The Shabbos before the month of Nissan is called “Shabbos HaHodesh”,
literally Shabbos of the month. Every Shabbos that falls immediately before the
start of a new month is called Shabbos Mevarchim (שַׁבַּת
מְבָרְכִים). Mevarchim is the language of blessing or greeting in this
case the incoming month.
The new moon that ushers in Nissan has special status, because the
exodus from Egypt occurred during this month. Because of the importance of this
momentous occasion the Holy One Blessed be He commanded the nation of Israel to
reckon it as the head of all the months and, the first of the months of the
year (see Exodus 12:2). The Mishna poskins (from the Hebrew פסק to establish, deem, or rule) that the Jews should include the
section of the Chumash, which contains this commandment, as part of the normal
reading of the Torah during morning service (Megillah 4:2). The Mishna Brura
expounds on this saying, this is not the fundamental sanctification [of the new
month]. Rather the sanctification is in essence at the time the new moon is
seen, after which the new month is declared by the Sanhedrin. Therefore this
reading from the Torah is only a rabbinic obligation (see section 585a).
The Mishna in fact mentions four “new years”. The first of Nissan is the
new year for kings and holidays. The first of Elul is the new year for the
tithing of cattle. The first of Tishre is the new year for years. And fifteenth
of Shvat is the new year for trees (see Mishna Rosh Hashana 1:1).
This Mishna is the source of a debate in the Gemara (Rosh Hashana
10b-11a). “Rabbi Eliezer teaches in Tishri the world was created . . . on
New Year’s the bondage of our ancestors in Egypt ceased; in Nisan they were
redeemed and in Tishre they will be redeemed in the time to come. Rabbi Yehoshua teaches in Nisan the world
was created . . . on Rosh Hashana the bondage of our ancestors ceased in Egypt;
in Nisan they were redeemed and in Nisan they will be redeemed in time to come”.
Both bring scriptural and logical proofs. Rabbi Yehoshua claims that the
trees at the time of creation were like the budding trees of spring. Rabbi Eliezer
claims that the trees at the time of creation were like the fruited trees of fall.
The Gemara brings an oblique scriptural hint that the trees were created in the
fullest of their glory, thereby fixing the doctrine like Rabbi Eliezer.
All of this suggests that the first of Tishre is the first day of fall
and the first of Nissan is the first day of spring. At the time of the creation
this was most likely so and, from time to time it actually happens that way.
This is because the Jewish calendar is only approximately synchronized with the
tropical year. The Torah is not meticulous about precisely matching the date
with the equinoxes. It requires only that Passover fall sometime in the spring
and that Succos fall sometime in the autumn. It comes out that every two or
three years an additional month is added.
Rosh Hashana, falling on the first of Tishre, is
associated the tropical year and nature. On the other hand the lunar calendar
is associated with miracles because of the miracles of Pesach which falls in
Nissan. From a natural standpoint the tropical calendar very precisely
standardizes the dates of the solstice and the times of the daily sunrise and
sunset. As a result it is very helpful in determining the times to plant and
harvest. The Jewish calendar is useful for this, but with its one month
variations, the tropical calendar is better. The Jewish calendar accurately
tells you how much moonlight there will be on a given date, which was very
helpful before street lights. The calendar established by Julius Caesar makes
no attempt to be synchronized with the moon.
In fact the Julian calendar requires periodic adjustment. Once every
four years a leap day is added to keep it accurate. However, this was not
adequate and by the year 1582 CE the spring equinox fell on March 31, and not
March 21. To remedy the situation Pope Gregory struck ten days from the
calendar plus said the leap day should be omitted once every hundred years.
However every 400 years it would be included. Never the less it is still off by
26 seconds per year and even that changes. It comes out the United States
weather service periodically adds a tiny fraction of a second to the calendar
to keep our GPS systems functioning.
Both calendars require calculation and observation. The dates of the
solstices can be mathematically derived. However lack of precision and lack of
knowledge of science require periodic observation to get it right. Before the
Great Flood the ancients constructed rooms with very narrow windows that only
allowed the sun to directly shine in them on the days of astronomical
importance. Calculation of the time of the new moon also runs into the same problems,
and in the days of the Sanhedrin they required witnesses to testify they had
seen moonless night. In fact both calendars are off when it comes to the
position of the stars. For example the summer solstice now occurs when sun is
in the constellation Gemini, not Cancer as it did 2000 years ago.
The Jewish calendar needs more tinkering. A little less then every three
years an extra month is added. In addition to make life easier for the Jews, a
day can be added or deleted so Yom Kippur and the fast of the Ninth of Av will
not fall next to Shabbos. When the first Temple stood, the righteous King
Hezekiah invited the nation to come to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. It was
the first time in many years that someone had inspired the people. To give the
cohanim time to undergo ritual purification and the children of Israel adequate
time to make the journey, he added a second Nissan to the calendar in which
Pesach would be observed. The sages, though, did not thank him for this.
It comes out that the message of Shabbos Hahodesh is that we should live
in harmony with nature but not be a slave to it. At times it is appropriate to
be a little unscientific to make our lives more pleasant and meaningful. So too
it is with our relationship with the environment, G-d, and our fellow man.
לע"נ
ה אמה מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז בנוסן תשנ"ח
העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני וגם באתר
http://dyschreiber.blogspot.co.il
תיקון
קלקול הדורות שלפניו, ותכלית
ואחרית ותקוה לדורות הבאים עד עת קץ . . . כי בשיר
הזה יספר קורות האבות כפשוטם, אמנם
ספורי קורות ישראל נבדלו מאד מקורות יתר העמים, כי כל המוצאות לעם ה' היה
בהשגחה פרטית ובנסי ה' ופליאותיו, עד שידיעת קורות ישראל בימי קדם היא עצמה תורה ואמונה, כי בם נודע מציאות ה' יכלתו
והשגחתו שכרו וענשו, עכ"ל.
