Prisonweekly March 26th (25th is Passover/ 26th - 1st unleaven bread)

Remember to Keep the Passover of YAHWEH

by Rabbi Yochanan Mascaro
[THIS ARTICLE IS STILL IN PROGRESS. MY COMMENTS TO BE INCLUDED SOON. ENJOY AND EJOICE IN THESE MPORTANT SCRIPTURE VERSES FOR NOW.-R.YM] "Va'yomer Avraham Elohim (YAHWEH) yir-eh-lo ha-seh le-olah bnei va'yelchu shneihem yachdav" - Bereshiet 22:8 "And Avraham said, My son, Elohim (YAHWEH) will provide himself a lamb for an OLAH (ascension offering): so they went both of them together. -Genesis 22:8 >From The TaNaK (Torah Nviim Ketuviim/Instructions-Prophets-Writings)Shemot/Exodus 12:1-51 12:1 And (YAHWEH) spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for
an house: 4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10 And
ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is (YAHWEH's) passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the elohim of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am (YAHWEH). 13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. 14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to (YAHWEH) throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. 15 Seven days shall ye
eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is
leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. 22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23 For (YAHWEH) will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to
thy sons for ever. 25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which YAHWEH will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of (YAHWEH's) passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as (YAHWEH) had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 29 And it came to pass, that at midnight (YAHWEH) smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharoah that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his
servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve (YAHWEH), as ye have said. 32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. 33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. 34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. 35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 36 And (YAHWEH) gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that
they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. 37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. 38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. 40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of (YAHWEH) went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night to be much observed unto (YAHWEH) for bringing them out from the land
of Egypt: this is that night of to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations. 43 And (YAHWEH) said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover:
There shall no stranger eat thereof: 44 But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. 45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. 46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to (YAHWEH) , let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto
the stranger that sojourneth among you. 50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as (YAHWEH) commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 51 And it came to pass the selfsame day, that (YAHWEH) did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies. Exodus/Shemot 34:25 25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven;neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. WayiQra/Leviticus 23:5
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is (YAHWEH's)passover. Bamidbar/Numbers 9:2 2 Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. Bamidbar/Numbers 9:4-6 4 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 5 And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that (YAHWEH) commanded Moses, so did the
children of Israel. 6 And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: Bamidbar/Numbers 9:10 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body,or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto(YAHWEH). Bamidbar/Numbers 9:12-14 12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 13 But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of (YAHWEH) in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will
keep the passover unto (YAHWEH); according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land." Bamidbar/Numbers 28:16 16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of (YAHWEH). Bamidbar/Numbers 33:3 3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. Debarim/Deuteronomy 16:1 1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto (YAHWEH)thy Elohim: for in the month of Abib (YAHWEH) thy Elohim brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. 2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto (YAHWEH) thy Elohim, of the flock and the herd, in the place which (YAHWEH) shall choose to place his
name there. Debarim/Deuteronomy 16:5-6 5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which YAHWEH thy Elohim giveth thee: 6 But at the place which (YAHWEH) thy Elohim shall choose to place his name in,there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. Yehoshua/Joshua 5:10-11 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. 11 And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. Melakim Beit/2Kings 23:21-23 21 And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto (YAHWEH) your Elohim, as it is written in the book of this covenant. 22 Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges
that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah; 23 But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to (YAHWEH) in Jerusalem. Divri HaYamin Beit/2Chronicles 30:1-2 1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of (YAHWEH) at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto (YAHWEH) Elohim of Israel. 2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month. Divri HaYamin Beit/2Chronicles 30:5 5 So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto (YAHWEH) Elohim of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written. Divri HaYamin
