23 January 2022
Shalom Aleichem,
בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה לְעוֹלָם: אָמֵן וְאָמֵן
Baruch יהוה le olam, amen wa amen.
Bless יהוה forever. Amen and amen.
Tehillim (Psalms) 89:53
The 12th new moon is expected to be visible in most locations at sunset on 2 February if weather permits. Please share your new moon sighting.
| 1 February | 2 February | 3 February |
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13th or 1st (Aviv) New Moon
The Aviv new moon is just a month or two away. There are some practical historical guides pointing to the new moon being no more than 14 days before the 21 March vernal equinox as a possible guide, as the Talmud notes that Passover has to occur after the vernal equinox. My experience has been that Aviv is found in Israel around mid to late March. I am also not aware of Karaite Hakhamim defining exactly the first new moon beyond the Aviv barley as found in Shemot 9:31, but it may exist and I am not aware.
It is known that the new moon and calendar were in place and well understood before the Miqra was written down. Therefore, the Miqra didn’t have to define every aspect of the new moon and calendar. The following captures some of the key definitions and understanding of the calendar (Mikdash Me’at, Section 2: Sanctifying the Month Section 2.8). There will be more information as we approach the end of the 12th month, approximately 2 March. Note that it is likely there will be the 13th month due to the timing this year.
12th New Moon in Miqra
- Melachim II (2 Kings) 25:27
- Divrei Hayamim I (1 Chronicles) 27:15
- Esther 3:7, 13; 8:12, 9:1
- Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 52:31
- Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 32:1
May יהוה bless you,
Ya’aqov Meyer