Each year, we receive questions from people about why Nazarene Israel keeps the Torah (the Firstfruits) Calendar, why we do not follow the Jewish, Karaite, and Messianic calendars, and why Nazarene Israel keeps Yahweh’s feasts at different times from these other calendar groups. Those are good questions.
People generally understand that to keep His appointed times, we must know when His appointed times take place. And that means knowing which calendar is the true Biblical calendar (Yahweh’s calendar).
The goal of this page is to help those coming to Nazarene Israel understand why we keep the Torah (Firstfruits) Calendar. And why we believe other calendars have critical, scriptural errors that should not be ignored.
Why the Torah (Firstfruits) Calendar
Scripture-test
Many calendars exist today. Some of the most well-known calendars are the Jewish, Karaite, and Messianic calendars. What we find is that all these calendars differ in what they teach and that every calendar cannot be Yahweh’s true calendar. And this often leads to a lot of confusion as to which calendar Yahweh’s people should follow.
How do Yahweh’s people know which calendar to keep when there are so many calendars? And when many calendar groups claim that theirs is the ‘true biblical calendar’, or a similar claim? How can Yahweh’s people know when to keep His feasts at His appointed times, rather than at some other random time?
To keep Yahweh’s appointed days that means that we need to know when His appointed times are, according to His word. So, the first question we need to ask is whether a calendar matches Yahweh’s Torah, without adding or taking away from His word. Without adding any man-made traditions, and without taking away any of Yahweh’s commandments.
Devarim (Deuternony) 4:2
2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your Elohim which I command you.
Whether we are from the house of Judah or the house of Joseph, this is the very first thing to check. And as we will see, this one factor eliminates all calendars except one, the Torah (Firstfruits) Calendar.
Pro-Yeshua or anti-Yeshua
The second thing that every Renewed Covenant believer should ask is whether the calendar is pro-Yeshua or anti-Yeshua. Both Yeshua and the apostle Paul warn Renewed Covenant believers to beware of the doctrine that comes from groups outside of Yeshua’s body. We will see that the calendars from these groups have biblical errors to them. And that, the Torah (Firstfruits) Calendar is the only calendar NI has found that does not add or take away from Yahweh’s word, and also witnesses Yeshua as the Mashiach.
We will see that the Torah (Firstfruits) Calendar is the only calendar where each of Yahweh’s appointed days aligns perfectly with the Tanahk (OT), the Brit Chadasha (NT), biblical prophecy, and with symbolism of the Mashiach, Yeshua found in the feasts and in the Firstfruits.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 16:6
6 Then Yeshua said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees [rabbis] and the Sadducees [Karaites].”Qolossim (Colossians) 2:16-17 KJV (CORRECTED VERSION)
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come;
but [except] the body of [Messiah].
Declaring Rosh HaShanah at the correct time
One problem we find with the Jewish, Karaite, and Messianic calendars is that each of these calendars begin the Hebrew year (Rosh HaShanah) at an incorrect time. And when Rosh HaShanah is declared at the incorrect time, that also causes every one of Yahweh’s appointed days to be observed at the incorrect time.
And this is a huge problem, because Yahweh’s commandment is to keep His feasts at His appointed times. And if we keep His feasts at any other time, it is no longer His feast at His appointed time. This means that we do not show up at the times that He wants us to, and we miss our special dates with the creator of the universe! And that is why Yahweh Elohim tells us when to start His new year based on the firstfruits of aviv barley and the new moon sighting in the land of Israel. We explain about the errors that these calendars make in the studies listed at the bottom of this page.
New Moon
We know that, according to Scripture, a Hebrew month begins at the sighting of the first sliver of the new moon, as seen from the land of Israel. For one example, Bemidbar (Numbers) 28:11 is a commandment for Yahweh’s people to present a burnt offering to Yahweh at the beginning of each Hebrew month. In Hebrew ‘ the beginnings of your months‘ is the time of the new moon (or the first sliver cresent of the new moon, as seen by the natural eyes, without technology).
