Biblical Calendar
đď¸ Understand the Calendar, Appointed Times, and Holy Days Just As Described within the Five Books of Moses (Torah)
This page will be updated regularly as reports of the New Crescent Moon from the Land of Israel and the seven agricultural species are made available.
We are currently in the Hebrew year 5861, which is from spring 2025 - spring 2026 within the Gregorian calendar system. Click / Tap on the button below for the current yearâs calendar:
Refer to Chapter 14 of Bible Prophecy Secrets for details on how to observe both the Spirit of Godâs Law and the Letter of His Law as it pertains to these Holy Days. Manâs days will only be until the year 5880--according to Moses, Daniel, and Yeshua--which brings us to spring 2045 based on the Sabbatical and Jubilee years throughout history. You can download the first three chapters for free, or access the full-length book here: https://www.bibleprophecyunlocked.com/ââ
What is the Biblical Calendar? - A Brief Overview:
The calendar of the Bible is based on the renewal of the moonâs light each month together with the seven agricultural firstfruits offeringsâbarley, wheat, grapes, figs, pomegranates, dates, and olivesâthat were each to be presented in their specific season (see Deuteronomy 8:8 and 26:2,10). The first offering collected each year is the barley during the week of Passover. Therefore, understanding the readiness of the barley crop and the renewal of the moonâs light are the two primary components of determining the first month of the year, or Abib, which literally means the month of green ears of barley.
Based on modern science and technology, we know that it takes the moon about 29.530⌠days in its cycle around the earth to arrive at the same phase of a new moon. What this means practically is that a biblical month can only have 29 to 30 days but certainly no more than 30 days. This also means that the moon makes about 12.4 circuits around the earth in a year. That is why a Hebrew 13-month year occurs sometimes with an added month in order to avoid calendrical drift where, for example, Passover would erroneously take place in the winter. This occasional addition of a 13th month is solely dependent on the readiness of the Abib barley to begin the year.
Back in ancient times, Judah had always kept track of time according to the instructions of the Torah while Israel did not. After their return from Babylonian captivity, Judah continued keeping track of time properly as recorded in the book of Nehemiah. From the time of their return until about AD 425, Judah set up and relied on the Sanhedrin, or assembly, of elders that were responsible for declaring the beginnings of months and years. Towards the end of a given month, the Sanhedrin would summon and cross examine witnesses who claimed to have seen the new moon, which was always understood to be the very first sliver of a renewed crescent moon. This new moon is visible on the 29th or 30th day of a given month. If the witnessesâ accounts were corroborated, then the evening that the crescent moon was sighted would begin the first day of the next month. If no witnesses came forth to confirm a new moon sighting by the 30th day, then the evening would begin the new month by default because a biblical month cannot have more than 30 days.
Now, consider also that a lunar year consists of 354 days (29.5x12) while a solar year consists of about 365.25 days. The difference between these two is about 11 days. As already alluded to, Passover must always take place in the springtime each year, around March. However, without some sort of regular adjustment to a solely lunar-based calendar system, Passover would occur 11 days earlier each year. It would eventually drift into the winter, then the fall, then summer, and would ultimately drift back into the springtime but only to start this drifting process once again. In fact, since the Muslim calendar is a strictly lunar one, it falls into this exact pattern, which is why the month of Ramadan, for example, shifts drastically over time and into different seasons of the year. Such a system is in disobedience to the Bible because the keeping of Passover is set during the month of Abib (the first month) in the land of Israelâthe month of the first barley. That is why the Hebrew calendar is intercalated, which is to say that a 13th month is added in a given year in order to correctly adjust the timing of Abib to take place when the firstfruits of the barley are ready to harvest in the land of Canaan.
The only requirement for the declaration of the Abib and the New Year is the presence of one omer of firstfruits barley (see Leviticus 23:10). Sometimes this declaration must be delayed, and a 13th month is therefore needed so that the barley has more time to properly ripen. The Sanhedrin was also put in charge of determining the need for the 13th month (also called Adar II or Adar Bet) declarations. Some contend that this 13th-month concept is pagan and comes from the Talmud, but the specific dates given from Ezekiel 1:1 to the time of Ezekiel 8:1 are in perfect agreement with the need for 13th month declarations, since the time keeping presented in these chapters of Ezekiel cannot be calculated any other way.
