We just completed the fall season of feasts, and have thus already observed Rosh HaShannah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. We are the early birds. And many people cannot understand why. But, what it really comes down to is this:
“Whether it be right before God to listen to you [Rabbis] more than to God, you judge.” ~ Acts 4:19
Peter was speaking to the High Priest and the Sanhedrin of Israel when he uttered those words. They were the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people in his day. They were closer to the scriptures than are the Jewish leaders of today.
And they were wrong.
Of course, yes, what they were wrong about was in rejecting Yeshua as the Son of God and the savior of Israel. But, guess what, the Jewish leadership today has gone even further than that in their error. Now, they condemn anyone who believes in Yeshua, especially those from among their own people. They do not regard us as Jews.
Yeshua clearly observed the feasts with Israel. However, His timing was also different than that of the Pharisees.
In Judea in the first century, Judaism was already divided. The Pharisees believed in the Resurrection [their descendants no longer do], but had moved the feast of Passover from the 14th night of the first month to the 15th night. Yeshua, however, kept His Seder very clearly 24 hours before the Pharisees. They were rushing to get Him down off the tree in order to keep their Seder that night. It was a High Sabbath, and NOT the regular Sabbath they were concerned about. [So, He did NOT die on “Good Friday”, but on Wednesday evening.]
The Sadducees did not believe in the Resurrection. However, they, and most of the common people, kept the Passover Seder on the 14th. We know Yeshua’s disciples did, because they came up to Yeshua on the 13th day of the month, leading up to the 14th night [remember, Bible days start at sundown] asking Him where they should prepare for Him to eat the Pesakh [Passover lamb]. So, even in Yeshua’s day, Israel was divided on when to keep the Passover.
In America, most Jewish people are either Ashkenazi or Sephardi, meaning they got here by way of either Germany or Spain. But, there are Jews around the world, albeit small in number, that do not follow the calendar that they do. There are several sects, but probably the most notable would be the Karaite Jews of the Middle East. They have still followed the biblical calculation for determining feast times, having never switched to Hillel II’s calendar. These Jews are also ostracized by mainstream Judaism, even in Israel.
We reject Hillel II’s calendar as well, not to follow them, but to follow Messiah.
5“But whoever keeps His Word, in Him truly is the love of God perfected. Hereby we know that we are in Him: 6he who says “I am in Him” ought himself also to walk His halakha.”
[Halakha is what a Rabbi teaches about how to follow God]
But you might say, “Yeah, but Yeshua was only ahead by a day…why are y’all ahead by a whole month?”
Well, because since Yeshua’s day, things have changed even more! Those priests who put Peter, James and John on trial for preaching Yeshua, their descendants would alter the calendar further for their own purposes. And today’s Jews are taught that they are the final authority! They are even taught that their Rabbis have told God that He answers to them, and that God acquiesced!
[Talmud Berakhot 7a.]
The Jewish calendar, as we know it today, was developed in the 4th century A.D. by Hillel II. Prior to this, the calendar was primarily lunar, based on the sighting of the moon, which could lead to inconsistencies in timing in disparate geographic regions due to varying visibility of the new crescent in those different regions. Jews had been finally scattered to the four winds, and they found themselves observing the seasons at different dates, if they traveled from one place to another during the festal seasons. So, Hillel II established a calculated calendar that relied on a fixed 19-year cycle, integrating both lunar months and solar years to ensure that Jewish holidays would remain in their appropriate seasons across the globe, regardless of the Biblical instructions to keep them. They didn’t have a Temple any more, so to them, perhaps the timing was no longer critical. The solar calendar of Babylon was created in order to worship the sun.
Hillel II’s new system included 12 months in most years, with an additional month (Adar II) added in leap years to keep the calendar aligned with the solar year.
