Paths of Old – Ancient Paths

Jeremiah 6:16; 18:15; Acts 15:21

“Thus said יהוה (Yahweh), “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and find rest for yourselves….” (Jeremiah 6:16)

“But My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to what is false, and they have stumbled from their ways, from the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths and not on a highway.” (Jeremiah 18:15)

Regular public reading of the Torah was introduced by Ezra the Scribe after the return of the Jewish people from their Babylonian captivity (c. 537 BCE), as described in the Book of Nehemiah 8. In the modern era, adherents of Orthodox Judaism practice Torah reading according to a set procedure they believe has remained unchanged in the two thousand years since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70 CE).

“For from ancient generations Mosheh has, in every city, those proclaiming him – being read in the congregations every Sabbath.” (Acts 15:21)

Bible readings for October 1, 2022. In the 10th solar month of the Hebrew 7th month of Tishrei (September/October).

Vayelekh
וַיֵּלֶךְ
And he went

Yom Kippur this year (2022) begins at sunset on October 6, 2022 and ends at sunset on October 7, 2022. This is a High Holy Day. No work is to be performed on this day. The Scripture readings for Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) is noted below.

If you have been following our New Moon reports, then you know the New Moon wasn’t visible in Israel until Tuesday, 27 September 2022. So how is it that the Rabbinites began the month on Sunday, September 25, 2022 (two evenings earlier)?

The answer is simple. The Rabbinites don’t follow the Biblical Calendar, instead they follow a calendar they established in 359 CE, known as the Hillel II Calendar.

The reason they created the Hillel II Calendar, is because they were in Exile at the time, and therefore had no way of knowing whether the crescent New Moon was visible or the barley was ripe, and so they couldn’t follow the Biblical Calendar. So instead they created a fixed calendar, which resembled the Biblical Calendar, in the sense that that it has leap years every 2-3 years, and the months are loosely based on a lunar cycle, but it’s important to understand that the Hillel II is not based on the sighting of the New Moon or the ripening of the barley.

So if the Hillel II Calendar, doesn’t begin the months based on the sighting of the New Moon, how do they determine the beginning of the 7th month? They begin the 7th month based on conjunction, which to remind you, is before it’s possible to sight the New Moon. Why conjunction? Because they could calculate the moment of conjunction but couldn’t predict which evening the New Moon would be visible. * For the sake of accuracy, I was told that “Our calendar [Hillel II Calendar] is not exactly based on the actual conjunction but starts Tishrei [the 7th month] not less than 6 hours after the mean conjunction. It is true that the calculated mean conjunction is currently 2 hours later than it should be. Our calendar [Hillel II Calendar] is designed to be easy enough to calculate manually while ensuring that it is highly unlikely that the moon will appear a day before Rosh Hashannah [Yom Teruah]”.

It’s important to understand, that the Hillel II Calendar not only begins the 7th month based on conjunction, but they also adjust when the 7th month will be begin, in order to ensure Yom Kippur and Hoshannah Rabba (the Rabbinic name for the 7th day of Chag HaSukkot), don’t fall out on days, which would prevent them from carrying out their sacred Rabbinic traditions.

What do I mean? Well, they explain that if Yom Kippur fell out on a Friday, they wouldn’t be able to perform the Rabbinic custom of lighting candles before Shabbat, as Yom Kippur is like a Shabbat and so you can’t use fire. If Yom Kippur fell out on a Sunday, they wouldn’t be able to make preparations for Yom Kippur because the preceding day would be Shabbat (I think they might be referring to preparing a nice meal to eat before the fast or showering). And if Hoshannah Rabba (the Rabbinic name for the 7th day of Chag HaSukkot) fell out on Shabbat, they wouldn’t be able to perform the Rabbinic custom of bringing willow fronds to the synagogue and beating them on the ground, as this would go against their prohibitions for the Sabbath.

Another important distinction between the Biblical Calendar and the Hillel II Calendar, when it comes to the 7th month, is that in the Biblical Calendar Yom Teruah is observed the first day of the 7th month (Lev 23:24, Num 29:1), whereas the Rabbinates celebrate what they call “Rosh Hashanah (New Year’s)”, the first two days of the 7th month. I’m not going to get to the whole problem of the Rabbinites celebrating New Year’s in the 7th month right now, I just wanted to bring to your attention that the Rabbinites are celebrating two days, as opposed to one day.

I hope this brief explanation was helpful in understanding why the Rabbinites began this month two days too early.

If reliable New Moon and Barley Inspection reports from Israel are of value to you, please support our efforts. We could really use your help to restore the Biblical Calendar.

Chodesh Tov! Make it a great month!

Devorah Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel

If you are interested in downloading the annual Torah reading schedule with projected new moon sightings, Feast Days, click HERE.

Three Year Bible Reading Schedule

Genesis to Revelation

Genesis 13:1—14:24 | Joshua 18:1—19:51 | Psalm 11:1-7 | Isaiah 14:1-32 | Matthew 14:1-36

If you are interested in downloading the complete 3 year Bible reading schedule, click HERE. You can break up your Bible reading into 5 days of your choosing or combine the above readings of your choice.

THIS VIDEO WILL SHOCK EVEN THE MOST DEVOUT CATHOLICS! A MUST WATCH DOCUMENTARY

Great documentary about the Mystery Babylon, the Jesuit Order & American history. Roman Babylonian Vatican is the city from where the Antichrist will rise into his power written in Revelation 17-18 KJV.