Join Our Sabbath Meetings

There are many people in need of fellowship and who are sitting at home on the Sabbath with no one to talk to or debate with. I want to encourage all of you to join us on Shabbat, and to invite others to come and join us as well. If the time is not convenient then you can listen to the teaching and the midrash after on our YouTube channel.

What are we doing and why do we teach this way?

We are going to discuss both sides of an issue and then let you choose. It is the work of the Ruach (Spirit) to direct and to teach you.

The medieval commentator Rashi wrote that the Hebrew word for wrestle (avek) implies that Jacob was “tied”, for the same word is used to describe knotted fringes in a Jewish prayer shawl, the tzitzityot. Rashi says, “thus is the manner of two people who struggle to overthrow each other, that one embraces the other and knots him with his arms”.

Our intellectual wrestling has been replaced by a different kind of struggle. We are wrestling with Yehovah as we grapple with His Word. It is an intimate act, symbolizing a relationship in which Yehovah and you and I are bound together. My wrestling is a struggle to discover what Yehovah expects of us, and we are “tied” to the One who assists us in that struggle.

Today, many say Israel means “Champion of God”, or better — the “Wrestler of God”.

Our Torah sessions each Shabbat teaches you and encourages you to constantly challenge, question, argue against, as well as view alternative views and explanations of the Word. In other words, we are to “wrestle with the Word” to get to the truth. Jews worldwide believe that you need to wrestle with the Word and constantly challenge Dogma, Theology, and views or else you will never get to the Truth.

We are not like most churches where “The preacher talks and everyone listens.” We encourage everyone to participate, to question and to contribute what they know on the subject being discussed. We want you to be a champion wrestler of the Word of Yehovah. We want you to wear the title of Israel, knowing that you not only know but are capable of explaining why you know the Torah to be true with logic and facts.

We have a few rules though. Let others talk and listen. There is no discussion about UFO’s, Nephilim, Vaccines or conspiracy-type subjects. We have people from around the world with different world views. Not everyone cares who is the President of any particular country. Treat each other with respect as fellow wrestlers of the word. Some of our subjects are hard to understand and require you to be mature and if you do not know, then listen to gain knowledge and understanding and hopefully wisdom. The very things you are commanded to ask Yehovah for and He gives to those who ask.

Jas 1:5  But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.

We hope you can invite those who want to keep Torah to come and join us by hitting the link below. It is almost like a Torah teaching fellowship talk show with people from around the world taking part and sharing their insights and understandings.

We start off with some music and then some prayers and it’s as though you were sitting around the kitchen back in Newfoundland having a cup of coffee and all of us enjoying each other’s company. I hope you will grace us with your company someday.

Sabbath services begin at 12:30 PM EDT where we will be doing prayers, songs and teaching from this hour.

Shabbat midrash will begin at about 1:15 pm Eastern.

We look forward to you joining our family and getting to know us as we get to know you.

Joseph Dumond is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Joseph Dumond’s Personal Meeting Room

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The Stones Cry Out Part 1 & Part 2

Do you want to know how to prove the Zadok Calendar, the Enoch Calendar, and the Book of Jubilee Calendar false?

Do you want to know how the calendar issue became so confusing?

I go this awesome endorsement and I want to share it here now. with you.

In The Stones Cry Out, I walk you through the history of each change and why those changes came about, starting with the Maccabean days. Yes, it all began around 164 B.C. When Yehshua was here, he was dealing with two schools of thought. The Sadducees were all but wiped out when the Temple fell in 70 C.E. This left only the Pharisees, who began to be persecuted after the failure of the Bar Kochbah Revolt in 134 C.E.

The truth began to become out of focus around 160 C.E. when Rabbi Jose wrote the Seder Olam. This work originally was written to proof Simon Bar Kochbah was the Messiah. When that did not pan out the history was later revived and then redacted as the truth into the Mishneh Torah by Rabbi Judah ha Nasi in 180 C.E. After this the Jerusalem Talmud begins to debate these issues. It was then during this time as the Jerusalem Talmudist are forced to flee and the Babylonian Talmudist continue to grow until the 6th century that Hillel came up with a solution to help them keep the Holy Days at the proper time while they were out of the land of Israel. He did this in 358 C.E. This work was then modified and adjusted over the next 800 years with additions added and other rejected. Until it was finally redacted once again in 1177 by Rambam. And with that we now have the modern Hillel calendar which includes the errors passed on during each redaction. These errors included the time of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years.

Once the Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E., the Jews recorded time by counting from the time It was destroyed. This is why the 40 tombstones of Zoar, which record this information, are crucial to understand.

When you understand why the Postponement rules were first created so that the crescent moon would not be seen in another part of the world before it was seen in Israel then you can understand how they were still trying to follow the crescent moon to begin the month. The Tombstones show us this exact thing. The tombstones also show us when the Jews changed from a crescent moon to a Conjunction moon to begin the month. They also show us when the Jews changed the year from the month of Aviv to the Tishri to begin the year.

