Although in Europe and North America January is associated with winter's extreme cold, here in the Holy Land January marks the beginning of the wet growing season.  The colors of The Land are brilliant shades of greens and rich browns, unlike the grays and whites associated with winter. Moreover, from mid January on, the days are getting noticeably longer while sunset gets later. Unlike elsewhere, here in The Land, winter is a time of transition from dark to light, from dormancy to vibrancy.

From a Biblical perspective, the night skies of January are full of concern.  In a very short time, relatively speaking, the First of Nissan, and Passover two weeks later, will be upon us.  And it is at this time that astronomers in Biblical times would turn their attention to the sky at dawn full of concern.  What they were looking for and why they were concerned?

When night first covers the landscape and the stars are fully visible, look to the south and Orion the Hunter, with his two Dogs cross the sky chasing Taurus the Bull and Pegasus already in west.  By midnight, the Hunter is fully in the west having driven the stars of Fall and late Summer from the sky.  But, look to the east to see the stars of Spring rise fully into view.  Leo the Lion stretches forth fully across the southeastern sky.  Shortly thereafter, the stars Arcturus and Spica will break the horizon.  By the end of night, around the time the mosques call the first prayers of the day, these stars and the "tail star" of Leo should be almost due south.  When the Pascal Season is upon us, and we open our doors at midnight during the Passover Seder to let Elijah enter, it will be these stars, Arcturus, Spica, and Denebola (the Lion's Tail) that will be seen due south.

The night sky functions with great precision and regularity.  During Biblical times, it was the way people told time and knew how to regulate their seasonal labors--to anticipate the coming seasons and budget their energies accordingly.  At this point of the calendar, people were watching the celestial calendar in anticipation for Passover and all of its attendant rituals.  The most important question, however, at this point in the year is whether the Sanhedrin would add another month to the calendar or not.  

The Biblical calendar was based on lunar and solar movements assessed against the backdrop of the fixed stars.  Twelve lunar months are approximately eleven days short of a solar year.  This means that every three years, the lunar year falls behind the solar year by a full month.  The first of the Jewish month Nissan, the first day of the Pascal season, would then arrive earlier and earlier every year, until eventually returning to the spring in 12 to 13 years.  However, the Bible commands us in two places to not let this happen--"Guard the Month of Aviv" (Deuteronomy 16:1), and "This Month shall be for you the beginning of the months, it shall be for you the first of the months of the year" (Exodus 12:2).  From the Biblical astronomer's understanding, these two Commandments required adjusting the Lunar year to keep up with the solar year.

How does this work?  Around the time that the chapters in the Torah about the Exodus from Egypt are read (Parshat Bo), the Biblical astronomer would look to the sky to see where the three stars or spring were in the heavens before dawn.  If they had not risen fully to the center of the southern sky, for example they were in the middle of the southeastern quadrant, the Biblical astronomer would know that a new month was needed--the annual reading cycle of the Torah, which is based on the Lunar year, was falling behind the celestial clock calendar.

Rabbi Moses Maimonides reminds us in his work The Sanctification of the New Moon that there were three criteria for adding a new month.  The first is the astronomical positions of the stars.  The other two are just as seasonal: has the winter wheat and barley taken root and are the trees blossoming ready to produce fruit.  A corollary to the latter parameter is if the sheep and goats are birthing or ready to birth.  Clearly, if the harvest is not ready, there can be no ritual waiving of the grain offerings immediately following the first day of Passover.  If the flocks are not yet producing offspring or the trees are not ready to blossom, then there will be a shortage of the Commanded foods for the Passover Seder service.

The economy during Biblical times was directly keyed to the rhythm of the ritual cycle of the Temple, The Land, and the seasons.  All attention would be turned to the indicators of the Times and Seasons.  The arrival of the 15th of Shevat would certainly be a time to assess the current levels of production.  We can well imagine the anticipation of the Biblical residents of The Land at the end of the month as to what the Sanhedrin would announce when they proclaimed the New Moon for Adar -- Would they announce Adar or Adar the First?  If the former, then there was no time to waste--Passover is six weeks away!  If they announced Adar the First, then a new month had been added and Passover was ten weeks away.

So, take some time during January to step outside at different times of the night to savory some Biblical history that continues to the present.  Enjoy the regularity of the celestial movement and contemplate why those shepherds were watching the heavens so intensely at this time nearly 2,000 years ago. 

January 2010

Rabbi Daniel Jackson, PhD