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This month shall be the beginning of months for you;
it is to be the first month of the year to you. (Exodus 12:2)

Dear Friends,

As we recuperate from the intensive Barley Inspection we carried out earlier this week, we have been enjoyed going through your messages and want to thank you for all the prayers and support you have shown our team.

We are glad to see how much you appreciated our thorough inspection and noticed that you would like a little more guidance in deciding when to begin the New Year. We have therefore prepared the following FAQ, which we hope will assist you in your study, and deciding whether this is Chodesh HaAviv (Month of the Aviv).

What is Chodesh HaAviv?

Chodesh HaAviv (Month of the Aviv) is a descriptive name for the first month of the year (Ex 13:3-4, Ex 23:15, Ex 34:18, Dt 16:1), It’s when the barley fields are Aviv and ready to be harvested (Ex 9:31, Lev 23:10, Lev 23:14, Joshua 5:10-12).

Why is it important to start the year in Chodesh HaAviv?

Chodesh HaAviv needs to always be the first month of the year (Ex 13:3-4, Ex 23:15, Ex 34:18, Dt 16:1), this ensures that we celebrate Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread) at the time of year we were taken out of Egypt (Ex 9:31, Ex 12:1-2, Ex 12:17, Ex 13:1-10, Ex 23:15, Ex 34:18, Dt 16:1). This genius system keeps the calendar/feasts in sync with the agricultural (solar) cycle.

Where does the barley grow in Israel?

Israel is a very small country with lots of different climates, and you can find volunteer barley pretty much all over. Barley, which doesn’t like a lot of water, is grown commercially in the Negev and Beit Shean regions, which are particularly arid and so the barley ripens quickly. We also know they grew barley in the Jordan Valley (Joshua 5:10-12) and it’s all over Jerusalem, which is one of the last places the barley ripens due to its high altitude.

Is Chodesh HaAviv when the first fields are Aviv or when the last fields are Aviv?

Lev 23:9-14, Ex 23:14-19, and Dt 16:16-17 seem to indicate that we are supposed to have harvestable fields throughout the Land of Israel (Lev 23:14), so that at everyone can bring the omer of their harvest on Yom HaNafat HaOmer (The Day of the Wave Sheaf Offering).

Can we harvest before Yom HaNafat HaOmer?

Understanding Dt 16:9 in its context (Dt 16:9-12) it seems clear that the verse is talking about Chag HaShavuot (Feast of Weeks), being seven weeks from when the grain harvest begins, i.e. from when we harvested the barley, which is the first of the winter crops to ripen, and not implying that there is prohibition again harvesting before Yom HaNafat HaOmer. In fact, we clearly need to harvest before Yom HaNafat HaOmer:

1. We need to harvest before Yom HaNafat HaOmer, in order to bring the reshit (firstfruits) of our harvest for the Wave Offering (Lev 23:10).

2. We are prohibited from eating from the harvest before Yom HaNafat HaOmer (Lev 10:14), which implies the harvest has already begun.

3. The descriptive name for the first month, Chodesh HaAviv (Month of the Aviv), suggests that this is the month when the fields are Aviv, i.e. ready to be harvested (Ex 31:9, Lev 23:10, Lev 23:14, Joshua 5:10-12), and the fields need to be harvested when they become ripe (Mark 4:29) or they will shatter, meaning the heads become so dry and brittle they fall to the ground.

4. It’s common that we don’t find any Aviv Barley at what would have theoretically been Yom HaNafat HaOmer the previous month, but then we have shattered heads, by Yom HaNafat HaOmer the following month, so obviously we are expected to harvest before Yom HaNafat HaOmer.

When do the fields need to be Aviv by?

Some think the fields need to be Aviv by the beginning of the month, as it is called CHODESH HaAviv (MONTH of the Aviv), while others say the fields need to be Aviv by the 10th of the first month, when the men would choose a lamb (Ex 12:3), take the omer of their harvest (Lev 23:10), and start heading up to the Temple to bring the Passover sacrifice.

Are barley fields harvested all at once?

Barley fields are harvested by going from one end to the other, although this can take time if it’s a large field (they are not harvested in patches). The development of a cultivated barley field is much more uniform, then some of the volunteer fields we find.

Are there lambs and kids at this time?

On our inspection we saw lots of lambs and kids, including one kid which was born that morning. In fact, the shepherd was carrying the baby goat around, as he could barely stand up while the heard grazed, and the mother goat was trailing close behind with the afterbirth half our of her.

What is the weather like there now?

We have had a lot of heavy rain lately throughout the country. Here is the accumulated rainfall from the past 6 days (Friday March 17, 2023-Wednesday March 22, 2023), as well as the temperature today (March 23, 2023):

Northwestern Negev - 140mm (11-23 Celsius)

Beit Shean Region - 11mm (13-25 Celsius)

Jerusalem - 50mm (12-19 Celsius)

* Remember, farmers can’t harvest if it’s still raining, as it requires leaving the sheaves out to dry, as well as threshing and winnowing outside. If it rains after the barley is harvested, it will become moldy.

Is there a video of your recent inspection?

You are invited to watch an overview of the Barley Inspection we carried out on March 16 & 19, 2023 (description of the fields and video timestamps can be found in the description box below the video).

What if I don’t think this is upcoming month is Chodesh HaAviv?

If for whatever reason you don’t think this upcoming month is Chodesh HaAviv, you simply “intercalate the year”, which is just a fancy way of saying you add a 13th month. This ensures that the year begins in Chodesh HaAviv (see “Why is it important to start the year in Chodesh HaAviv” above).

We hope this FAQ has been helpful to you in deciding when to begin the year. If you would like us to inspect any fields again just before Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread), let us know, and we’ll see whether we can accommodate that. In the meantime, we are planning on looking for the New Moon again this evening (March 23, 2023), so be sure to subscribe to our e-mail list and social media platforms, so you don’t miss that report. ➩ linktr.ee/devorahsdatetree

If you have a question regarding the Biblical Calendar, feel free tosend it to usand we’ll do our best to try and answer it in a future newsletter. All of our answers are based on relevant Biblical verses, what we’ve seen in the Land over the past few decades, and much study and prayer.

If you have been enjoying our New Moon Reports, Barley Inspection Reports, and the studies we provide on the Biblical Calendar, please partner with us to restore the Biblical Calendar. We could really use your support to carry out this important work. Contributions can be made viaPayPal,Patreon, or by sending aCheckto Devorah’s Date Tree, POB 4263, Jerusalem 9104201, ISRAEL.

Together we can restore the Biblical Calendar!

Devorah Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel

Copyright © 2023 Devorah Gordon, All rights reserved.

DEVORAH’S DATE TREE

Devorah's Date Tree organizes New Moon Observations and Barley Inspections in the Land of Israel. This important effort is headed by Devorah Gordon, who has been living in Israel, and looking for the crescent New Moon and participating in Barley Inspections, for over 25 years. Today our reports reach countless people around the world and are considered the most reliable and respected New Moon and Barley Inspection reports from the Holy Land. If reliable first-hand New Moon and Barley Inspection reports from Israel are of value to you, please support our efforts to restore the Biblical Calendar. Contributions can be made via  PayPal,Patreon,or by sending acheckto Devorah’s Date Tree, POB 7816, Jerusalem 9107801, ISRAEL.

Together we can restore the Biblical Calendar!

Support Devorah’s Date Tree