Biblical Hebrew Calendar

We are living in the Almighty’s universe. The world in which we live issynchronized to His calendar and His time clock. Whether we recognize it ornot makes no difference. The Creator does not spin the world based on whatwe do and do not understand.

The Creator’s reckoning of time is clearly detailed in the first scroll of theHebrew Scriptures. Yet, the western Gentile Christian world has forsakenGod’s calendar. Instead, it has adopted a pagan reckoning of time in whichevery day of the week and month of the year is named after a pagan god orfallen angel. Days, weeks, months, and years all begin at completelyfictitious points in time. Those raised within the western paradigm have noidea what time it is. It is as if the hands have been broken from the face ofthe clock.

The Creator set the sun, moon, planets, and stars in their courses as anelaborate time-keeping device that has not varied since creation. By it weunderstand His appointed times and seasons, which enables us to live inharmony with Him and His creation. Our published Astronomically andAgriculturally Corrected Biblical Hebrew Calendar is designed to help thosewho seek to more fully understand the Hebrew Scriptures – from Genesisto Revelation.

The Controversy and the Law of Two Witnesses

The Astronomically & Agriculturally Corrected Biblical Hebrew CalendarEvery year since the creation of Adam, the Biblical year begins with thedeclaration of the aviv barley crop in the land of Israel. The Biblical Hebrewcalendar months are fixed according to the appearance of the New Mooneach month. Years are fixed according to the maturity of the barley, aphototropic spring crop that develops according to its exposure to sun. TheBiblical Year begins with the first New Moon after the barley in Israelreaches the state in its development which the Torah calls "Aviv," and isused in the verse "Keep the Month of the Aviv" (Deuteronomy 16:1).Thebarley in the land of Israel was found to be Aviv on March 11, 2005. Thesightings were located in the Jordan Valley and the Northern Negev regionsof Israel. These findings were confirmed by several who had gone on theAviv "search." As a result of this find, the new Biblical year has been

established!

The Month of the AvivThe biblical year begins when the first new moon after the barley in theland of Israel reaches the state in its development that the Bible calls Aviv.Only by checking the state of the barley crop can we fulfill the Biblicalcommandment to "Keep the Month of the Aviv"(Deut 16:1). Only by fixingthe calendar in harmony with the barley crop can we fulfill thecommandment to celebrate the Hag Ha-Matzot (Feast of UnleavenedBread) "at the time of the month of the Aviv, because in the month of theAviv you went out of Egypt." (Exodus 34:18)

The Month of the Aviv, cont.

A commitment of Jewish Karaites throughout the generations was toobserve the Biblical precept to "Keep the Month of the Aviv". To this veryday, every Karaite takes an oath at the time of their marriage "to keep theHoly Days of YHVH according to the observation of the Aviv in the HolyLand of Israel". Throughout the Middle Ages, a great effort was made tosend messengers to Israel to check on the state of the barley crop. It wasnot uncommon that Karaitic Jews celebrated the Holy Days one monthafter the Rabbinic Jews. As late as 1641, we learn from a Crimean Karaitepilgrim that the Karaites of the Middle East still followed the Biblicalcalendar and in 1641 they celebrated all the Holy Days one month afterthe "Rabbinites".

The "19 year cycle" has been adopted by the majority of the Jewish peopleinstead of fixing the first month according to the barley crop. This cycle wasinvented at a time when reliable reports of the barley crop in the land ofIsrael were difficult to obtain. It added the occasionally necessary 13th

month (7 times every 19 years), which keeps Aviv in the spring of the yearin a logical, yet Biblically unauthorized pattern. The Rabbinites recognizethat the state of the barley crop determines the date of Passover (Sanhedrin11a). Yet, since our return to the land, observation of the barley crop hasproven that the rabbinic cycle is often in error, and obviously obsolete.Several times over the past decade, several Israelites have investigated thestate of the barley crop at the time that the modern Jewish calendardeclared the month of Aviv (Nisan), but discovered that the barley was not

Aviv.

It is a common occurrence for Rabbinic, Messianic, and even Karaitic Jewsto celebrate the Biblical Holy Days one month too early!

