(c) 2000 Dr Hendel; 1st appeared in Torah Forum (c) Project Genesis
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Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 23:38:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: Russell Hendel <  rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu>
Subject: Re: New Year in the Seventh Month

Chana Rossman asks in Volume 4 Number 93
<  <  This has puzzled me for a while:  if Rosh Hashanah is celebrated in the
seventh month, why it is considered the "New Year"?  Based on the
counting scheme, it would seem about half way through the year.>  >

In fact this is answered by the first Mishnah in Rosh Hashanah. There is no
ONE Hebrew New Year. There aren't even TWO. There are in fact 4!!!

Rather than explain the Mishnah let me first give analogies from American
culture which everyone can understand. In America we also have at least TWO
new years. I will then explain the Gmarra with scriptural references.

For Tax Returns the YEAR is defined as Jan 1 to Dec 31 (All money in that
period is taxed; money outside it is not taxed). But to a college professor
the SCHOOL YEAR is defined as Sept 1 to Aug 31. In fact as an employee of
the United States Government I have a government fiscal year (and budget)
which goes from Oct 1st to Sept 31.

We can now understand the Gmarrah and Mishnah of Rosh Hashanah.

For purposes of contracts referring to Kings reigns (eg 'this house is sold
as of the 1st day in the 2nd year of King so and so'), the year starts in
Nissan. Similarly the New Year for festivals starts in Nissan. The best
example of this is Lev 23 which enumerates the holidays by MONTHS.

By contrast the New Year for return of land to owners in the 50th Jubilee
year is reckoned from Tishray as can be clearly seen in Lev 25.

Finally the popular association of THE NEW YEAR with TISHRAY is because we
are judged by G-d in TISHRAY.

This tension between NISSAN and TISHRAY permeates Jewish literature (eg in
the parshah of Noach we can find Rashi mentioning several times that some
Rabbis believe that the world was created in Nissan while some believe it
was created in Tishray--this has rich symbolic connotations (Did G-d create
the world while it was on the verge of decay (Tishray)or did He create it
in the midst of bloom (Nissan)).

Russell Hendel; Phd ASA; RJHendel@Juno.Com
Moderator Rashi Is Simple; http://www.shamash.org/rashi/