On Monday April 7, 2008 the new moon was sighted from several locations around Israel. The moon was sighted:

*from Eilat by Eli El-Tanani and Shai El-Tanani at 19:13

*from Ashdod by Neriah Haroeh and Nilit Masliach at 19:15

 

*from Mitzpeh Ramon by Bart Vangronsvelt and Ganneke Kunst at about 19:15

 

*from Beersheva by Simchon Firouz, Kobi El-Tanani, and Ovadiah Firouz at about 19:30

*from highway 6 by Chad and Barbara Peterson at 19:39

On the previous evening, Sunday April 6, the moon had a lagtime of 33 minutes and illumination of 0.52% which means it was not visible under any circumstances from Israel.

Shanah Tovah!
Happy New Year!

Nehemia Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel

 

See the Jewish Karaite report on the New Year’s new moon sighting at:

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karaite_korner_news/message/350

 

and at:

 

www.karaite-korner.org

 

 

1. There was a thirteenth Abib (or Aviv) leap month in Israel this year.  This month could not have been predicted ahead of time by lunar calculations.

 

2. As a result, this thirteenth month could not have been printed ahead of time on calendars. 

 

3. This is because whether there is a thirteenth month in Israel or not is dependent on whether barley in the Abib state of development can be found in Israel by the time the new moon is sighted at the end of the twelfth month of the year.  You may not know when the New Year begins until the very afternoon of the Abib sunset!

 

4. The finding of the Abib barley can only be done in Israel.

 

5. Furthermore, the sighting of the new moon must also be done in Israel.  If the illumination is too weak to see the moon in Israel, but it can be seen in other parts of the world, the new month still does not begin.  

 

6. Also, if a cloud-cover blankets Israel, the sighting of the new moon can easily be delayed another day or two, even if the sky is crystal clear throughout the rest of the world and the new moon can be easily seen.

 

7. Therefore, an acceptable sighting of the New Moon can only be done in Israel.

 

8. All this means that the true biblical New Year began Monday evening (April 7, 2008).

 

9. It also means that the true biblical date for Passover this year will begin at evening 14 days later (Leviticus 23:5).

 

10. Biblical Passover this year will begin Monday evening April 21, 2008 on the western solar calendar (Gregorian Calendar) that we use.

 

11. This means that the Feast of First Fruits will be Sunday April 27, 2008 on our western calendar (Leviticus 23).

 

12. The Sunday after First Fruits begins a fifty day countdown to the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost. 

 

13. This year, biblical Pentecost will begin at sundown June 14, 2008 and run through sundown June 15, 2008.

 

14. See:

 

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

 

 

15. These are the “appointed times” of the Feasts of the Lord based on the prophetic calendar the Lord Himself gave to Israel in Leviticus.

 

16.  The “appointed times” of the Feasts mark the appointed times of the events they prophesy.

 

 

    HAPPY BIBLICAL NEW YEAR ALL YOU DOVES!

 

 

 

  (P.S. If you notice any errors on this report let me know by posting it on Five Doves.)