"...Whoever will not go up of all the families of the earth to Jerusalem toprostrate to the King, YHWH Tzevaot, there shall be no rain upon them...this will be the plague with which YHWH smites the nations that will notgo up to celebrate Hag Ha-Sukkot (Tabernacles)."

(Zechariah 14:18-19)

Tuesday, November 9, 1999 at sunset, Bruce Brill, Michael Rood, JamieLouis, my wife Devorah Gordon, and I sighted the eighth New Moon of theyear from Mount Scopus in Jerusalem. The moon was first sighted byDevorah Gordon at 16:51 and by the other observers a few minutes later. Asecond group of observers on the nearby Mount of Olives, including Dr.Roy Hoffman of the Israel New Moon Society, Baruch Ben-Yosef, andDavid Pisanti, also concurred with the first sighting at 16:51. Sunset wasobserved at 16:42. About 40 witnesses enjoyed the festive tradition of acampfire barbecue to honor the "two witnesses".

Because of the rarity of occasions when the modern Jewish calendarcorresponds with the Biblical new month, the new moon sighting festivitieswere rehearsed on the correct day for the first time in nearly 2,000 years.Michael Rood distributed native Israeli barley seed to the participantsand, in accordance with the ancient practice of the Levites; we sowed barleyon the side of the Mount of Olives at the appearance of the 8th moon. In thedeepening twilight, seeds of hope were scattered on the Mount of Olivesacross the Kidron valley from the Temple Mount - the future location of the3rd Temple. Within the next few days, eight barley fields were planted in theland of Israel for the express purpose of determining the month of the Avivbarley the following spring. That year was the first opportunity for all of usto be on the correct calendar by the beginning of the Biblical New Year -Aviv 1.

Nehemia Gordon

Jerusalem, Israel

www.KaraiteKorner.org

The Maiden MoonThe Talmud states that new moon witnesses can profane the Sabbath to reporttheir sightings. Given that it is permissible in Jewish Law to profane theSabbath only for the most exceptional reasons, the importance attributed tosetting the Holy Days by the new moon sightings is noteworthy.

The Mishnaic stipulations on a new moon witness were detailed and rigorous.The sighted new moon fixed the month's start, which in turn set the HebrewHoly Days. Once the Sanhedrin certified the sightings, the news wascommunicated to far-flung Jewish communities throughout Israel andbeyond.

The Maiden Moon, cont.

The system of sighting, certifying and signaling continued for hundreds ofyears. After the Jewish revolts against Rome, most Jews were dispersedfrom Judea. By the middle of the fourth century the entire system ofsighting, certifying, and signaling new moons and months in what theRomans had renamed "Palestine", was in dissolution. A calculated calendarprovided a temporary solution.

The Modern Jewish calendar was established by Hillel the Second, in themiddle of the fourth century. Yet, the two reasons for its introduction areno longer relevant. Today, there are both enough Jews residing in andaround Jerusalem to sight new moons, and ample means to communicatethe sightings. NASA claims to have improved on the amazingly preciselunar cycle of 29.53059 days used in the Jewish calendar. And even thoughthe monthly moon cycle varies by as much as +/- 0.7 days per lunar cycle, ithas never been adjusted.

There is yet another, more compelling reason to return to the ancientreckoning. The same reason that allowed profaning the Sabbath: thegravity of celebrating the Holy Days on the celestially correct day. Theframers of the calendar were eminently aware of this. That is why DiasporaJews celebrate two days for the major Holy Days. It is also the reason thatYom Teruah, even in Israel, is a two-day festival.

Ironically, according to this writer's actual new moon sightings for the pastalmost-five years from the environs of Jerusalem, much of the time bothdays of the two-day holidays are incorrect. Could it be that the Jewishpeople have been celebrating their Feasts and Fasts on the wrong days?

Could it be that this year, for instance, Yom Kippur was not on the dayfixed by the Jewish calendar, but two days afterwards, according to the newmoon appearance?

The new moon rarely appears before the calendar claims its due, but itusually appears one or two days after the calendar's assertion. Before thecalculated calendar of Hillel, the Jewish month was always set with theunmistakable first appearance of the new moon. Why not celebrate theFeasts at the celestially correct time as opposed to an incorrect calendar?