Num 28:11 ‘At the beginnings [rosh] of your months [chodesh] you shall present a burnt offering to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish;
H2320
חֹדֶשׁ
chôdesh
kho’-desh
From H2318; the new moon; by implication a month: – month (-ly), new moon.
[Strong’s Hebrew Concordence]
Aviv barley
Then, to determine which month is the first month of the year, we must look at the barley. In Exodus 9:31-32, we see that Yahweh struck Egypt with a plague of hail while the barley was in the head (which is a more advanced condition). In Hebrew, the term for “in the head” is aviv (אָבִיב). The term aviv (אָבִיב) is Strong’s Concordance OT:24, and it refers to tender, green, young grain. Not long after the barley was aviv, Yahweh told Moshe and Aharon that this was to be the first month of their year.
What this tells us is that when the barley grains are aviv (tender, green, and young), that month is the first month of the year. (Many calendar groups misdefine the term aviv, which causes them to declare Rosh HaShanah late every year.)
Shemote (Exodus) 9:31-32
31 Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head [אָבִיב, aviv] and the flax was in bud.
32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.
OT:24 ‘abiyb (aw-beeb’); from an unused root (meaning to be tender); green, i.e. a young ear of grain; hence, the name of the month Abib or Nisan:
Shemote (Exodus) 12:2
2 “This month is the head of months for you; it is the first month of the year to you.”
Jerusalem: the place Yahweh put His name
Lastly, we know that we must base the timing of the new moon sightings and the barley on witness from the land of Israel. And the reason for this is because Jerusalem is the place that Yahweh calls by His name. Many people will share eye-witnesses of the new moon sliver from other areas around the world. To declare Rosh HaShanah at Yahweh’s chosen time, we must use the eye-witness from His chosen place.
Melachim Aleph (1 Kings) 11:32
32 (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),Zekaryah (Zechariah) 1:17
17 “Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; Yahweh will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”
Calendar errors
Not presenting the Firstfruits unto Yahweh
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 23:10-11, 14
10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you all (plural) come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you all (plural) shall bring a sheaf (singular) of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.
11 He shall wave the sheaf (singular) before Yahweh, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it (singular)….
14 You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”
According to Scripture, the timing of Rosh HaShanah is based on the first full sheaf of barley to come ripe in the land of Israel. That is because 15-21 days after we declare Rosh HaShanah, we must cut the very first sheaf of barley firstfruits, and present it to Yahweh on what is called Yom HaNafat HaOmer (the Day of the Wave Sheaf Offering).
The term firstfruits (בִּכּוּרִים) is Strong’s Old Testament OT:1061, meaning the very first of the fruits. It could not be simpler, but many calendar groups often miss (or ignore) this most basic of requirements. When we look up the root word at OT:1069, we see that it refers to the fruit that is truly first (as if “bursting the womb.”)
If a calendar group is presenting anything other than an omer of the very first barley to become ripe, they are forsaking Yahweh’s firstfirst offerings. And that calendar should not be followed. That calendar is based upon a false firstfruit.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 2:14-15
14 “Also when you bring an offering of firstfruits [בִּכּוּרִים] to Yahweh, you shall bring green heads of grain [אָבִיב קָלוּי] parched in the fire, [and/or] crushed carmel [גֶּרֶשׂ כַּרְמֶל] shall you offer for your firstfruits offering.
15 And you shall put oil on it, and lay frankincense on it. It is a grain offering.”OT:1061 bikkuwr (bik-koor’); from OT:1069; the first-fruits of the crop:
KJV – first fruit (-ripe [figuratively]), hasty fruit.OT:1069 bakar (baw-kar’); a primitive root; properly, to burst the womb, i.e. (causatively) bear or make early fruit (of woman or tree); also (as denominative from OT:1061) to give the birthright:
KJV – make firstborn, be firstling, bring forth first child (new fruit).