Beit/2Chronicles 30:15 15 Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of (YAHWEH). Divri HaYamin Beit/2Chronicles 30:18 18 For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and
Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves,yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. ButHezekiah prayed for them, saying, (YAHWEH) is tov and he willpardon everyone Divri HaYamin Beit/2Chronicles 35:1 1 Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto (YAHWEH) in Jerusalem:and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the firstmonth. Divri HaYamin Beit/2Chronicles 35:6-9 6 So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepareyour brethren, that they may do according to the word of(YAHWEH) by the hand of Moses. 7 And
Josiah gave to the people,of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings,for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, andthree thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance. 8And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests,and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers ofthe house of Elohim, gave unto the priests for the passoverofferings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen. 9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of theLevites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen. Divri HaYamin Beit 2Chronicles 35:11 11 And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled theblood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.Divri HaYamin Beit/2Chronicles 35:13 13 And they roasted the
passover with fire according to theordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people. Divri HaYamin Beit 2Chronicles 35:16-19 16 So all the service of (YAHWEH) was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of (YAHWEH), according to the commandment of king Josiah. 17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. 18 And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept. Ezra 6:19-20 19 And the
children of the captivity kept the passover upon the
fourteenth day of the first month. 20 For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. YehesQEl/Ezekiel 45:21 21 In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. >From The B'rit Chadashah (Renewed Covenant)Mattithyahu/Matthew 26:1-2 26:1 And it came to pass, when (YAHSHUA) had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Mattithyahu/Matthew 26:17-19 26:17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to (YAHSHUA), saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we
prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Rabbi saith,My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 19 And the disciples did as (YAHSHUA) had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.Mattithyahu/Matthew 26:26-32 26:26 And as they were eating, (YAHSHUA) took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. 30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.31 Then saith (YAHSHUA)
unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. YAHchanan Markus/John Mark 14:12-1614:12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. 14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Rabbi saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. 16 And his disciples went forth, and came
into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.YAHchanan Markus/John Mark 14:18 14:18 And as they sat and did eat, (YAHSHUA) said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.YAHchanan Markus/John Mark 14:22-27 14:22 And as they did eat, (YAHSHUA) took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of (YAHWEH). 26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 14:27 And (YAHSHUA) saith unto them, All ye shall be offended
because of me this night:
for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. Luka/Luke 22:13-19 22:13 And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 22:14 And when the hour was come,he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 22:16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of YAHWEH. 22:17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 22:18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of YAHWEH shall come. 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. (emphasis added) 1 Corinthians 11:17-24 17 Now in this that
I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. 18 For first of all, when ye come together in the assembly, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. 20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat (YAHSHUA'S) supper. 21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the assembly of YAHWEH, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. 23 For I have received of that which also I delivered unto you, That the Master (YAHSHUA) the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he
brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. I am not going to get into any discussion of the scriptural impropriety of observing other celebrations at this time of year. There are other articles that deal with that matter on this website and other places. What I will say is that from what we have seen above in the Scriptures, at this time of year we are to Remember to Keep the Passover of YAHWEH. May you be blessed in and of (YAHWEH) this Pesakh/Passover as we remember how (YAHWEH) took our forefathers out from the land of bondage (sin) and into freedom in TORAH ...as we also remember Him, The promised Lamb of YAH, (The SENT ONE...SHILOH), Who became our pesahk (1 Corinthians 5:7), Who takes away the sins of HaEretz (The Land) (YAHchanan/John 1:29) ...the world and through Whom we have this freedom. Abba, we are not worthy to
partake of this meal, but only say the WORD ...and we shall be healed. And you have spoken Your Word... (YAHSHUA).