My personal sightings have been confirmed by other independent newmoon watchers. Yet, before the advent of modern super-computers, itwould be difficult, if not impossible, to prove with absolute scientificcertainty that my personal sightings were correct.

In 1998, an American team, including astronomer Robert ScottWadsworth, first published a calendar of the projected monthly new moonappearances from Jerusalem. The team's Michael Rood traveled to Israelwith the express purpose of finding moon watchers to confirm his team'sexciting findings. Rood's data scientifically confirms my nearly five-year'sof observation, proving that the Modern Jewish calendar is out of synch.Instead of a calendar on the wall, we should be looking for the forlornmaiden moon each month in the twilight of the western horizon.

Bruce BrillIndependent press correspondentTekoa, Israel

Israel WireThe latest news direct from Israel - Friday, November 20, 1998

11:51

"New Moon" Proclaimed for Kislev

(IsraelWire-11/20-11:39-IST) On Thursday, the first day of the Jewishmonth of Kislev, a group of persons congregated to declare the new moon,in accordance to Jewish law as it was practiced during the period of theHoly Temple.

The following release was published yesterday by organizers of the eventfollowing the declaration.

"For the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalemtwo thousand years ago, a Rabbinical Court today, declared the new monthat the gates of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In the presence of acontingent of Jews who profess the rebuilding of the Third Temple on theTemple Mount, the month of Kislev was declared by the Court."

At the head of the Court presided Chai Vekaiyam leader Yehuda Etzion.Etzion, a leader of the campaign to permit Jewish prayer services on theTemple Mount, proclaimed that the declaration of the new moon by aRabbinical Court at the entrance to the Temple Mount. This was a majorstep towards the reclamation of the Temple Mount into Jewish hands, astep which will lead into the rebuilding of the Third Temple.

Etzion quoted the famous Rabbinical codifier, Maimonides, who stated that"The proclamation of the months by a Rabbinical Court is an obligation forevery generation. Reliance on the calendar alone presents serious problemsin the observance of Jewish holy days."

Organizers explained that this was by no means a symbolic gesture but agenuine effort to renew the ancient practice of "declaring" the new monthas was done by the rabbinical court in the time of the Temple.

And the 7th Day...For centuries, the rabbis have taught that just as God created the heavensand the earth in six days and the seventh day He rested: what this means isthat man would have his time of rule upon the earth for six thousand years,and in the seventh millennium, the Messiah would reign. A day with theLORD is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day:

And the 7th Day.

[Insight into the creation of the calendar, from 2000.]

For centuries, the rabbis have taught that just as God created the heavensand the earth in six days and the seventh day He rested: what this means isthat man would have his time of rule upon the earth for six thousand years,and in the seventh millennium, the Messiah would reign. A day with theLORD is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day: The veracityof that interpretation was referenced in the writings of both Barnabus andShimon Kefa, Jewish followers of Yahshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, during thefirst century of the Common Era (see: The Acts of the Jewish Apostles, IIPeter 3, and the book of Barnabus). The Biblical Hebrew year 6001 marksthe first year of the Seventh Millennium, the seventh "day," the Day of theLORD. This epoch did not begin on January 1, 2000 as that date is athoroughly fictitious and impertinent invention of man. We must look tothe Creator's calendar, which points to Aviv 1, 6001 (which we calculated tohave occurred on May 5, 2000: sundown in Jerusalem) as the beginning ofthe seventh period of one thousand years since creation. This calculation isbased neither on the Gregorian calendar with which most of us in theoccident were raised, nor the Jewish calendar, which is based on ancientmathematical calculations rather than the Biblically commanded moonsightings. Our Biblical Hebrew Calendar utilizes the most currentcomputerized calculations to project the probable sightings of the newmoon over Jerusalem, corrected for the "Aviv" barley in the land of Israelfor both 1999 and 2000, and exact year from creation astronomicalcalculations (intellectual property of E.W. Faustich.) This provides us withthe first astronomically and agriculturally corrected Biblical Hebrewcalendar since the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E.