Misdefining aviv barley
Further, the omer of barley needs to be in one of two special states, called aviv and carmel. This is critical, because barley ripens very rapidly, and once it is ripe it does not stay in the head very long (but falls to the ground). If we make a mistake and declare Rosh HaShanah too early, the barley will not yet have reached the aviv or carmel states. Sadly, many barley groups are guilty of misdefining the term aviv, which causes them to offer up a much harder, drier, browner barley rather than aviv barley.
Sadly, many follow these groups without knowing the difference. (We would like you to know the difference. And we explain the aviv and carmel stages in more detail in the studies listed at the bottom of this page. However, a simple glance at the Strong’s definition of aviv reveals that many calendars are based on a false aviv.)
OT:24 ‘abiyb (aw-beeb’); from an unused root (meaning to be tender); green, i.e. a young ear of grain; hence, the name of the month Abib or Nisan:
If a calendar group claims to be presenting an omer of aviv barley for Yom HaNafat HaOmer (the Day of the Wave Sheaf Offering), and the barley is old, brown, and brittle (rather that young, tender, and green), that calendar is not Yahweh’s calendar. That calendar is based upon a false aviv.
More calendar errors
Another reason that these other groups’ calendars are wrong is because some people want to determine the Head of the Year (Rosh HaShannah) based on other factors (besides the aviv barley). Some say the barley cannot be aviv until the Spring Equinox (or Equilux) has passed, even though neither the word equinox nor the concept of equinox exists in Scripture.
Others say we need to have “harvestable fields” of barley before we can declare the new year, even though it means we will not offer the true firstfruits of barley. These kinds of errors occur when we add things to Yahweh’s word, or use one verse to explain away another.
If a calendar stipulates any type of criteria for declaring Rosh HaShanah or Yom HaNafat HaOmer that is not given in Scripture, Yahweh’s people should not follow that calendar. That calendar is based upon man-made criteria rather than on Yahweh’s commandments alone.
Why the Firstfruits matter!
We looked at the Torah to determine how to begin Rosh HaShanah according to Yahweh’s timing. And we have seen that He wants the firstfruits of aviv barley offered to Him. And we have seen the true definition of aviv barley firstfruits.
We also saw that many calendar groups misdefine what aviv barley firstfruits are, even allowing them to shatter and fall to the ground, giving a much later, older, browner type of barley for the omer. In other words, these particular calendar groups let Yahweh’s firstfruits go to nought.
Now, we need to understand why the firstfruits matter, and why the firstfruits matter a lot! And why it is so very critical for Yeshua’s body to NOT follow these types of groups and their calendars.
Yeshua our Firstfruits
The important thing to realize is that Yahweh does things a specific way for a specific reason. He has specific meaning in each of His feasts. And as we saw in Qorintim (Corinthians) 2:16-17, there is prophetic foreshadowing in each of Yahweh’s appointed times. This should tell us that observing His feasts the right way, and at the right time, is very important. And that one small change can make a big difference when it comes to understanding the prophecies Yahweh gives to His people.
Qolossim (Colossians) 2:16-17 KJV (CORRECTED VERSION)
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come;
but [except] the body of [Messiah].
When we understand that everything in the Tanach points to Yeshua, we begin to understand this important concept. For example, we see that Yeshua was offered as the first of the firstfruits among those who will be resurrected from the dead.
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 15:20-23
20 But now Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah all shall be made alive.
23 But each one in his own order: Messiah the firstfruits, afterward those who are Messiah’s at His coming.
The basic pattern here is that first we present the first of our firstfruits to Elohim in the omer offering, and then we can harvest our crops. The Jewish historian Josephus tells us that this was also the way it was done in the first century. So, the true pattern is that we first bring Yahweh the omer of firstfruits so He can bless the harvest and set it apart. Then we can bring in the harvest. And we know that this is the pattern because, first Yeshua was risen from the dead, and then afterward came Yeshua’s resurrection, and then others can be resurrected from the dead. That is the true pattern.