I really want you to understand these things so you know why you do what you do as far as following a calendar to keep Yehovah’s moedim.
Get your Free copies of The Stones Cry Out Part 1 and Part 2 here https://sightedmoon.com/the-stones-cry-out-lp/

And share this information with your FB friends and Bibles Study groups. If they don’t like it, it never cost them anything.

Get your copy today. If you want a paperback copy, I have them on Amazon for the least amount they would let me post them there. Order both of them and start to understand the history of how these changes affect those who follow Yehovah and keep His Feasts.

I would like to add this recent comment to encourage you all to get this book and learn these truths. And the Book is FREE. You have no reason not to get it.

Most people assume that Hillel created the calendar in 358 C.E. They then assume that because it was a Sanhedrin, they are not allowed to change in order to obey Yehovah. The Hillel calendar has been changed many times since 358 C.E. up until 1177 C.E. Few people talk about these changes but we do in our latest Book The Stones Cry Out Part 1 which is free on our website. The Hillel calendar was changed on many occasions and many sought to make other changes during this time. They never needed a Bet Din to approve those changes. They just did them. So this excuse that we do not have the right to obey Yehovah because the Bet Din has not approved it is a crock of crap.
You have the obligation to obey Yehovah. You have the duty to prove which calendar you are to go by. You must prove it beyond all doubt. Yehshua never followed the Hillel calendar. Nor did any of the Apostles.
The reason no man can know the day or the hour is because it refers to a crescent moon to begin the 7th month. That is the day He was born on and the day He comes to judge on. At a day and hour no one can know. Using the Hillel calendar predicts Yom Teruah years in advance so every one knows when to keep it. But even in the Hillel calendar they keep two days of Yom Teruah reckoning back to the sighted moon. Also in the postponement rules developed long after Hillel, they again state that if the conjunction is at a certain time then the day begins at such and such, in order that the moon will not be seen in another part of the world before it is seen in Israel. That was rule number 2.
Everyone has to choose. You have the right to be wrong. But if you choose to be wrong then you also must live with the consequences that come with sin. And that is the death penalty for not keeping the Holy Days, these Sabbath at the proper time. It is your choice.
Just because you write in to me to justify your position does mean it is right. It just means your sounding off.

Allow me to share this endorsement of our latest book again. If you have read our books, please share your thoughts about them with us in the comments below or email me.

And yes, many observe the Equinox.  There are many who are deceived, improperly educated.  And this is why Joe puts out a newsletter every week, why he writes books, why the SightedMoon Zoom Shabbat service started, why he travels to places like England and the Philippines to share this message and why were are going to the NRB in February.  The calendar is always a divisive issue in social circles because the details are many, that’s why there are so many books Joe has written.  I’m not looking to put Joe on a pedestal here.  This is not about Joe worship.  But Joe has tenaciously studied out the calendar from every angle, not to prove himself right, to to seek to find and share what Yehovah is telling us about His Calendar.

In The Stones Cry Out, Joe has shared the history of all the different groups within Israel, and the beliefs they had about the scriptures and the feast days and the calendar.  When you line it all up, you can see for yourself the how and why these misunderstandings and arguments about how and where and why  they came about.

This is my new favourite book and I’m only 60-70 pages in.  And I encourage you to read the footnotes in this one.  Sometimes there’s more footnote on the page than Joe’s words.

Sombra Wilson

When I wrote Stones Cry Out, I wanted it to be one of our FREE books so everyone would have it. It is more of an encyclopedia than a book to read. It will be your quick resource book; you will have access to every question about any calendar, how it got started, and who started it. You will also learn the history of how the Mishnah was assembled, when it was assembled and why. Then, you will learn how that information was transferred into both the Jerusalem and the Babylonian Talmud until it reached its final stage in the Mishneh Torah. Along with this progression, the calendar also progressed and changed long after 358 C.E. when Rabbi Hillel first published it. But…what was before the Hillel calendar? What does the Mishnah record about those things?

The Stones Cry Out was originally going to be one book explaining all the various proofs we have discovered, demonstrating when the Sabbatical and Jubilee years are throughout history.

You can know; it is not a mystery.

As I began to write The Stones Cry Out, I quickly found myself going back, time and time again, to explain how the calendar is behind the confusion of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The Rabbis, as they began to write the Mishnah, incorporated wrong understandings, and those errors were written into what became known as the Talmud and then the Mishneh Torah. The expulsion from the land and subsequent persecutions in trying to send out messengers to report the barley being found or the crescent moon being seen, proved to be more and more dangerous over time. All of these things took place over 14 centuries.

Then as I was working on The Stones Cry Out, I discovered that many people were now accepting the Zadok calendar as factual. This is when we pivoted to include all the details of the various calendars that have crept back into public knowledge today and are being used to mislead new people who are just starting to learn about the calendar. All of this was directly connected to the period starting with the Hasmonaeans, up to the destruction of the Temple. Then, with the compiling of the Mishnah, the studies that led into the writing of the Jerusalem Talmud, then the Babylonian Talmud and finally the Mishneh Torah, each error that was added is compounded over time.