The Barley in Israel is a critical, yet ignored witness in the calculations forthe modern Jewish calendar. In the spring of 1999 an Adar Bet wasrequired to correct the calendar for the

Aviv. The Jewish calendar was one month off from the Creator's calendarlast year. In the Fall of 1999, we planted eight barley fields in the environsof Jerusalem. At the new moon of April 5th 2000 (not sighted until April 6th)the barley in Jerusalem was an entire month from being "Aviv." The rainsexpected at Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) were two months late, andthe barley seed sprouted two months late. Adar Bet was required again thisspring to allow the barley to "aviv." The new moon of the Aviv was then

reckoned by our visual inspection of the barley on the Mount of Olives andMount Zion upon our return to Jerusalem on May 5th. Aviv 1 was declaredfrom the city of Tekoa as we sighted the new moon of May 5th 2000. Thatwas the evening of the extremely rare, "Menorah" alignment of the sevenheavenly bodies that heralded such events as the birth of Avraham, thebuilding of the 1st and 2nd temples and the birth of Yahshua of Nazareth -the most noted Jewish personality on the planet. On May 5th 2000, theancient Mayan sun calendar came to an abrupt halt - on the last day ofman's millennia. Many, ignoring the testimony of the Hebrew Scriptures,expected the world to end on that date. If our calculations are correct, itwas the end of an age and the year 6001, the Day of the LORD has begun.

Did we expect that the Messiah would arrive on Aviv 1? No! In the HebrewScriptures we read of the Great and Notable Day of the LORD. This Day, orMillennium, starts out with bloodshed, fire, pillars of smoke that darkenthe sky, plagues, and all manner of pestilence. Then comes an era of peacewith the Messiah as King over all. The Messiah will not come immediately,but after a time of tribulation. And of course, we expect the prophet Elijah,who must come before the Messiah. When shall we expect Elijah? Whenwill the Messiah arrive? And what does this have to do with the Ark of theCovenant?

This and more will come to light as you explore the pages of our calendar.

The Aviv Barley & Preparation for the 7th MillenniumThe universe in which we live is synchronized to God's calendar and timeclock. Correcting the "year from creation" and the reckoning of our Feastdays has become the obsession of many since Israel returned to the landand rabbi Hillell's calculations have outlived their accuracy and necessity. Iwas also compelled to do my part in its restoration. What happened duringthe last Feast of Sukkot in the 6th millennium, could not have beenanticipated a year earlier.

The Great Calendar Debate: By Glenn McWilliams of Torah Keepers

As with every living thing, there are times of growth and maturing. So it iswith the current state of the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement. Whilethe Messianic Movement may trace its roots to the first century C.E., it hasnot truly begun to sprout until recently. Lying almost dormant forcenturies, the seed of this Movement has been germinating just below thesurface. Recently, however, the Movement has experienced a rapid periodof growth. By all accounts, this modern Movement is still in its infancy. I'mnot sure when the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement officially began, butI do know that in the last 25-30 years it has experienced a phenomenalperiod of growth, not only in North America, but also in South America,and even in the land of Israel. This type of rapid growth can only beattributed to the Ruach Hachodesh! With such rapid growth, we should notbe surprised to experience major growing pains. Such is the case with therecent controversy over which calendar those in the Messianic Movementshould be following.

There are two primary candidates in the running to be the Calendar of theHebraic Roots/Messianic Movement. The incumbent candidate is theRabbinic calendar used by the majority of Judaism, and the majority of thecurrent Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement. This calendar was created byHillel 2 in 359 C.E. for the Jews in Diaspora. The calendar was based uponmathematical calculations of the rotation of the sun and moon for themeridian of Jerusalem. In this way, the Jews could keep track of theircalendar as best as possible while living outside the land of Israel. Forsixteen hundred years the Jews have been living by this calendar all overthe world. This calendar has surely been a unifying factor within Judaism.As the Hebrew Roots/Messianic Movement has sought to establish itself asa legitimate, though grafted in, branch of the tree of the Nation of Israel,the calendar has played a significant role. By keeping the Sabbath,celebrating the feasts, following the weekly Torah portions, and observingthe Rabbinic calendar, the Hebrew Roots/Messianic Movement hasdisplayed a sincere desire to reconcile itself with its brothers and sisters inJudaism. From the start of the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement, therehas been an underlying willingness to establish an identity and secure aplace in the Nation of Israel by adopting all things Jewish, including theRabbinic calendar.