The New Moon in the Hebrew Bible The Biblical month begins with the crescent New Moon, also called First Visible Sliver. The Hebrew word for month (Hodesh) literally means New Moon and only by extension the period between one New Moon and the next..tanachQuote {;} The Rabbanite Midrash relates that when God said to Moses "This month (HODESH) shall be for you the beginning of months" (Ex 12,2) the Almighty pointed up into the heavens at the crescent New Moon and said "When you see like this, sanctify! [=declare New Moon day]". This Rabbinic fairy-tale highlights an important point, namely that the Bible never comes out and says we should determine the beginning of months based on the New Moon. The reason for this is that the term for "Month" (Hodesh) itself implies that the month begins with the crescent New Moon. As will be seen, this would have been obvious
to any ancient Israelite present when Moses recited the prophecies of YHWH to the Children of Israel and therefore there was no need to elucidate this concept any more than such terms as "light" or "dark". However, due to the long exile, we have lost the use of Biblical Hebrew in day to day speech. Therefore, we will have to reconstruct the meaning of Hodesh from the usage of the word in the Biblical text using sound linguistic principles. He Created the Moon for Holidays There can be no doubt that the biblical Holidays are dependent on the moon. The strongest proof of this is the passage in Ps 104,19 which declares: "He created the moon for Mo'adim [appointed times]" The Hebrew term Mo'adim [appointed times] is the same word used to describe the Biblical Holidays. Leviticus 23, which contains a catalogue of the Biblical Holidays opens with the statement: "These are the
Mo'adim [appointed times] of YHWH, holy convocations which you shall proclaim in their appointed times [Mo'adam].". So when the Psalmist tells us that God created the moon for Mo'adim [appointed times] he means that the moon was created to determine the time of the Mo'adim of YHWH, that is, the Biblical Holidays. "Hodesh" Is Related To the Moon The above verse clearly teaches us that the holidays are related to the moon. But when the Torah was given Ps 104 had not yet been written by the Levitical prophets, and the question still remains of how the ancient Israelites could have known this. The answer is that the Hebrew word for month (Hodesh) itself indicates a connection to the moon. We can see this connection in a number of instances in which Hodesh (month) is used interchangeably with the word "Yerah", the common Biblical Hebrew word for moon, which by extension
also means "month". For example: "...in the month (Yerah) of Ziv, which is the Second month (Hodesh)..." (1Kings 6,1) "...in the month (Yerah) of Ethanim... which is the Seventh month (Hodesh)..." (1Kings 8,2) Another proof that Hodesh is related to the moon (Yerah) is the phrase "A Hodesh (month) of days" (Gen 29,14; Nu 11,20-21) [meaning a period of 29 or 30 days] which is equivalent to the phrase "A Yerah (month/ moon) of days" (Dt 21,13; 2Ki 15,13). Clearly then Hodesh is related to "Yerah", which itself literally means "moon". "Hodesh" Means New Moon (Day)The primary meaning of Hodesh (month) is actually "New Moon" or "New Moon Day" and it is only by extension that it came to mean "month", that is, the period between one New Moon and the next. This primary meaning is preserved in a number of passages such as 1Sam 20,5 in which
Jonathan says to David "Tomorrow is the New Moon (Hodesh)". Clearly, in this verse Hodesh is used to refer to the specific day on which the month begins and not the entire month. Another passage which uses Hodesh in its primary sense is Ez 46,1 which talks about "The Day (Yom) of the New Moon (Ha-Hodesh)". Clearly in this verse Hodesh (New Moon) is a specific event and the beginning of the month is the day on which this event (New Moon) occurs. The Biblical New Moon is the "First Crescent""Hodesh" (New Moon), is derived from the root H.D.SH. meaning "new" or "to make new/ renew". The Crescent New Moon is called Hodesh because it is the first time the moon is seen anew after being concealed for several days at the end of the lunar cycle. At the end of the lunar month the moon is
