The Jubilee Calendar

At Qumran in 1947, there were aprocalyptic scrolls found, and among them the Books of Jubilees and 2nd Temple writings of Enoch I which discuss the calendar and dating system by which these people lived. Scholars had been attentive of the Apocryphal Calendar before this find, but interest was renewed with the discovery of these scrolls by which the Qumran sect lived. It is based on 364 days per year. The year is divided into four periods (to correspond to the four seasons of the year), of 13 weeks or 91 days in each period. There are 12 months in each year or a total of 52 weeks. By using this exact measure, the holy days fall exactly on the same day, in the same month, every year.

The Talmud does not explain this calendar exactly, but does mention the argument of the calendars between the Pharisees and the Boethusians (who I believe to be the Yeshim -- See RESEARCHER dated December, 1992.)

The Torah uses both the Sun and the Lunar calendars. The sun is to govern "their appointed days" and the moon, the season. The days are determined by the travel of the sun's annual circuit through the 6 gates of the eastern horizon. Although the Lunar cycle is not normally in sequence with the sun, we do find that the days match once every 19 years.

Ze'ev Ben-Shahar obtained his doctorate in Philosophy with his thesis on "The Calendar of the Judaean Desert Sect" wherein his confirms that the Jubilee calendar is the same as the Apocrypha Calendar.

When Does The Year 5757 Begin In The Jubilee Calendar?

This is the year 5756 in the Torah Jubilee Solar (Sun) Calendar (March 22, 1996, through March 21 1997 by our present day CE dating). It is a most unique year. First, only once every 19 years the Jewish Lunar (Moon) Calendar cycles move into agreement with the invariable and never-changing Solar Torah Jubilee Calendar. This specific year is the 19th year of that 19-year rhythmic cycle. The last time the Solar and Lunar calendars were in agreement was in 1977.

Each year that the calendars agree, the holy days occur exactly on the days of the month and the identical days of the week that are specified in the Torah. This was also the case in 1977 (5728).

New Year (Rosh HaShanah) in the Jubilee Calendar always begins at sunset on March 21. That is the day of the earth's turning point in its elliptic orbit around the sun. So, March 22, 1997 is the first day of the first month in the Torah Jubilee Year 5757. The Solar year always ends at sunset on March 21.

The traditional Jewish Lunar (Moon) Calendar used today places the first day of the seventh month as Rosh HaShanah, or the New Year. This is not to be disregarded completely, because there are four Jewish new years that represent the beginning of the four seasons. The first day of the seventh month occurs on the Autumn Equinox. The meaning of the word Equinox is midway, half way, center, or Median of the year. The first day of the seventh month is specified as the "Day of Trumpets" in Leviticus 23:24. It is half way through the year starting from March 22. It was not, however, to be considered the beginning of the year or "Rosh HaShanah" in the Torah reckoning of years, but rather the new year of the third season.

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