On the other side of the calendar debate is our second candidate, theBiblical calendar. Like the Messianic Movement itself, this calendar has itsroots planted deep in antiquity, and yet it too, is for all intents andpurposes, new upon the scene. Now that a part of the nation of Israel isback in The Land of Israel, there is a desire to return to the proper Biblicalcalendar. This calendar is based, not upon the mathematical calculations ofthe Rabbis, but upon the cycle of the moon and sun, as well as the state ofthe flax and barely. This calendar is based upon the words of the Torahitself. While this Biblical calendar is clearly used by the minority bothwithin Judaism and the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement, there is agrowing desire for scriptural integrity within these groups that drawspeople to this new candidate for Calendar of the Movement. As manyChurch members discover the pagan, man made traditions that influencedthe Christian Church, causing it to forsake the Torah and its Hebraic Roots,they seek to come out of "Babylon" to become fellow citizens in thecommon wealth of Israel. These new citizens have a zeal for studying theTorah and learning the truth. Not wanting to be deceived again, thesenewly liberated brethren are seeking to live according to thecommandments of Hashem, not the doctrines of men. It is not long,however, before these new citizens realize that Judaism, like Christianity, isalso shaped by "the traditions of the elders". Thus, what is practiced inRabbinic Judaism is not necessarily any more consistent with the Torahthan what was found and rejected in Christianity. As the Ruach Hachodeshinscribes the Torah upon the hearts of these new believers, there is agrowing desire to live according to the Word, instead of man's traditions.For many, when the Torah states that the New Year is to begin in themonth when the barely is aviv, it makes sense to celebrate Rosh Hashanahin Nissan (the first month), rather than in Tishrei (the seventh month). Italso makes sense to inspect the barley, instead of religiously following theRabbis calculations. This is especially true when the calculations of theRabbis are clearly contradicted by the physical evidence of the barley andthe new moon. So, we are witnessing a growing group of supporters for theunderdog Biblical calendar. But with it, we are also experiencing the painsof a growing division within the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement.

Before a choice for a calendar is made there is another pertinent question atthe heart of the controversy that must be addressed. I believe that thecalendar controversy presently confronting the Movement is simply asymptom of a greater debate yet to be addressed. The central andfundamental debate is over the issue of authority. The true question being

asked by the members of this infant movement is not which calendar isright, but what authority do we follow. Clearly the authority behind theRabbinic calendar is the Rabbis. The Rabbis have established theirauthority through the writings of the Talmud, the Oral Torah. It is theTalmud that has established the Rabbinic calendar as the calendar for allIsrael, including those in the Diaspora. On the other hand, the authoritybehind the Biblical calendar is the written Torah. The tension that is tearingat the unity of the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement is simply thetension that exists when the written Torah and the oral Torah do not agree.The calendar is only one of many such issues. The real question that isbegging to be answered by the respected leaders of the movement is, whichauthority does the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement recognize asnormative for the Movement? Or more plainly said, "What is the place of,or, what authority does, the Oral Torah have in the HebraicRoots/Messianic Movement?" Much of what currently shapes the HebraicRoots/Messianic Movement is based in Rabbinic Judaism. The HebraicRoots/Messianic Movement clearly reflects a trend towards Jewish cultureand practices. Present day Jewish practices are largely derived from theauthority of the Talmudic writings and Rabbis. The problem with theHebraic Roots/Messianic Movement's blind acceptance of the authority ofthe Talmud and the rulings of the Rabbis is the Talmud's rejection ofYashua as the Messiah. If the Rabbis and the Talmud are to become theauthority of the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement then we must come toterms with the rejection of Yashua as Messiah, as well as otherobjectionable or contrary teachings. Let us look at how this debate directlyimpacts the Movement's choice of calendars. The Scripture teaches thatPesach is on the 14th of Nissan, the Feast of Matzoth begins on the 15th ofNissan, and that the First Fruits of the barley harvest are brought on theday after the weekly Sabbath (Lev. 23:9-11). There is clearly no numericaldate assigned to the day the First Fruits of the harvest are brought to thetemple for a wave offering. This is because, according to the Biblicalcalendar, there are a varying number of days between the Feast of Matzothand the weekly Sabbath, which the First Fruits Offering follows. Why is thispattern important for Messianic Believers to understand? It is because thispattern is a part of the evidence that declares Yashua as the Messiah. In theyear 28 C.E., the year that Yashua was most likely crucified, there wereexactly three days and three nights between Pesach and the First FruitsOffering. Thus we see Yashua fulfilling the prophetic shadow pictureevident in the Biblical Calendar. The Rabbis have altered this shadowpicture by assigning a fixed numerical date to the First Fruits Offering. The