close to the sun ^{<javascript:ol('http://www.karaite-korner.org/new_moon.shtml%23note_1');>} and eventually reaches the point of "conjunction" when it passes between the Sun and the Earth.<javascript:ol('http://www.karaite-korner.org/new_moon.shtml%23note_2');> As a result, around the time of conjunction very little of the moon's illuminated surface faces the Earth and it is not visible through the infinitely brighter glare of the sun. After the moon moves past the sun it continues towards the opposite side of the Earth. As it gets farther away from the sun the percentage of its illuminated surface facing the Earth increases and one evening shortly after sunset the moon is seen anew after being invisible for 1.5-3.5 days. Because the moon is seen anew after a period
of invisibility the ancients called it a "New Moon" or "Hodesh" (from Hadash meaning "new"). Crescent New Moon vs. Astronomical New Moon Many people have been led astray by the inaccurate use in modern languages of the term "New Moon". Modern astronomers adopted this otherwise unused term, which had always referred to the first visible sliver, and used it to refer to conjunction (when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, at which time it is not visible). The astronomers soon realized that the inaccurate use of "New Moon" to refer to conjunction would lead to confusion so to be more accurate scientists now distinguish between "Astronomical New Moon" and "Crescent New Moon". "Astronomical New Moon" means New Moon as the term is used by astronomers, i.e. conjunction. In contrast, "Crescent New Moon" uses the term in the original meaning of the first visible sliver. A
good English dictionary should reflect both meanings. For example, the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged Edition defines New Moon as: "The moon either when in conjunction with the sun or soon after being either invisible [Astronomical New Moon] or visible [Crescent New Moon] only as a slender crescent." (square brackets added by NG). The Supposed Evidence For "Concealed Moon"Having been confused by the use of the term New Moon in modern astronomy some people have sought Biblical support for this incorrect meaning of the term. Ps 81,3 [Heb. 81,4] is usually cited which says: "Blow on a horn for the Hodesh (New Moon)On the Keseh (Full Moon) for the Day of our Hag (Feast)."According to the "Concealed Moon Theory", the term "Keseh" is derived from the root K.S.Y. meaning "to cover" and thus means "covered moon" or "concealed moon". According to this
interpretation, when the verse says to blow on a horn on the day of Keseh it actually means "[blow on a horn] on the day of Concealed Moon". However, the language does not support this argument for the second half of the verse also refers to the day of Keseh as "the day of our Feast (Hag)". In the Bible, Feast (Hag) is a technical term which always refers to the three annual pilgrimage-feasts (Matzot, Shavuot, Sukkot; see Ex 23; Ex 34).<javascript:ol('http://www.karaite-korner.org/new_moon.shtml%23note_3');> New Moon Day (Hodesh) is never classified as a "Pilgrimage-Feast" so Keseh/ Hag can not possibly be synonymous with New Moon Day (Hodesh). It has further been suggested that Keseh refers to the Biblical holiday of Yom Teruah (Day of Shouting), which always falls out on New Moon Day. However, the Bible describes
Yom Teruah as a Moed (appointed time) and never as a Hag (Pilgrimage-Feast) so Keseh/ Hag can not refer to Yom Teruah either. What Does Keseh Really Mean?It is likely that Keseh is related to the Aramaic word "Kista" and the Assyrian word "Kuseu" which mean "full moon" (see Brown-Driver-Briggs p.490b) [Hebrew, Aramaic, and Assyrian are all Semitic languages and often share common roots]. This fits in perfectly with the description of Keseh as the day of the Hag since two of the three Pilgrimage-Feasts (Hag HaMatzot <javascript:ol('http://www.karaite-korner.org/rekhavi/passover.shtml');> and Hag HaSukkot <javascript:ol('http://www.karaite-korner.org/sukkot.shtml');>) are on the 15th of the month, which is about the time of the Full Moon!
