The Karaite Korner

Holidays 2000

Leap Years in the Biblical Calendar

As the holidays approach, The Karaite Korner will be closely following the state of the barley crops and will present a series of articles on the Biblical Calendar. Our first article discusses the dates of the upcoming holidays and the concept of the Biblical Leap Year.

The Biblical year begins with the first New Moon after the barley in Israel reaches the stage in its ripeness called Abib. The period between one year and the next is generally either 12 or 13 lunar months. Because of this, it is important to check the state of the Barley crops at the end of the 12th month. If the barley is Abib at this time, then the following New Moon is the "New Moon of the Abib" (Hodesh HaAbib). If the barley is still immature, we must wait another month and then check the barley again at the end of the 13th month.

By convention, a 12-month year is referred to as a Regular Year while a 13th month year is referred to as a Leap Year. This should not be confused with Leap Years in the Gregorian (Christian) Calendar, which involve the "intercalation" (addition) of a single day (Feb. 29). In contrast, the Biblical Leap Year involves the intercalation of an entire lunar month ("Thirteenth Month", also called "Adar Bet"). In general, it can only be determined whether a year is a Leap Year a few days before the end of the 12th Month.

Abib 2000

For those who may not have been following the Biblical calendar in 1999-2000, the Rabbanite calendar began one month too early last year. According to the true Biblical Calendar, the 12th Month ends this year on April 5, 2000. We will be checking the barley crops on this day and during the preceding days to see if they have reached the state of Abib. We have already looked at several barley fields including fields which we planted specially for this purpose and are keeping track of their development. Needless to say that at this point it is far too early for the barley to be Abib, although we will be checking the fields every few weeks for the purpose of studying their progress.

We will send out Abib Reports as the information becomes available. If you have not already signed up for our Newsletter, you can do so by going to: http://www.karaite-korner.org/survey.shtml

For a review of the nature of Abib and Biblical evidence go to:

http://www.karaite-korner.org/abib.shtml

Potential Dates for Holidays in 2000

While at this stage we cannot predict the actual dates of the holidays, we can narrow them down to only a few days.

If it is a Regular Year (non-leap year):

  • New Years: Thursday April 6, 2000

  • Hag Hamatzot (Unleavened Bread): Thursday April 20 and Wednesday April 26, 2000 [15th and 21st of First Month]

  • Hag HaShavuot (Feast of Weeks): Sunday June 11, 2000

[Note that the Astronomical Conditions indicate with a high probability that the New Moon will be seen on April 5, 2000, although we will await confirmation of this from actual witnesses.]

If it is a Leap Year:

  • New Years: Saturday May 6, 2000

  • Hag HaMatzot (Unleavened Bread): Saturday May 20 and Friday May 26, 2000 [15th and 21st of First Month]

  • Hag HaShavuot (Feast of Weeks): Sunday July 9, 2000

[On this month moon visibility is 100% certain for May 5, 2000, given good weather conditions.]

Remember that all Holidays begin on the evening before the aforementioned dates.