Rabbis have declared First Fruits to be always on the 16th of Nissan. Thisminor calendar change radically altars the picture of Messiah. We shouldremember that the sign that Messiah Yashua gave to the Pharisees toauthenticate His identity was the sign of Jonah, declaring that the Son ofman would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth(Matthew 12:40). There has been a great deal of teaching in the HebraicRoots/Messianic Movement directed towards Christians, encouraging themto see the importance of the shadow pictures of Messiah in the Feasts of theLord, while at the same time denouncing the erroneous traditionalChristian teaching of Yashua dying on Friday, and rising on Sunday. Thus,the same problem exists in both the Christian calendar and the Rabbiniccalendar. Both of these calendars cloud the Biblical teaching concerning thedeath and resurrection of the Messiah. If the Rabbinic and Christiancalendars are correct, that Yashua died on the 14th of Nissan, was buriedon the 15th, and raised on the 16th, then we must concede that Yashua didnot fulfill His own prophetic statement of being in the heart of the earththree days and three nights. Alternately, according to the Biblical Calendar,Yashua would have died on the 14th and risen on the 17th, thus fulfillingthis important sign.

As the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement grows and matures it isbeginning to establish its own identity. Where once the Movement wasstriving to simply be a part of Judaism, now it is standing on its own, andbeginning to recognize that like Christianity, Judaism also has somerepenting to do, before Israel and Judah can be reconciled. Thus at leastpart of the Messianic Movement is beginning to stand up to its big brotherJudah, and say, "we are not simply going to move from Christianity intoRabbinic Judaism. We are not going to simply slip from one set of humantraditions to another." This is especially so if these traditions deny Yashuaas Messiah, or contradict the written Torah! So it is with the issue of thecalendar. I believe that the calendar debate is just a sign of the movementgrowing up, maturing, and standing up on its own two feet, even over andagainst the influences of its older brother.

I also believe that this current calendar controversy reveals subtle divisionswithin the vision or goals of the current Hebraic Roots/MessianicMovement. There seems to be at present four different visions driving theHebraic Roots/Messianic Movement. First, is what appears to be theoriginal vision of proving that Jews can believe in Yashua as Messiah andremain Jews. This vision requires that Jewish believers in Yashua continuein all of their Jewish practices as much as possible, even accepting the

authority of the Talmud. This original vision did not do much to encourageGentile believers in keeping the Torah. For the most part, the Gentilebeliever is encouraged to remain in the Christian Church. The second visionwithin the Messianic Movement seems to have grown out of this first one.This vision is that of Jews for Jesus, Apple of His Eye Ministry and othersuch ministries which seek to "convert" the Jews to faith in Jesus Christand bring them into the Church. For these groups Hebraic culture andcustoms are simply a means to an end. This vision is largely driven byChristians who have embraced Jewish customs as an evangelism tool. Thethird vision driving the messianic movement is the Two House teaching. Ibelieve that the Two House teaching is the major force behind most of therecent growth and enthusiasm within the Hebraic Roots/MessianicMovement. The goal of this vision is to help believers recognize andreconcile the two divided houses of the Nation of Israel, the House of Israel,and the House of Judah. This vision is the first to take into seriousconsideration the large number of Gentile believers in Yashua coming outof the Christian Church to embrace the Torah observant lifestyle. This haslead to the fourth vision within the movement, which is simply toencourage all believers in Yashua to lead a Torah observant Life. I want tobe quite clear here, I am not suggesting that these visions are mutuallyexclusive. But each of these visions has its own goals, which at times mayand do conflict with each other. For those seeking to prove that they arestill Jewish, or seeking to reconcile with those within Judaism, keeping theRabbinic Calendar plays a very significant role. But for those who arecoming into the movement seeking to learn and observe the teachings ofthe written Torah, then following the Biblical calendar seems the mostlogical choice.