More on "Concealed Moon"Another point to consider is that there is no actual "day" of concealed moon. In fact the moon stays concealed anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 days in the Middle East. It has been proposed that the "day" of concealed moon is actually the day of conjunction (when the moon passes between the Earth and Sun). However, it was only 1000 years after Moses that the Babylonian astronomers discovered how to calculate the moment of conjunction. Therefore, the ancient Israelites would have had no way of knowing when the moment of conjunction takes place and would not have known on which day to observe "Concealed Moon Day". It has been suggested that the ancient Israelites could have looked at the "Old Moon" and determined the Day of Conjunction by when the Old Moon was no longer visible in the morning sky. However, such a method would not work in the Middle East where the
so-called "concealed moon" can remain concealed for as many as 3.5 days! It is in fact common for the moon to stay concealed for 2.5 days and in such instances how would the ancient Israelites have known which day was the Day of Conjunction?In contrast, the ancient Israelites would have been well aware of the Crescent New Moon. In ancient societies people worked from dawn to dusk and they would have noticed the Old Moon getting smaller and smaller in the morning sky. When the morning moon had disappeared the ancient Israelites would have anxiously awaited its reappearance 1.5-3.5 days later in the evening sky. Having disappeared for several days and then appearing anew in the early evening sky they would have called it the "New Moon" or "Hodesh" (from Hadash meaning "New"). http://www.karaite-korner.org/new_moon.shtml Q: Does Abib
mean "Green Ears" or "Green, tender ears"? No. Abib does not mean "green ears", despite the incorrect translation in the King James Bible. The precise meaning of Abib must be reconstructed by going into the fields and studying the barley and cross-referencing this with the Biblical evidence. The Bible often speaks of "Abib parched in fire". This refers to grain which is developed enough to be eaten after it has been parched. In contrast, "Green Ears" is such a broad term that it can refer to grain which when parched will shrivel up leaving no edible material. This has been confirmed by experiments. In order to be Abib, the barley must be more developed than Green, tender ears. Biblical evidence also shows that Abib is a brittle state as can be seen from the description of the crops destroyed by the Plague of Hail: "And the flax and the barley were smitten, because the barley
was Abib and the flax was Giv'ol. And the wheat and the spelt were not smitten because they were dark (Afilot)." (Ex 9,31-32) Q: How can the new year be set according to the barley in Sabbatical and Jubilee years? What about in drought years? Even if barley sometimes sprouts and grows "voluntarily" with no cultivation, isn't this is less likely in the Jubilee year and in years of severe drought. Barley grows every year in the Holy Land whether farmers intentionally cultivate it or not. Unintentionally cultivated barley, also referred to as "volunteer" barley, is present all over the Land of Israel in very large quantities. In areas where barley had been cultivated in previous years, fallen seeds would have grown "voluntarily" in relatively large concentrations. However, even in areas where barley has not been cultivated since at least 1948, it continues to survive in great
quantities. Volunteer barley grows in such large quantities that Arab shepherds have been known to harvest it with sickles to feed their sheep. Modern wheat farmers in Israel complain that they have to actively root out volunteer barley from their wheat fields and even then they can never get all of it. It is specifically the "volunteer" crops which the Torah gives the poor and Levites to eat in the sabbatical year, as we read in Lev 25,4-7:"(4) But in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for YHWH: you shall not plant your field...(5) That which grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap... (6) And the [produce of the] Sabbath of the land shall be for you for food; for you, and for your man-servant, and for your woman-servant, and for your hired workers, and for your stranger that sojourns with you. (7) And for your cattle, and for the
wild-animals that are in your land, shall all its produce be for food."In a Sabbatical or Jubilee year there would have been no difficulty to determine the Abib based on the "volunteer" barley. Even in the severe drought of 1998-1999 the volunteer barley was abundant throughout the Land of Israel, even in the Negev desert!Q: Does the Abib barley have to be from the Land of Israel or can we use barley in other lands as indicators of the New Year?According to the Torah only the barley in the Land of Israel is relevant for the Biblical year, as we read in Lev 23,10:"When you come to the land which I give you and harvest ITS harvest, and you will bring the sheaf of the beginning of your harvest to the priest."We see here that it must be the barley in the Land of Israel ("the land which I give you"), which is harvest-ready by the Sunday which falls out during Passover. If there is no
