[Avodah] Arbaah Rashei Shanim Heim

[Micha Berger]

First, my wishes for a "Shanah Tovah" to any Shamutim in the chevrah.
<grin>


I recently posted the following observation on scjm:

> The Jewish year begins in Tishrei, the beginning of the fall. Just as
> things are going dark. And our day begins at sunset. A second definition
> of day is used WRT sacrifices, sunrise to sunrise. And we also have a
> second definition of year used for counting months -- from spring to
> spring. Both start with the start of light. (Perhaps: usually we rest in
> order to produce, so the sleep cycle or farmer's slow season is before
> the active part of the day. In the sanctuary, we aren't looking at prep,
> only the work itself???)

> "April Fools" were originally those pagans who celebrated the New Year at
> the Spring Equinox, who the Christians felt were fair game for trickery.
> Before the slippage, the equinox was on April 1. No idea when their
> day started.

> The Chinese New Year is always within a day of either Rosh Chodesh
> Adar or Adar II. Their calendar has the same 19 year leap-month cycle,
> although they aren't in the same place in the rotation. Their New Year
> is always in the spring, and the calendar day changes at dawn.

> The Gregorian New Year is around the shortest day (was once actually on
> the shortest day) and it changes date at midnight.

> A pattern.


Someone replied:
: 2. Please, for completeness, expound on the 4 (Jewish) New Years.

To which I wrote:
> I don't have a more full theory than that. Thus the "Perhaps: ...???"

> Abe is referring to the first mishnah in Tractate Rosh haShanah:
>     There are four New Years:
>     On 1 Nisan is the New Year for Kings and for festivals.
>     On 1 Elul is the New Year for the tithe of animals. Rabbi Eliezer
>     and Rabbi Shimon say, "on 1 Tishrei."
>     On 1 Tishrei is the New Year for years, for Sabbatical years, for
>     Jubilee years, for planting, and for vegetables.
>     On 1 Shevat is the New Year for trees according to Beis Shammai. Beis
>     Hillel say on the 15th of it.

> I just commented on the more used two -- 1 Tishrei and 1 Nissan, because
> that's the only two definitions of day. 1 Tishrei is how we count years,
> both Anno Mondi and when dating contracts by non-Jewish ruler. 1 Nissan
> is how we count months and date constracts when using years of rule of
> Jewish kings. They mean something calendrical.

> The other two are also more functionally defined, which may explain why
> they're the subject of debate. 1 Elul (or 1 Tishrei) was the end of the
> birthing season, 15 Shevat (or 1 Shevat) the beginning of the emergence
> of crops. Both chosen to define when nature finished producing that year's
> material, for the sake of knowing how to assess donations.

> But really, this is just excusemaking. I simply don't have a more full
> explanation. Just our two definitions of day, the Chinese day, and
> the Gregorian day.

So, does anyone have a maqor for saying that 2 of the four Rashei Shanah
are more "real" than the other two?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The trick is learning to be passionate in one's
micha at aishdas.org        ideals, but compassionate to one's peers.
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