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Months which begin at each new moon. Enter the Gregorian calendar date to view the corresponding Hebrew Month, OR a Hebrew Month and Gregorian year.
Explains the history and science behind the restoration of the Creation Calendar.
Explains the colors, symbols and other information displayed on the calendar.
A Hebrew Day begins at sunset.
Find local sunset times for any place.
A Hebrew Month begins with the first visible crescent moon at Jerusalem.
A Hebrew Year begins with Month 1 nearest to the spring equinox.
Describes the Parashah and why it is included in the Creation Calendar.
Calendar related articles previously published on TorahCalendar.com
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Determining the Hebrew Year
The Hebrew Year begins at the moment of sunset at Jerusalem, with
the first potentially visible crescent moon nearest to the Hebrew Day of the
spring equinox. A Hebrew Year can
begin before or after the spring equinox.
The time of sunset is when a Hebrew Day begins. The first potentially visible crescent moon
at Jerusalem at sunset determines when a Hebrew Month begins. The spring equinox is involved
in determining when a Hebrew Year begins. So how does the sun, the moon
and the spring equinox determine the Hebrew Year?
The Hebrew Year begins at the moment of sunset at Jerusalem, with
the first potentially visible crescent moon nearest to the Hebrew Day of the
spring equinox. A Hebrew Year can begin before or after the
spring equinox. The Hebrew Year always contains 12 or 13 lunar months numbered
from 1 to 13. The Spiritual Year begins in Month 1 and the Civil Year begins in
Month 7.
Day 1, Month 11,
2009 C.E.
Day 1, Month 12,
2009 C.E.
Day 1, Month 1,
2010 C.E.
Spring Equinox
Day
23 
Day 23, Month 12
The Creator's Clock
The moon travels around the Earth once every lunar month.
Every solar year, the Earth goes once around the sun.
The diagram shows the position of the moon and the Earth, in relation to the
sun for any date. Equinoxes and solstices are designated by long lines dividing the
year into its four seasons.
Arrows on the gray circles show the direction of travel for the motions of
the moon and Earth. The dots mark the daily positions of the moon throughout the month.
Three months are shown, one on either side of the Hebrew month indicated.
This graphic illustrates how the Creation Calendar uses both the sun and the moon to calculate days, months and years. More specifically, it is helpful for visualizing the rule of the equinox used for intercalation. The spring equinox is represented by a red line in this diagram. The rule stipulates that if by the fifteenth day of the month, the center of the Earth is on or has already crossed the red line, then it is Month 1. If not, then it is Month 13 of the previous year. This diagram is a simplified representation of the motions of the Earth and the moon. Although depicted as circles, the orbits of the Earth and moon actually have an elliptical shape which looks more like an oval. Likewise, the speed of travel at points along these orbits varies throughout the year. For example, the Earth travels slightly faster when it is closer to the sun than when it is further away. For this diagram, the orbits are shown as circles since visually, their eliptical aspect is minimal. However, the relative positions of the Earth and moon as time progresses are rendered correctly. Therefore, in this diagram, the passage of the Earth across the equinox and solstice lines will always occur on the correct dates. The daily positions of the moon shown as dots on this diagram, appear to form a spiral pattern suggesting that the moon occasionally overlaps its path. However, this does not occur in the physical solar system. The spiral pattern results because the objects and relative distances shown in this diagram are not drawn to scale. For example, the average distance between the Earth and sun is nearly 400 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. Although this graphic is not drawn to scale, it correctly represents the orientations of the Earth and the moon with respect to time.
The Rule of the Equinox
Elohim created the sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night, to separate the
day from the night and to divide light from darkness. The results of this creative act
are seen every day and every night. The sun and the moon were created for signs which
are occasionally visible in solar and lunar eclipses. They were also created for
appointed times. This point is not understood by many who follow calendars not
concerned with the movements of the sun and moon. The sun and the moon
were also created for calculating days and for calculating years.
Genesis 1:14-19 Then Elohim said, 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens
to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for appointed times,
and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to
give light on the earth,' and it was so. And Elohim made two great lights: the greater
light
to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.
Elohim
set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over
the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And Elohim
saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
יהוה
Elohim requires that three times every year all males of Israel are to appear before Him
in Jerusalem.
Exodus 23:14-17 Three times a year you are to keep a festival to Me. You shall
keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread: You shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I
commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Aviv [Month 1], for in it you came
out from Egypt, and none shall appear before Me empty, and the Festival of Harvest
[Shavuot], the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field, and the
Festival of the Ingathering [Sukkot], which is in the end of the year when you have
gathered in the labors out of the field. Three times in the year shall all your males
appear before the Master
יהוה.
Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all your males appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He shall choose; in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, in the Feast of Weeks [Shavuot], and in the Feast of Tabernacles [Sukkot]: and they shall not appear before יהוה empty:
All three festivals need to take place within a single year. Elohim created the sun
and the moon for calculating years, and the equinoxes and
solstices are His demarcation points in the solar cycle. In calculating
a Hebrew Year, the spring equinox governs the start of a Hebrew Year according
to Exodus 12:1-2. In the
Creation Calendar the spring equinox is the demarcation point governing the solar cycle.
The first day of Unleavened Bread on Day 15 of Month 1 is the critical day for
calculating a Hebrew Year. In the Creation Calendar, the day of the spring equinox
and Day 15 of Month 1 are always as close
together as possible. The first day of Unleavened Bread on Day 15 of Month 1 always
occurs on or after the day of the spring equinox. The first day of Unleavened Bread
never occurs before the spring equinox. This ensures that all three festivals
take place within a single year as specified by
יהוה.
This rule is called the rule of the equinox, and it always places Day 15 of Month 1 as close as possible to the Hebrew Day in which the spring equinox occurs. If at the moment of sunset at the end of Month 12, on the evening of the first crescent moon at Jerusalem, there are 15 Hebrew Days or less until the spring equinox, then Month 1 is declared. If there are 16 Hebrew Days or more until the spring equinox, then Month 13 is declared. The spring equinox is defined as the time when the apparent geocentric longitude of the sun (that is, calculated by including the effects of aberration and nutation) is 0 degrees. The Creation Calendar only intercalates, or inserts an extra month, at the end of Month 12. The intercalary month is called Month 13. In the Creation Calendar, the reference point for sighting the new moon is the foundation stone on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This is one reason that the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is so intrinsically important.
A Close Call in 2011 C.E.
Sometimes, the spring equinox can occur on the first day of Unleavened Bread
on Day 15 of Month 1. An example of such a case is
Month 1 of 2011 C.E. The
Creation Calendar
shows the
spring equinox occurring on Day 15 of Month 1 (March 21 on the Gregorian calendar).
The moment the spring equinox occurs is on March 20 at
23:21 UT (Universal Time). The
Sunset Calculator
shows the sun sets at Jersualem at the end of Day 14 (March 20, 2011 C.E.) at 15:50 UT.
Since Israel is in a different time zone,
adding 2 hours to UT puts sunset at 17:50 IST (Israel Standard Time) which is
5:50 PM IST. Since the spring equinox occurs well after sunset ending
Day 14, the equinox is clearly within Hebrew Day 15.
For Day 15 of Month 1 of 2011 C.E., the Creator's Clock shows the earth centered on the red line designating the spring equinox. This diagram graphically depicts the rule of the equinox showing it is Month 1 instead of Month 13 of the previous year. The New Moon at Jerusalem at the Moment of Sunset verifies that the crescent moon can be seen at sunset on March 6, 2011 C.E. which begins Day 1 of Month 1 of the new Hebrew Year. By viewing the sunset diagram for the day before, one can easily verify that the moon would not be seen at sunset on March 5. So in the year 2011 C.E., how close is Month 1 from being Month 13 of the previous year? The Sunset Calculator shows the sun sets at Jersualem at the end of Day 15 (March 21, 2011 C.E.) at 15:51 UT (5:51 PM IST). Therefore, the spring equinox occurs a mere 16 hours and 30 minutes before the time when the rule of the equinox would have declared the month to be Month 13!
The Barley Does Not Determine the Hebrew Year
Elohim has clearly declared that the sun and the moon are to determine both days, years,
and appointed times which occur at very specific times of the lunar month. So why
do some people critically observe the developmental stage of barley at the end of
Month 12 to determine when a year begins? Although many reasons will be given
by those engaging in this practice, the ultimate truth is that they do not believe
Elohim on this issue. In the time of Noah's flood there was no barley to observe,
however precise
calendrical dates are given in Scripture. There was no barley for the 40 years the
children of Israel were in the wilderness, however precise calendrical dates are
given in Scripture. If there is a drought in the land of Israel there may be no
barley, but the Hebrew Year will still begin. Declaring festivals in the name
of the Creator in a way in which Elohim did not prescribe does not please Him.
Aaron and Jeroboam both ordained festivals for Israel which they had devised in their
own hearts and it was considered as idolatry by
יהוה.
Aaron's sin is now commemorated as a fast on Day 17 of Month 4. Jeroboam's sin is
commemorated as a fast on Day 23 of Month 3.
For an in-depth look at what happened in the land of Israel in the spring of 2008 C.E.
read the articles below.
When Does Month 1 Begin in 2008 C.E.?
Get on Track with the Appointed times in 2008 C.E.!
(With Photos! - 2MB file)
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