barley ready for harvest in the Promised Land by this time then that month is by definition not the "Month of the Abib".During the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness (a desert), Israel kept a careful record of the months and years and also brought the Passover sacrifice (Nu 9) in the desert. Obviously, they could not have consulted the barley in the Canaan. Doesn't this prove the year is not dependent on ripening barley?Technically there would have been no problem in sending messengers to the Land of Canaan (a 1 or 2 day journey from Sinai) to check the state of the barley crops. In fact, this is what the Karaites of Cairo did for nearly a thousand years, even though they were much farther from Palestine than the ancient Israelites in Sinai. A better question is what did the Israelites do in the year of the Exodus when sending messengers would have been very difficult
(although not impossible), due to the conditions of enslavement. It would not have been sufficient for the Children of Israel to have simply checked the barley in Egypt since according to the Torah only the barley in the Land of Israel is relevant for the Biblical year, as we read in Lev 23,10:"When you come to the land which I give you and harvest ITS harvest, and you will bring the sheaf of the beginning of your harvest to the priest."We see here that it must be the barley in the Land of Israel ("the land which I give you"), which is harvest-ready by the Sunday which falls out during Passover. If there is no barley ready for harvest in the PromisLand by this time then that month is by definition not the "Month of the Abib". So if the Israelites in Egypt were unable to send messengers to check the barley crops in Canaan, how did they determine the beginning of the year in the year of
the Exodus. The answer is given in Ex 12,2, namely that the beginning of the year was proclaimed by YHWH Himself, as we read: "This month is for you the beginning of months; it is first for you of the months of the year." Although the Israelites in the desert could easily have checked the Abib in Canaan, they probably continued to use the system of intercalation used in the year of the Exodus, that is Divine Decree. Most of the commandments only took full effect once the Israelites entered the Land of Canaan. This is said explicitly with many commandments and is quite obviously the case with the agricultural laws. In the desert there was no harvest. Are we to believe they did not celebrate Shavuot (Feast of Harvest) and Sukkot (Feast of Ingathering)?!? All indications are that these Feasts were kept even though their full significance as agricultural Feasts only came into effect when the
Israelites entered the Land of Israel. Similarly, the use of the Abib as it grows in the Land of Israel would have only begun from when the Israelites entered the promised land (see also Lev 23,10 quoted above "When you come into the land which I give you...").Q: Genesis 8:13 shows that Noah could determine the first month without ever leaving the ark. Doesn't this prove the Biblical calendar is not dependent on observing the barley crop?Noah himself did not know the date. What the verse in question says is:"And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry."The date is revealed to us (the readers) by the narrator (YHWH). The narrator often reveals information to the reader, which is
unknown to the characters in a Biblical account. Not only was Noah unable to see the Abib, but he was also unable to see the New Moon because he was sealed into the Ark. Presumably he had no idea of the date, month, or year. Indeed, in a period before glass panes, the "window" (Gen 6,16) which Noah built into the ark would have been closed with a wooden shudder [until it was opened some time after the 10th day of the 10th month (Gen 8,6)]. So Noah, sealed into the ark, would not have even known whether it was day or night! Q: Aren't computerized calculations "more objective" than observations of ripening Barley?A: Computerized calculations can not accurately predict when the barley will be in the state of Abib and therefore these calculations are useless for fixing the Biblical calendar. There are calculations which can predict when the vernal equinox will take place. However, the
Torah does not command us to observe the Feasts according to the equinox, whereas it does command us to observe them according to the ripening Barley as we read in the verse:"Keep the month of the Abib [=ripening barley] and make the Passover (sacrifice) to YHWH your God at night, because in the month of the Abib YHWH your God took you out of Egypt" (Dt 16,1)Furthermore, the ancient Israelites did not have computers nor was the calculation of the equinox known when the Torah was given. Even once an "objective" way to calculate the equinox was discovered, the only way to acquire this knowledge was to learn the ways of the idolatrous astrologers, which the Torah strictly forbids, as we read in Dt 18,9-10:"(9) When thou art come into the land which YHWH your God gives you, you shall not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. (10) There shall not be
