NEW MOON REVISITED

            The Supposed Evidence For "Concealed Moon"

            Having been confused by the use of the term New Moon in modem astronomy some people have sought Biblical support for this incorrect meaning of the term. Ps 81,3 [Psalm. 81,41 is usually cited which says:     "Blow on a horn for the Hodesh (New Moon) On the Keseh (Full Moon) for the Day of our Hag (Feast)."

                According to the "Concealed Moon Theory", the term "Keseh" is derived from the root K.S.Y. meaning "to cover" and thus means "covered moon" or "concealed moon". According to this interpretation, when the verse says to blow on a horn on the day of Keseh it actually means "[blow on a horn] on the day of Concealed Moon". However, the language does not support this argument for the second half of the verse also refers to the day of Keseh as "the day of our Feast (Hag)". In the Bible, Feast (Hag) is a technical term which always refers to the three annual pilgrimage-feasts (Matzot, Shavuot, Sukkot; see Ex 23; Ex 34)”.

                New Moon Day (Hodesh) is never classified as a "Pilgrimage-Feast" so Keseh/ Hag can not possibly be synonymous with New Moon Day (Hodesh). It has further been suggested that Keseh refers to the Biblical holiday of Yom Teruah (Day of Shouting), which always falls out on New Moon Day. However, the Bible describes Yom Teruah as a Moed (appointed time) and never as a Hag (Pilgrimage-Feast) so Keseh/ Hag can not refer to Yom Teruah either.

What Does Keseh Really Mean?

            It is likely that Keseh is related to the Aramaic word "Kista" and the Assyrian word "Kuseu" which mean "full moon" (see Brown-Driver-Briggs p.490b) [Hebrew, Aramaic, and Assyrian are all Semitic languages and often share common roots]. This fits in perfectly with the description of Keseh as the day of the Hag since two of the three Pilgrimage-Feasts (Hag HaMatzot and Hag HaSukko ) are on the 15th of the month, which is about the time of the Full Moon! Karaite Komer - New Moon and the Hebrew Month

                As stated it is understood that keseh mean to cover, but what we need to closely examine is what is being covered, the answer is the moon it self is being covered with light, the moon is a dark object classified as a satellite by modern day scientist, it has no light of it’s own it’s being covered with light and that light is illuminating from the sun and intern this light is a lessor light.

                We have been discussing the issue of when to qualify the beginning of a month, many say we should use the method used by scientist today and classify a month as new when the black disk of the moon is in a state called  conjunction (when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, at which time it is not visible), at this time the moon does not reflect  light.  Our attention should not be on the moon itself, but our attention should be on the light illuminating off of the dark disc of the moon, if this method is used we would then fall in alignment with Yah, because He states He created two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lessor light to rule the night, He never says he created the sun  (shemesh) or the moon (yaraak) for signs, seasons, and days and years.

There are words in the Hebrew language for moon and sun, and if the Holy One  wanted us to look for a physical moon or sun he would have used them.

ex:

Deuteronomy 16:1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the LORD thy  

                                   God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of

                                   Egypt by night.

                                                   úéùòå áéáàä ùãç-úà øåîù

                                                         éë êéäìà äåäéì çñô

                                                     äåäé êàéöåä áéáàä ùãçá

                                                         äìéì íéøöîî êéäìà

      It was a special condition inwhich we were to look for, a special season.  In the English it says to observe or look for the month of Abib, but the Hebrew says to guard for it which indicates the importance of the day in question, the time of Abib must be guarded for so that it doesn’t pass us by.  Just as Abib is stated here for us to pay careful attention to it, so is the use of the word

lights in Genesis 1-14.

Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

Genesis 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

Genesis 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

                                                    úøàî éäé íéäìà øîàéå $14

                                                   éá ìéãáäì íéîùä òé÷øá

                                                      åéäå äìéìä ïéáå íåéä

                                                     íéîéìå íéãòåîìå úúàì

                                                                 :íéðùå                                

:ïë-éäéå õøàä-ìò øéàäì íéîùä òé÷øá úøåàîì åéäå $15

úìùîîì ïè÷ä øåàîä-úàå íåéä úìùîîì ìãâä øåàîä-úà íéìãâä úøàîä éðù-úà íéäìà ùòéå $16                                                      

:íéáëåëä úàå äìéìä

                                  :õøàä-ìò øéàäì íéîùä òé÷øá íéäìà íúà ïúéå $17

                  :áåè-éë íéäìà àøéå êùçä ïéáå øåàä ïéá ìéãáäìå äìéìáå íåéá ìùîìå $18

Verse 16 states that Yah made the stars also, and again scientist classifies that the sun is a star.

Sun,

                Intensely hot, self-luminous body of gases which is the center of our solar system.  The sun is actually a star of about medium size, it appears larger than other stars because it is nearest to the earth.

Moon,

                The one satellite of the earth, its companion in the annual circuit of the sun.  The moon phases, or apparent changes of figure, results from the fact that it is itself a dark globe, one hemisphere of which reflects the light of the sun.(sun and moon reference[the Columbia encyclopedia] ).

                In none of the references referring to the moon do we see were the moon is referred to as a light, so when Yah states that the lights are what he wants to be used for days, seasons, and years, we are not to focus our attention on the object he uses to get the light to us, but instead we must focus our attention on the lights.  The crescent is the first stage of that light representing the beginning of our new month.

                When ever in the scriptures it states new moon it always uses the Hebrew word kodesh, which means to rebuild, to renew, repair (Strongs concordance 2320.)

                Psalm 81  "Blow on a horn for the Hodesh (New Moon)

                                   On the Keseh (Full Moon) for the Day of our Hag (Feast)."

                All of our months should begin with the first appearance of the new light, and all of our feast days should automatically fall on a full moon or when the disk of the moon reflects to us that it is completely covered with light.  With the exception that if for some reason it is impossible to sight the first day, if so then each day would be pushed back one day. The lights in the heavens travels through out the entire universe, its not until it reaches a certain object in the universe that it reflect back to us on earth, it repeats this cycle every 29 3/4 days. The first beginning stage of this reflection from the moon is the crescent new moon, and the middle stage is when the light completely covers that disk, called a full moon. 

Todah Rabah

BNAY YISRAEL

TEMPLE KEFARYM

PRINCE KEZZ ISRAEL