Renewed Moon
Regular worldwide reports of sighted moons, with special attention given to the Middle East and Israel. Provides secondary witness to the barley.Website: https://www.renewedmoon.com/
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Becca Biderman (Rivkah)
Messianic witness living in Israel with expertise in identifying all seven firstfruits of the land in their respective season.
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Norman Willis
Messianic, occasional firsthand witness (mostly secondary witness), and trained in barley inspections. Provides excellent commentary as it relates to identifying the month of Abib.Website: https://nazareneisrael.org/
Devorah Gordon
Non-Messianic, Karaite Jewish inspector from the Land of Israel with excellent New Moon reports. Barley reports are also published but without Messianic understanding of firstfruits.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/datetree/
Telegram: https://t.me/DevorahsDateTree
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Abib of God
Occasionally visits Israel during Abib season to provide firsthand witness. They closely follow the non-Messianic viewpoint of the Karaites, though they are Messianic themselves.Website: https://www.abibofgod.com/
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Torah Calendar
Useful website for examining historical patterns of new moons, predicting new moons in the future, and compiling Judaic dates for Holy Days and other events in history.
Please note: the majority of Hebraic, Messianic, Christ-following people that observe the Calendar of YHVH have been heavily influenced by the non-Messianic and subjective views of the Karaites due to Devorah Gordonâs ministry. Some also create strange extra-biblical rules in their determination of the calendar that are different from the Karaite Judaism perspective. We will continue to educate and teach what the Scriptures objectively reveal about the proper keeping of the Calendar based on what we are instructed inside of the Torah, without deviating to the right or to the left.
ó ó ⤠Does the New Moon need to be sighted in Israel to determine the Calendar?
Numerous Scriptures (Lev 23:10, Deut. 6:1) describe that the keeping of Yehovahâs Holy Days are within the context of being âin the landâ of Israel. Therefore, the keeping of Rosh Chodesh (literally the âhead of the monthâ or New Moon) days must be in accordance with a new crescent moon sighting in Israel. However, we encourage and also practice the sighting of new crescent moons from any physical location outside of the land of Israel in which you are currently living. We encourage this practice because it helps and trains you to be watching like the Scriptures teach us that we should be doing. However, it is the physical sightings in the land of Israel that are used for both the prophetic timeclock and the keeping of moedim (appointed times) every year.
The Biblical start of the year, or Rosh HaShana (literally, the âhead of the yearâ or New Year), begins when the barley ripens. If for example, someone lived in New Zealand and decided to begin the year when the barley becomes ripe in that location, they would be celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread at the time that it is indeed Fall in Israel.
However, the Scriptures reveal to us that there is absolute Truth, and regarding of the keeping of the Holy Days, there is only one established location by which Godâs people should be keeping these days, and it is established according to the new moon and agricultural cycles in Israel. There is only one Feast of Unleavened bread, and it is determined according to the timing of the barley being Aviv in Israel, around Spring time.
ó ó ⤠What if we lose access to online witnesses in the event of war, such as cyber warfare or nuclear warfare, and we are unable to determine New Moons in Israel or the Middle East?
In the event that online reports of the New Moons and barley are no longer available, the practice of timekeeping will need to be modified slightly. This is perfectly normal. During the days of Noah when the worldwide flood and the months of rain came upon the earth, Noah could not literally see the crescent new moon to perfectly keep track of time during his days on the ark. The readiness of the barley was also out of the picture. If you examine Genesis 7, you will find that he kept track of time by counting the days and assuming 30-day months.
Similarly, if we lose the ability accurately record all the Holy Days and all 12-month years alongside the occasionally intercalated 13-month years, then we will have to estimate using 30-day months like Noah did. Always remember that salvation through Christ âis the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boastâ (Ephesians 2:8,9). We should honor God by doing our best to follow His instructions, but perfect timekeeping will be lost at some point. When Christ returns to establish His reign on earth, we are told that âHe shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightnessâ (Psalm 9:8). Knowing this, letâs simply put forth our best effort for now. Christ will fix everything soon enough.
⤠Can you provide an example of how you keep the feast days with actual dates?
Click / Tap on the button below for information on how we kept the Feasts during the Hebrew year 5861 (spring 2025 to spring 2026):
Also, feel free to download this report with new moon dates and photos of all seven firstfruit offerings of the year 2022: