The Diasporan Holy Day
Preface
May this article have an absolutely positive effect upon the majority of its readers. May it engender
compassion toward its author. For the parents wishing to raise their children by standards universal
throughout the People Israel, with G-d's help, I write.
With G-d's help
Introduction
There are numerous topics which, for reasons beyond me, breed controversy in the Rabbi Matthews
ZS"L Ęthiopian Hebrew community. Issues decided in ages past by vested authorities in the nation of Judea or the
scattered in Babylon, from whom most members of the Ęthiopian Hebrew (a.k.a. the Israelite community) claim descent. The
issue at hand is the second day diaspora.
It's beyond the scope of this article to present the diverse opinions held in the community as to the
origin of the second day diaspora. Let it be said the gist of said opinions make it a breach of the
written Torah where it states not to add or subtract from the word. Let it be remembered this same
written Torah declares deviation from the decision of vested authority a capital sin. The Hebrew
word for sin is hhet`. The literal definition of hhet` is "missing the mark". This literal definition
includes the English meaning of sin yet also means far more than that. Yes, if duly convicted of this
sin the death penalty ensues to "remove the evil from your midst". Zealots take note, today, only Hashem may execute a death penalty.
The West Afrikan Diasporan Community organized by Chief Rabbi W. A. Matthew ZS"L in the
United States and the Caribbean
The Commandment Keepers Ęthiopian Hebrew Congregation, when under the rabbinate of
R'
Chaim White Z"L and R' Betzalel ben Israel SHLIT"A, observed the second day diaspora. I
remember those days fondly as they were days of joy. Attendance was as high as on the initial holy
day. But, in time, members fleeing from the camps filtered their theological baggage into
Commandment Keepers and by under current discouraged second day attendence. Few New York
congregations can claim to be independant of Commandment Keepers. Most all New York congregations
regardless of their theosophy are offshoots of Rabbi Wentworth Arthur Matthew's mission to restore what
was forcefully taken away from the Hebrew Afrikan slaves of the Americas.
Rabbi Matthew was the defacto Chief Rabbi of the Israelite community in the western
hemisphere hailing from West Afrika. He, with G-d's help, was able to make a viable independant
community that continues to withstand the tests of man, time and the satan. There are other
communities, some even older like Tabernacle Beth El, but none who embraced the siddur and Sefer
Torah and enjoyed the world wide renown of Rabbi Matthew. This, among other factors such as its
rabbinical college and its 1919 inception and 1929 successorship to Rabbi Arnold Josiah Ford's Beth B'nai
Abraham congregation, makes it the "mother congregation" of West African Jews in the western
hemisphere. Rabbi Ford registered the community in Ethiopia in 1931. Haile Sellasie's signature appears
on the certificate because he, though an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, assumed titular
leadership of all religions in Ethiopia whether Animist, Muslim or whatever. The B'nai B'rith Magazine
when covering a b*riyth miylah of the community in 1927 noted their use of the orthodox prayerbook and that
Hazan Samuel Taitz served as mohel.
I am not from the New York
community neither was I brought up under Rabbi Matthews' teaching. Rabbi Matthews' writings are
not available to the general public and so most of his teaching is antecdotal and cannot be put under
systematic inspection. This lead to various customs in what should be an united community.
One of Rabbi Matthews greatests accomplishments was the establisment of what is today the Israelite
Rabbinical Academy of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis. All member rabbis have been
trained under the auspucies of Rabbi Matthews' teaching and are duly ordained rabbis registered in
the City of New York with the same legal recognition as any rabbi from any other Jewry. However,
some of these rabbis, after receiving s'mihha, refuse to accept the title rabbi or use the siddur or
conform to any recognizable patterns of our ancestors.
Cheif Rabbi Levi ben Levy ShLIT"A
Today, the Chief Rabbi of the community is R' Levi Ben Levy SHLIT"A whose signature appears on
all rabbinical academy graduates writ of s'mihha. In the Autumn 1995 issue of the Hakol newsletter,
in his article
A Brief History of Biblical and Talmudic Traditions of the High Holydays, he writes
and
I quote:
It appears that in ancient times Jews figured their calendar by visual observation. Later, astronomical
calculation was used to determine the calendar, but the Jews were not certain of its exactness and still had
recourse to witnesses. The authority that heard this testimony and ruled on the beginning of the month,
the
intercalation of the calendar, and the dates of the festivals was called the Sanhedrin.
When they accepted the report of the witnesses, the New Moon was announced through the lighting of fire
on
the hilltops and by sending messengers to carry the announcement that the date had been proclaimed.
However
as Jews began to live further away from Jerusalem this method of announcement became impracticable. It
was
therefore decreed that outside of Israel, in the lands of the diaspora, festivals were to be observed for two
days
instead of one. This added second day was called "the second holiday of the Diaspora". An exception was
made
in the case of Yom Kippur which, because of the hardship of fasting, could not be prolonged. Rosh
Hashannah
was also an exception in that it was observed for two days even in Israel, for Rosh Hashannah was also the
New Moon, the first day of Tishri. Even in Israel it could not always be ascertained on the preceding day
whether the particular day was the first day of Tishri or the last day of Elul.
In later times the astronomical calculation of the caledar became so precise that the practice of hearing
witnesses was discarded. The Jewish calendar was established in every detail. Despite this, the observance
of
the second day of the festivals is still retained in the Diaspora, for people are conservative when it comes
to
religious affairs and they are not willing to change long established customs. Thus, it is a matter of
traditon and
not law.
To this day. Orthodox and Conservative Jews in all lands, outside of Israel, observe Pesach for eight days,
Shavout for two days, and Sukkot for nine days. In Israel only seven days of Pesach are observed (the first
and
seventh days as holydays, the intervening five days as semifestivals) [Shavout is celebrated only one day,
and
Sukkot for eight days (the first day a full festival, five days as semi-festival], Hoshanna Rabba and finally
Sh'mini Atzeret, which is observed also as Simchat Torah[)]. Reform Judaism and some Israelite
congregations
recognize the present stability of the Jewish calendar and have discarded the "second holiday of the
Diaspora."
Chief Rabbi Levy makes no ruling on the second day diaspora. He notes the universal practice of
second day diaspora for the last 2,000 years and classes the Israelites who ignore it with the Reform.
It is needless here to list the many customs and even laws that the Reform ignore and of course no
Israelite congregation has abolished any direct laws of the Torah as have the Reform. Abandonment is
one thing but disparaging the People Israel who embrace second day diaspora is quite another. We
are breaking no law by observing Sanhedrin rulings and universally accepted custom.
About the Hebrew calendar calculation
The calendar is a quite serious part of the Israelite way of life. Many of us use the Aera Mundi
calendar in which the year 5757 began three months before 1997. The Aera Mundi calendar dates
back to the 12th century CE. Others of us use the Exodus calendar where 3309 begins 3 months after
1997. Many prefer an alternative Exodus date of 3234. The date of the current year is not as
important as the fixing of holy days. Whoever establishes the dates of the holy days is the supreme
temporal authority in Israel. Why? Because no nation can have different dates for one and the same
holy day. If they did there would be anarchy in government and business since a percentage of
officials and workers would be absent on a day they should be on the job. Remember, in Judea there
was no seperation of "church and state" like in today's western world. The fixing of Yom Teruah
(Rosh Hashannah) and the first of Abib (Nissan) has caused trouble in the past.
Human-centricity
Hashem mandated each equinoctial hajj (pilgrim festival) of the holy days to occur on the full moon of certain
months. At the same time the holy days must happen within certain seasons. The Hebrew months are
reckoned by appearance of the new moon. This is not the modern astronomical scientific new moon.
The scientific new moon has nothing to do with human beings and is strictly a cosmic event. To the
ancient Hebrews this scientific new moon would've been called the No Moon. Israelites take note, on
the scientific new moon there is no moon visible in the sky! No Hebrew dates are determined by
Japhet's new moon. Unfortunately some Hebrew Israelites are determining their holy days by Japhet's
no moon.
Scriptural hints
Months are lunar. A year is composed of lunar months. Months are counted starting with Abib.
This is the burnt offering of every new moon throughout the months of the year
(Nu 28:14).
This month shall be unto you the beginning of months
(EX 12:2).
Years are solar. A year is composed of seasonal months.
Heed the month of the ripening ears
(DE 16:1)
A year has 12 months. Some years have a month added to them. We should count the year by
months and not by days.
... throughout the months of the year
(NU 28:14)
What is a month?
