Judah in Riblah.
11: Then he put out the
eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him
to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
The Fast of the fourth
month is the fast of Tammuz referred to in the book of Zechariah below where it
is said these times of mourning will be no more, but will be times of happiness
and peace….
19:
Thus saith the YHWH of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the
fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the
house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth
and peace.
20:
Thus saith the YHWH of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come
people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
21:
And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily
to pray before the YHWH, and to seek the YHWH of hosts: I will go also.
22:
Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek YHWH of hosts in
Jerusalem, and to pray before YHWH.
23: Thus saith YHWH of hosts;
In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all
languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a
Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that Elohim is with you.
3) Scripture proving Tishri 1, the 7nth month, at rosh hashannah is
considered the new year "And you shall celebrate … and the Feast of
Ingathering at the turn of the year." Exodus 34:22
4)
"On a deeper level, Rosh Chodesh symbolizes renewal, the ability of the
Jewish People to rise up from oblivion and restore itself to its past greatness.
Just as the moon disappears at the end of each month, but returns and grows to
fullness, so Israel may suffer exile and decline, but it always renews itself -
until the coming of the Messiah, when the promise of the Exodus and the
Revelation at Sinai will be fulfilled, never to be dimmed again."
Until the last 1000 years
- Rv:21:23: And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine
in it: for the glory of Elohim did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof.
Rv:21:24: And the nations
of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the
earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
Prophecies
Regarding The New Moon & the Millenial Kingdom:
Isaiah 66:22-23
The
Great Flood: It is interesting to note that
the date of the great flood was
calculated
using the time of Noah's birth (Gen.7:11; 8:13). Genesis 8:13 reveals that
Noah
was born on the first day of the first month of the year (a new moon). The flood
began
17 days after his six hundredth birthday (Genesis 7:11). On his six hundred and
first
birthday, the waters dried up (Gen.8:13).The one whom Yahweh used to save
humanity was born on a new moon, which is symbolic of a new beginning. There
were only eight people saved out of the flood, and the number 8 is one of the
numbers used in the Bible to signify a new beginning.
The
Tabernacle : Yahweh told Moses to set up the
Tabernacle on the first day of the
first
month (Ex.40:1-2), which Moses did on the first day of the first month of the
second
year after the Israelites left Egypt (Ex.40:16-18). The presence of Yahweh
rested
on the Tabernacle on the first day of the month (Ex.40:2,17,33-34; Num.9:15).
•
Festivals: The Feast of Trumpets
is always to be observed on a New Moon day
(Lev.23:24;
Num.29:1). This festival pictures a new beginning for humanity
(Matt.24:30-31)
and the return of Yeshua as the conquering King of kings.
•
Moses Numbers The People: On the
first day of the second month, in the second
year
after Israel came out of Egypt, Moses was told to take a census of the people
(Num.1:1-18).
•
The Death of Aaaron: Even the
death of Aaron is recorded as occurring on the
beginning
of the month. Aaron died when he was 123 years old on the first day of the
fifth
month. The death of Aaron, ended the line of priests that came out of Egypt.
Israel
completed
their mourning for Aaron on the first day of the next month and began their
journey
into the promised land with a new high priest (Num.33:38-39). This
commemorated
the death of the old priesthood and the beginning of the new one.
•
Renewal Of The Covenant :On the
first day of the eleventh month of the Israelites'
40th
year of wilderness punishment, Moses assembled the people and went over
their
covenant with Yahweh again (Deut.1:3).
•
The Promised Land On the first
day of the eleventh month, Moses gave the
instructions
to Israel to possess the promised land (Deut.1:3-8).
•
Temple Cleansed: Hezekiah
commissioned the cleansing of the temple on the first day
of
the first sacred month (2 Chron.29:17)
Another
Great Deliverance: Ezra departed from
Babylon on the first day of the
first
month carrying with him the decree of King Artaxerxes to free the Jews from
Babylonian
captivity. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month with
the
decree (Ezr.7:8-9).
•
Repentance: After the temple in
Jerusalem was dedicated, Ezra read to the people
from
the book of the law on the first day of the seventh month (the Festival of
Trumpets).
This was the first time this had been done since the Jews returned from their
captivity
in Babylon (Neh.8:1-3).
•
Repentance: On the first day of
the tenth month, Ezra and other priests began their
deliberation
to solve the problem concerning the Jews who had married foreign wives.
The
next year on the first day of the first month, their decision concerning this
problem
was
formally made. They divorced the foreign wives (Ezr.10:16-17).
•
Repentance: After Hezekiah
issued his command to repair the Temple and establish
the
worship of Yahweh in Jerusalem, the repairs began on the first day of the first
month
(2.Chron.29:3,
17). It is interesting that it took 8 days to clean the temple area up to
the
porch of the Temple and another 8 days to complete the repair and cleaning.
The
number 8 indicates a new beginning associated with the first day of the sacred
month.
It
is a time of remembrance, rejoicing, & celebration. “And in the day of
your gladness,
and
in your appointed times, and at
the beginning of your months, you shall blow
the
trumpets over your burnt offerings and over your peace offerings. And they shall
be a remembrance for
you before your Elohim. I am your Elohim.”
(Numbers 10:10)
•
Is it a Sabbath?: Although Scripture does not clearly state that the New Moon
Festivals
are
Sabbaths, Amos 8:5 indicates that is was treated as a Sabbath. “When does the
New
Moon pass so that we sell grain, and the Sabbath so that we trade our
wheat...”
•
It’s a special time to hear from Yahweh. The children of Israel visited the
prophet (to
hear
from Yahweh), today we are able to visit with Yahweh directly.
•
It is a time of worship. We are to come before Yahweh and worship on this day.
Isaiah
66:23
•
It is a time of fellowship & feasting.