Are these issues divisive? Yes. But not to the degree that it will prevent theMovement from its continued growth. Again, I believe that eventually wewill all be keeping the Biblical calendar. If not before, then when theMessiah comes. Thus, those in the minority who have been studying,learning, teaching, and encouraging believers to watch the barley and lookfor the new moon, and who have been forcing us to consider the conflictbetween the written and the oral Torah, are not our enemies. Instead thesebrothers and sisters are the pioneers who are called of Hashem to begin thefinal preparations for life in the Messianic kingdom. Like any living body,change comes slowly, and rarely uniformly. Looking at the development ofmy own children (ages 7, 10, 13, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23), their bodies morph andtransform in very different ways and at varying times. At some point in

their development, baby teeth fall out, feet grow big, beards grow in, legsget gangly, adult teeth fill in, and bodies fill out. At various points, variousparts are growing and not always in proportion to the rest of the members.So it is with the Messianic Movement. We are young. We are growing. Weare feeling the pains of growth. No change in the body comes quickly, oruniformly. So we should not be surprised to see some people hold tightly tothe Rabbinic calendar, while at the same time others will be embracing theBiblical calendar. This change does not mean the end of the Movement, oreven an end to its forward momentum.

Is this current calendar controversy painful, confusing, and divisive? Yes.Sorting out these kinds of issues is never easy. It is not easy to establish ourplace and identity within the Nation of Israel when we have not yetdetermined who we are among ourselves. But it seems to me that if theBiblical calendar is in fact Biblical, then it is what the Ruach Hachodesh iswriting in the believers' hearts. Again, if this is so, then we shall see moreand more of the movement beginning to embrace this minority candidatefor Calendar of the Movement. If it is not the work of the RuachHachodesh, then eventually this too will be exposed and the second optionfor the Calendar of the Movement will fade away. In the mean time, weshould extend grace to each other. None of us have all the answers, or thefull revelation. We need each other. Each of us has been called and giftedfor a purpose. Therefore, it is important that we recognize and respect theheadship of each family, each fellowship, and each Ministry. If I choose tofollow the Rabbinic calendar with my family, so be it. If my brother choosesto follow the Biblical calendar, so be it. If our fellowship as a whole decidesto follow one calendar or the other, so be it. While we may celebrate atdifferent times, we will each be held accountable for what has been revealedto us. We can only act in what we have understanding of. Therefore, asHashem gives me understanding, so I do. But if I gain understandingbefore my brother does, it is not for me to judge my brother, but to pray forhim and share with him what I have learned. As Messianic believers weshould be clear to proclaim that our unity is in Messiah, not in our piety, oreven our calendar. Therefore we may disagree on various issues ofunderstanding, but we are still united in Messiah. Whether we follow onecalendar or the other we are still brothers and sisters in Messiah. I do notbelieve, therefore, that this division over the calendar is divisive enough toend the Movement. I believe that grace can in fact overcome this division.Eventually, from the pains of this controversy, questions will be answered,prayers will be answered, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding will be

gained, and visions will be clarified. In all, I believe that this controversywill strengthen the movement in the long run. So, which ever candidate forCalendar of the Movement you vote for in this debate, show grace to thosewho disagree with you, and pray that Hashem will indeed shepherd Hisfold to common ground, to common knowledge, to commonunderstanding, and to common sense. In the mean time, let us grant graceto each other to follow our conscience before Hashem, recognizing thateach of us has been imbued with the knowledge, understanding, andwisdom necessary to accomplish the purposes for which Hashem has calledus. What is certain in this Movement is that in 10-20 years from now wewill not be where we are today. Hashem is stirring in the hearts of Hispeople. The Ruach HaChodesh is revealing and writing Torah on the heartsof His people. Yashua is the "Good Shepherd". I have every confidence thatHe will guide us safely through this present controversy into greenerpastures.