…they offer the first-fruits of their barley, and that in the manner following: They take a handful of the ears, and dry them, then beat them small, and purge the barley from the bran; they then bring one tenth deal to the altar, to God [sic]; and, casting one handful of it upon the fire, they leave the rest for the use of the priest. And after this it is that they may publicly or privately reap their harvest.
[Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, Book 3, Chapter 10, Verse 5.]
The anti-Yeshua pattern
What is the false pattern? The Orthodox and the Karaites have what might be called an anti-Yeshua pattern. Sadly, many Messianic mistakenly follow this pattern. (This is precisely why Yeshua and the Apostle Shaul both warned Yahweh’s people to take heed of the doctrines of the Pharisees (Orthodox/rabbis), the Karaites (Sadducees), and of anyone outside the body of Yeshua. (These were very specific warnings, given for a very specific reason.)
Mattityahu (Matthew) 16:6
6 Then Yeshua said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees [rabbis] and the Sadducees [Karaites].”Qolossim (Colossians) 2:16-17 KJV (CORRECTED VERSION)
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come;
but [except] the body of [Messiah].
The anti-Messiah pattern is that you first bring in the harvest and then you bring a sheaf from that harvest. We are going to see that is symbolic of the anti-Messiah. Because first brother Judah came back to the land of Israel in 1948, symbolic of the harvest. Now Judah is waiting for his anti-Messiah (the sheaf from the harvest). Because the wave sheaf is symbolic of Messiah. So, is it symbolic of Yeshua because we are bringing the wave sheaf first? Or is it symbolic of the anti-Messiah because we are bringing in the harvest first?
Whether you are Messianic, Ephraimite, if you are a Hebrew Roots believer, or if you believe in the two-houses, or maybe you even think of yourself as a Nazarene, listen. First, we bring the offering, then we receive His blessing, then we bring in the harvest. That is the way we do it.
Choosing Yahweh’s Torah/Firstfruits calendar
Yahweh, the creator of the universe, gives us very specific instructions in His Torah so that we know when to keep His appointed times. And when we keep His commandments exactly as He says, we do what He wants, when He wants. And everything lines up perfectly, and we are found pleasing to Him! But if we change one small detail of His commandments, or add or take away from His Torah, this changes Yahweh’s calendar into our own calendar that matches our own agendas instead. And this is precisely why there are so many calendars today causing so much confusion, and why Nazarene Israel keeps the Torah (Firstfruits) Calendar.
As the ancient saying goes, “Whoever’s calendar you keep, that is who you worship.”
There are many different calendars that exist today. Some claim to be the true biblical calendar, or Yahweh’s calendar, or something similar. And some even appear very convincing by quoting select verses from Scripture. But when we look closely, we see that each of these calendars have critical erros to them which contradict Scripture. And therefore, these calendars do not pass the ‘Scripture-test’. The Jewish, Karaite, and Messianic calendars are all included in this category. The Torah Calendar (the Firstfruits Calendar) is the only calendar that we see matches Scripture on every level, without adding or taking away from Yahweh’s word.
Yochanan Aleph (1 John) 4:1
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of Elohim; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
For those who are Messianic, Ephraimite, Hebrew Roots, or any Renewed Covenant believer, it is important for us to follow Yahweh’s calendar. We need to be as wise as serpents, and we need to test the spirits. And we need to do things the way they were done in the first century, as Yeshua taught His disciples. Not the way the rabbis do them today. Not the way the Karaite say to do them today. We need to take care to do things the way they were done in the first century.
We have several studies that explain the errors of the other calendars in greater detail, and why the Torah (Firstfruits) Calendar is the only calendar we see that aligns with Yahweh’s Torah. We hope these studies will help you and your family when choosing which calendar to keep.