found among you ... an observer of times, or an enchanter..." noteThe prophet Jeremiah also warns us not to learn astrology:"Thus saith YHWH, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. " (Jer 10,2)The prophet Isaiah speaks even more strongly against astrology:"(13) Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. (14) Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame..." (Isa 47,13-14)Q: Doesn't Genesis 1:14 show that the Vernal Equinox, not the barley, determine the holy day seasons?We read in Gen 1,14: "And God said, Let there
be lights in the firmament of heaven, to divide between the day and the night and they will be for signs and for times (Moedim) and for days and for years." From this verse it is not clear what is dependent on what. Certainly no mention of the Vernal Equinox is made. Perhaps the year is dependent on the moon or the stars? If the year is dependent on the sun, then what about the sun effects the beginning of the year? Gen 1,14 does not specify these things and we must turn to other Biblical passages to get a more precise understanding of the Biblical calendar. In Dt 16,1 we read: "Keep the month of the Abib and make the Passover (sacrifice) to YHWH your God at night, because in the month of Abib YHWH your God took you out of Egypt"Similarly we read:"You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as have I commanded you, at the time of the
month of the Abib, because in the month of the Abib you went out of Egypt." (Ex 34,18)The word "Abib" refers to barley which has reached a certain stage in its development. This meaning of Abib is preserved in the verse: "And the flax and the barley were smitten, because the barley was Abib and the flax was Giv'ol. And the wheat and the spelt were not smitten because they were dark (Afilot)." (Ex 9,31-32)To keep the Passover Sacrifice in the Month of the Abib requires taking the Abib (ripening barley) as an indicator of the beginning of the year. This is entirely consistent with Gen 1,14, for the ripening of the barley is dependent on the seasons of the year and therefore indirectly is controlled by the sun. Central factors, which cause the barley to ripen, are the lengthening of the days and the increasing sunlight, changes in humidity, and other factors which affect
the environment. Therefore, it is the sun, which indirectly causes the barley to ripen, and thereby acts as an indicator of years. It is this indirect effect which causes the barley to become Abib which Gen 1,14 is referring to when it says the sun and moon will be for years.It should be noted that the equinox is never mentioned in the entire Hebrew Bible. Gen 1,14, which has often been cited as proof of the equinox theory, does not mention the equinox either. On the contrary, the use of astronomical calculations for determining the time of the equinox, was in this period synonymous with the idolatrous practice of fortune telling and was certainly not practiced in ancient Israel (Isa 47,13).

Tzav (Leviticus 6-8) Family Parsha Tzav 5765 This week's portion teaches us the secret of how to become closer to someone else - by giving to him. The portion describes the different types of offerings or 'gifts' which God asked us to give Him in the Tabernacle. The Hebrew word for these offerings is 'korbanot,' which is a form of the Hebrew word 'to come closer.' God didn't 'need' our gifts - the whole world and everything in it are His already. Rather, He wanted to help us feel close and connected to Him, and that our acts of giving to Him would bring us there.In our story two sisters grow closer in a most unexpected way. "GIVING PEACE A CHANCE" KEEP OUT! NO PESTS ALLOWED! was the sign on Wendy's door, and it didn't take a
genius to figure out whom the sign was meant to keep away. As far as Wendy Abramson was concerned, her younger sister Paula was nothing but a nuisance and she wanted to have as little to do with her as possible. The kid was always trying to follow her around, but Wendy made it very clear she wasn't interested. She made it a point to sit on opposite sides of the school bus from her sister, eat at different tables and do whatever else she could to put herself wherever Paula wasn't.That's why she got so upset the day her mom dropped the bombshell over the breakfast table. "Wendy, I have to go away on business for a week starting tomorrow, and since your father is very busy and will be away at work most of the day I need you to help me." "Sure mom. What can I do?" "Well, you're big enough to take care of yourself, but Paula isn't. So I need you to look after her, you know, get
