25.03.2012 02.Nissan. 5772
Judentum:
We read the very first commandment given to the Israelites, the command to establish a moon-based calendar.
This Shabbat being the Shabbat before Nisan, the first month of the Jewish year, in which the festival of Passover falls, is called Shabbat Hahodesh, or the Sabbath of the Month. In addition to the regular Torah portion, we read the very first commandment given to the Israelites, the command to establish a calendar based on the moon. So why was this the first commandment given to the Jewish people?
Many mishnayot (the major texts of the Oral Law) describe in exquisite detail how witnesses would rush to Jerusalem to testify before the Sanhedrin that they had seen the new moon so that the judges could declare the new month. These witnesses were even allowed to desecrate the Sabbath by traveling in order to testify….