God handled the timing of the solar year by the crops. He said to set the first month of the new year in the spring by looking for the crescent after the 12th lunar cycle [Exodus 12, Lev 23], and if that 13th crescent was seen and the barley was ‘in the ear’, or “aviv”, then you did not observe a 13th lunar cycle, but counted that very day [the night of spotting the new crescent moon] as the first day of the first month of a new year, and 14 days later would be Passover. If the barley was not ripening, as evidence that spring has arrived, only then did another lunar cycle ensue. Hillel II changed that, nearly 600 years after Yeshua correctly observed it with the Jews in Judea. Yeshua HAD to correctly observe it, or He would not be the Messiah.
We believe His people should follow Him, and not the Rabbis.
“For one is your Rabbi, and all of you are brethren”. ~Yeshua, Matt 23:8
“He who says “I am in Him” ought himself also to walk His halakha.” 2 John 2:6
Following Hillel II, subsequent scholars and communities adhered to this system, refining its rules and ensuring its consistency. This means that the calendar followed today did not exist as it is until around 1,000 A.D. The calculated calendar became a crucial element of Jewish life, allowing for the uniform observance of festivals and religious practices across the diaspora.
As stated, Hillel II developed the Jewish calendar based on a combination of lunar cycles and solar years. Here’s how he approached the calculation:
Lunar Months: The Jewish calendar is primarily lunar, with each month beginning with the new moon. A lunar month is approximately 29.5 days, leading to alternating months of 29 and 30 days. However, a lunar cycle, or ‘month’, can be less than 29 days, at times.
19-Year Cycle: Hillel II established a 19-year cycle (the Metonic cycle), which includes 12 regular years (12 months each) and 7 leap years (13 months each). This cycle helps reconcile the lunar months with the solar year, which is about 365.25 days.
Leap Years: In a leap year, an additional month, Adar II, is added after Adar, ensuring that the holidays that depend on seasonal timing (like Passover) remain in their appropriate seasons.
Fixed Dates: By creating a fixed calendar, Hillel II eliminated the need for community leaders to rely on moon sightings, which varied by location. This allowed for uniformity in observance across the Jewish diaspora. That was the primary motivation; not trying to be more ‘right with God’.
Months and Days: the Bible numbers months and days; Hillel II, however, named the months as follows: Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, and Adar (with Adar II in leap years), which are all Babylonian names for the months.Before Hillel II established the calculated calendar, the names of the months were not uniformly used across all Jewish communities. While some month names, like Nisan and Tishrei, were widely recognized, others varied regionally and were not consistently used.
The Babylonian exile (6th century BCE) significantly influenced Jewish culture and calendar practices, leading to the adoption of certain Babylonian month names. By the time of Hillel II, the use of these names had become more standardized, especially in the communities that were influenced by Babylonian practices. The Talmud was developing at this time, and the Talmud Bavli, or the Talmud of Babylon, prevailed in these calculations.
While Hillel II’s calculations ensured that Jewish festivals would remain aligned with their intended agricultural and seasonal contexts, generally, it was a deviation from Biblical standards.
The fact that most of the world follows it today does not make it truth.
Many people have told us that we should, for the sake of unity, just give in and join the Jews in celebrating the feasts when they do.
Look, we are all about unity, and have a great desire to be unified with the rest of the descendants of Abraham, physical and spiritual. But, our contention is this: that unity should be Messiah-centric. We need to rally behind Yeshua, and not the Jewish leaders who have not only rejected Yeshua, but condemned Him as a heretic and a usurper.
That is why we are ‘early’ this year. Sometimes, Hillel II’s calendar is closer, and even spot on. And in those years, we really enjoy sharing the feasts with the rest of Israel, Messianic or other. But, we really enjoy sharing them with Yeshua our Messiah, who said these words regarding the Passover, which sets the timing of all the other feasts:
“I have greatly desired to eat this Pesakh with you before I suffer; 16for I say to you that henceforth I will not eat it again until The Kingdom of God is completed.” ~Yeshua, Luka 22
When He keeps it again, we will all be unified indeed, on the right day and time, and manner of keeping it. Until then, we will strive to walk His Halakha.
Shalom!