her off to school, make her lunch, that kind of stuff." Wendy almost choked on her Cheerios. "MOM PLEASE NO! Anything but that. I'll scrub the floors, I'll paint the whole house twice, just don't make me spend a whole week taking care of that little pest!" Wendy's mom nodded. "I know it isn't an easy thing to ask of you, and I'm sorry, Wendy, but there just isn't any other choice. And who knows..." she added with a cryptic smile, "spending more time together might just help you to grow closer." Wendy was floored. Growing closer was the last thing on her mind. Here she had been doing everything to avoid the little pest and now she had to spend a whole week taking care of her. Despite Wendy's best pouts, mournful tears and door-slams, her mom wouldn't change her mind, and the next morning Wendy braced herself for a miserable week. Come on, get up and get dressed. If you don't hurry
you're going to miss the bus, and if you think I'm going to wait around and walk you to school, forget it!" Wendy said with all the charm of a drill sergeant, as she quickly set out her sister's clothing and went into the kitchen to fix her breakfast. 'Why am I stuck having to do this?' she kept asking herself as she roughly smeared a wad of peanut butter across the smallest piece of bread she could find and stuffed it into her sister's lunchbox. Wendy and Paula rushed out the door and barely caught the honking school bus. She sat Paula down and as usual went to sit down on the opposite end of the bus. Then she thought, 'Gee, if I'm kind of responsible for her, maybe I should at least be able to see her,' and grudgingly sat down not actually near her sister, but not that far away either. After school Wendy ran straight to her room like she always did, and was about to close
and lock the door as usual, but then decided to leave the door open a tiny crack - just in case of an emergency. That night after finally getting her sister into bed, Wendy plopped down on the living room couch. It had been a tough day, and she wanted to relax. Soon she heard some noise coming from Paula's bedroom. She went to check it out, and found her sister was crying. "Hey what's the matter with you?" she asked. "I miss mommy and I'm scared to be alone," Paula sniffed. Seeing it was no emergency, Wendy was about to tell her to be quiet and walk back out. Then she looked again at Paula, who looked so small all curled up in bed. 'Poor kid,' she thought. 'If I were her age, I'd be scared too.' "It's okay Paula. Here, let me read you a nice story and I'm sure you'll feel better." Paula smiled and a few minutes later she was fast asleep. From that night on, something
strange started to happen. Taking care of Paula wasn't turning out to be nearly as horrible as Wendy expected. She herself didn't even know why, but having to help her sister out so much just somehow made her like her better and care about her more. Each day she found herself waking Paula up more gently, making her nicer lunches, and leaving her door open just a bit more. In fact, though she'd never say it to the kid's face, her sister was actually starting to grow on her and even seemed kind of cute - for a kid sister. The week passed and Wendy's mom was due home that afternoon. Was she crazy or was she going to actually miss taking care of Paula? After giving her a nice warm bowl of oatmeal, Wendy walked Paula out to the bus. They had a nice chat along the way, and when Wendy sat Paula down on her usual seat and then took the seat right next to her, the other kids, and even the bus
driver, did a double take. That afternoon their mom came home. She opened the door and was relieved to see that the house was still in one piece. But the nicest surprise was seeing her two daughters laughing and playing a game together in Wendy's room. The usual KEEP OUT! sign on her door had been replaced by one saying WELCOME HOME MOM!, and signed by both of them. "Wendy, I see you really came through for me. I hope it didn't take too much out of you." Wendy smiled. "Mom, it was fine. Thanks for giving me the chance to give and get closer to someone really nice." Aish.com

Last Weeks answer:Isaiah 25:1-9 KJV 1 O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. 2 For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. 3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. 4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. 5 Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low. 6 And in this mountain shall the
LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. 9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Find This Passage: Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? And the young man that told him
said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord. Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house
of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD's anointed? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD's anointed.

Shalom sisterlinda/Messiah's Branch Mark 9:23,10:27

 

     Shalom sisterlinda Messiah's Branch    

  Mark 9:23,10:27