Rosh Chodesh Av
At sundown today, the 29th day of the fourth month of the Hebrew calendar, will be Rosh Chodesh Av. Rosh Chodesh is Hebrew for head of the month. So sundown today will be the head of the new month, the fifth month. The fifth month is called Av. And Av is Hebrew for Father.
However, the name of the month is a secondary title to the numerical position of the month. In the Scripture, the months of the year were numbered from one to twelve. And the first month is the month when the Hebrew people left Egypt, as written in Exodus 12 :2 and also Exodus 13 :4. The name of the first month is Abib or Nissan. Many of the names of the months were adopted from Babylon since the time of the Jewish captivity in Babylon.
Rosh Chodesh or the head of the month is a minor holiday. It is not a Shabbat day. However, Rosh Chodesh is written together with the weekly Shabbat and the Appointed times 276 times in the Tanakh. And just as there are instructions on how to observe the weekly 7th day Shabbat and the seven appointed times of Yahweh , there are written instructions on how to observe Rosh Chodesh.
The written instructions on how to observe Rosh Chodesh are as follows :
1. Blowing the shofar to welcome the new month, as written in Psalm 81:3.
2. Breaking of bread, as written in 1 Samuel 20 :5. This is not holy communion which is a Roman tradition. Breaking of bread in Hebrew is a fellowship meal.
3. Having a set apart assembly, as written in Isaiah 1:13-14.
4. No buying and selling, as written in Amos 8:5
5. The giving of the following korbanot or offerings, as written in Numbers 28:11-15 : the burnt offering, the grain offering, the drink offering, and the sin or purification offering.
Since there is no Temple in Yerushalayim, the korbanot cannot be offered. But there are many prophecies about the rebuilding of the Temple.
However, the Renewed Covenant says that we are the temple of the spirit of Elohim. So we have to understand the spiritual meaning of those korbanot. The burnt offering speaks of our total dedication or obedience to Yahweh our Elohim. That total obedience was demonstrated by Yeshua HaMashiach for us to follow, as His disciples. The grain offering is to acknowledge that Yahweh our Elohim is the source of our total supply. The drink offering is about joy in the presence of Yahweh our Elohim. For the joy of Yahweh is our strength. And the sin offering is to cleanse us from all defilement or uncleanness. This korban is not for sin per se or for any specific transgression of the law. That requires a different type of korban. In the book of Revelation, chapter 21:27, it says that the unclean cannot enter into the set apart city. That's a very brief explanation of the korbanot at Rosh Chodesh.
If you've never celebrated Rosh Chodesh before, it is never too late to start. That's why those instructions were written in the Scripture to help us to celebrate Rosh Chodesh. When we follow the Hebrew calendar, we will know when will be Rosh Chodesh, the weekly Shabbat and the seven Moedim or Appointed Times of Yahweh.
So sundown today, will be Rosh Chodesh Av. It is the first day of the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar. And the fifth month of Av has 30 days.
There are no Moedim or appointed times in Av, except for the weekly Shabbat. How ever, it is written in Zechariah 8:19 as follows, "Thus says Yahweh of hosts," The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth" ". So what is the fast of the fifth? Well, it is not explained. Here is where the oral Torah or tradition becomes helpful. The Hebrew people traditionally fast on Av 9th. For on the 9th of the fifth month of Av, was when the first temple was destroyed. That was Av 9th, 587 BCE. And on Av 9, 70AD, the second temple was destroyed. And on Av 9, 135 AD, was the final defeat of the Jews by the Romans. So the fast of the fifth will be on Av 9th.
The tribe for the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar is Simeon. And the tribe for the first month was Judah and not Reuben, as Reuben forfeited the right of the firstborn when he defiled his father's bed.
The gemstone for the fifth month is emerald. And the colour for the fifth month is green, the colour of the emerald. And the gemstones representing the twelve tribes of Israel were placed on the breastplate of the High Priest's garment.
The constellation for the fifth month of Av is Leo, the lion. And there are 12 major constellations in the sky above, one for each month of the year. For God created all the stars and numbered them and called them by their names. And Genesis 1:14 tells us that the stars, the sun and the moon are for signs and appointed times and for days and months.
In Isaiah 66:22-23 it is written that in the new heaven and the new earth, we will still observe the Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh. And in Colossians 2:16-17, we were told not to allow anyone to judge us regarding what to eat, the Shabbat and the Rosh Chodesh. For these things,what can be eaten, the Shabbat on the 7th day and Rosh Chodesh on the first day of the month, were expressly written in the Scripture for our instructions.
Rosh Chodesh Sameach.
Chodesh Tov.
Happy New Month of Av.