There are 29 days and 12 and a half hours in a month. So, a month has either 29 or 30 days. A lunar month can
never last longer than 30 days. The moon disappears for roughly two days each month. That's one
day before and one day after it appears in the same degree as the sun. When two heavenly bodies are
in the same degree of the zodiac they're said to be in conjunction. When the moon reappears at night
it'll be a crescent in the western sky. This is the beginning of the month. We now count 29 days
starting with this day. If the new crescent shows on the night of the 30th then the day is the 1st day of
the new month. But if it doesn't show then the day is the 30th of old month
The chain of authority from Hashem to Moshe & Aharon to the People
The authority over the observation of the new crescent and proclamation of Rosh Hhodesh was not
given to everyone. Only the Supreme Court could sanctify the beginning of the month and proclaim it
to the people as New Moon Day.
And Hashem spoke unto Moshe and unto Aharon in the land of Egypt to say: "This month is to you
the head of the months, he begins for you the months of the year. You speak to the whole
congregation of Yisrael ...
(EX 12:1-3a).
Witnesses: Astral and Human
True, anyone could arrive at the court claiming to have seen the new moon. But any witnesses were
examined and tested by the Calendar Council (Sod Haibbur), a special commitee of the Sanhedrin,
with its president as chairman. The Calendar Council were astronomical adepts. They studied,
investigated and performed mathematical operations to know if it was even possible to observe a
crescent on the night of the 30th and just what it would look like in a given season. If they found it
might be visible they had to stay at the court house on watch for the arrival of witnesses. If they found
it could no way be seen and witnesses appeared anyway, the witnesses were false witnesses but
weren't penalized since they could've seen some phenomenon resembling in appearance a cloud
covered crescent.
Witnesses were questioned as to the crescent's polarity in relation to the sun, whether its latitude was
wide or narrow, how great was its altitude and which direction the tips of the horns pointed to. If the
witnesses' testimony agreed with the astronomical calculations it was accepted, otherwise it was
rejected.
Once the council sanctified the new moon, relying on the account of credible witnesses, the court sent
out its messengers. The whole community was informed as to Rosh Hhodesh and could all perform
the hajj on the same day together as one.
These are the appointed seasons of the L-rd which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations
(LE
23:37)
And thou shalt keep this ordinance in its season
(EX 13:10)
The importance of Jerusalem
It was not allowed to compute and proclaim new moon days or the extra month outside of the land of
Israel. If anyone did so his proclamation was null and void and he incurred punishment.
For out of Tsion shall go forth the law, and the word of the L-rd from Yerushalayim
(IS 2:3)
Methods of popular announcement
At first, signal fires were lighted on hill-tops to announce the court sanctified new moon for the
convenience of far off localities. But the Cutheans began to cause trouble by kindling fire signals in a
mischievous way in order to mislead the people. After that, the messenger s replaced the fires. The
messengers were only sent out for:
Conclusion
In places the messengers could reach within a day and a night, each holy day (the festivals and the
High Holy Days) or holiday (Hhanukkah and Puriym) was observed one day only as prescribed by
Torah. However, in remote localities further away than 23 hours travel time, it was customary to
observe the day for two days. Why? Because the people were in doubt as to the exact day which the
court had declared as Rosh Hhodesh. So if celebrated for two days in diaspora, one of those days has
to match the celebration home in Eress Yisrael, again uniting the people as one.
This is how Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashannah) came to be celebrated everywhere for two days after the
days of the signal fires. It would be impossible for witnesses to appear in time to declare this holy
day, the only one which occurs on the very first day of the month, and to send out messengers. The
two days are considered one long day.
Links
Select Bibliography
-
Solomon Gandz, Julian Oberman, Otto Neugebauer (contributors)
The Code of Maimonides Book 3 Treatise 8
SANCTIFICATION of the NEW MOON
New Haven: Yale Univerisity Press 1956
-
Arthur Spier
The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar
Jerusalem / New York: Feldheim Publishers 1986
-
Abraham P. Bloch
The Biblical and Historical Background of the Jewish Holy Days
New York: Ktav Publishing House 1978
-
Hayyim Schauss
The Jewish Festivals History and Observance
New York: Schocken Books 1962
-
Joel C. Dobin
The Astrological Secrets of the Hebrew Sages:
To Rule Both Day and Night
New York: Inner Traditions International 1977
-
Alfred J. Kolatch
The Jewish Book of Why
Middle Village: Jonathan David Publishers 1981
SR' Yafeu ibn Taom
© 1997 for the Israelite Rabbinical Academy. © 2003 RCAJA® All rights reserved world wide.
KEYWORDS Jewish holiday Jewish holidays Jewish Holy Days
Yom tov Yommim tovvim second day additional day extra day
Hebrew calendar Jewish calendar Rabbi Matthew Rabbi Ford
Rabbi Levy Rosh Chodesh new moon