The Stones Cry Out, Part 1 explains the history of how each compilation of the Oral Torah incorporated errors, leading the followers thereof away from the actual Torah. In understanding these facts, it is then possible to understand more readily how the Sabbatical and Jubilee years were then mixed and later changed. By explaining all this history, I will be able to help you the reader understand the tombstones when most authorities do not. They have assumed, to their error, the Hillel calendar to have always been in use since Mount Sinai. Not understanding the history of the calendars is why most authorities dismiss the tombstones as too confusing to use. Once you understand The Stones Cry Out Part 1, Part 2 will be very easy to grasp.

Daniel 7:25 tells us he will change the appointed seasons and commandments. Many assume Constantine did this when he made Sunday the Sabbath. Few have considered the calendar’s many changes and how they relate to us today. Hidden in this proverbial swamp of confusion is the truth about the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The Sabbatical and Jubilee years reveal the truths about the calendar that have been hidden for almost 2000 years.

We are in the very last days and Yehshua warned us that during this time:

Mat 24:10 And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another.

Mat 24:11 And many false prophets will rise and deceive many.

Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will become cold.

Mat 24:13 But he who endures to the end, the same shall be kept safe.

Paul also warned Timothy about these last days, warning that some would leave the truth and begin to follow demonic teachers:

1Ti 4:1 But the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons,

Paul again warned the Thessalonians that the Great Falling away would take place in the last days. How can you fall away if you have never come to know the truth? So who is Paul talking to? Those who are called and answer that calling begin to walk this road of restoration back to Yehovah, and then at some point along that walk, they change and leave this walk following the teachings of demons to false calendar.

2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, my brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,

2Th 2:2 that you should not be soon shaken in mind or troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word or letter, as through us, as if the Day of Christ is at hand.

2Th 2:3 Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition,

2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.

We must endure until the end. We must not let ourselves become offended by personalities and leave the faith once given.

I want you all to have access to and the ability to read this book and use it as a reference. https://sightedmoon.com/the-stones-cry-out-lp/ Click on the link fill in the form and you will have access to the FREE PDF anywhere in the world. If you want a copy you can hold in your hands we have published it at Amazon for the lowest price they would allow us. Order you copy after Shabbat and begin to read it today.

SightedMoon Sukkot 2025 Almost Full

As of May 16, 2025, Ella is telling me the Feast site is almost filled. If you are considering joining us then let her know ASAP.

We are planning to have a SightedMoon.com Feast site this Sukkot at Cleftrock Kentucky. There are a limited number of places available, and if this is of interest to you, then please contact Ella Morgan to help in the organizing, set-up, and activities. You need to contact Ella ASAP and reserve a spot. There are 55 places available, and you need to make a $100 deposit by April 11 and the final payment by August 15.

Contact grannyella44@gmail.com, and you can check out the site at https://cleftrock.org. The Noah’s Ark site is just over an hour’s drive away. More info will come, but it’s time to sign up ASAP. Sukkot will be from September 8 to September 15, with check-in on September 7 and check-out on September 16.

The DAY IS HALLOWED!!!

Here is a condensed version of our latest video taken from our teachings in the Philippines. I hope you enjoy it. Read the notes below about how this teaching came about. I think it was a miracle. 

In April 2025, I went on a one-week speaking tour of Japan and a 6 week speaking tour of the Philippines. After my first presentation, on April 9, at Antipolo, Philippines, I was asked about the Thief in the Night by a gentleman in the audience. Bros Aike recorded this man as I gave him my answer. (https://www.facebook.com/aikeazion/videos/693644056788808) But it was two nights later that Yehovah woke me up to show me the true answer. Although it was outrageous to even think of, I went ahead and presented it, which is what you are seeing in this presentation about the Thief in the Night.

Here are your two free copies of our books, The Stones Cry Out, part one and part two. Just click on the link. The Stones Cry Our Part 1 & 2 (Both of them FREE) (https://sightedmoon.com/the-stones-cr…) What is the meaning of no man can know the day or the hour? Why do we not understand today? How is the Messiah going to come? Will anyone see Him? Get ready to be shocked at the revelations you are about to learn in this video. Then tune in to all our teaching about the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, which reveal end-time prophecy. Sign up for our weekly Free Newsletter https://sightedmoon.com/newsletter-lp/ You can also order the following books to learn more about where we are in these last days, according to the Jubilee Cycle. It Was A Riddle Not A Command (https://sightedmoon.com/riddle-lp) The 2300 Days of Hell(https://sightedmoon.com/2300-days-lp) Remembering the Sabbatical Year of 2016(https://sightedmoon.com/2016-sabbatic…) The Sabbatical and Jubilee Charts(https://sightedmoon.com/sabbatical-ch…) The Restoration of All Things (https://sightedmoon.com/restoration-a…) The Abomination That Makes Desolate (https://sightedmoon.com/restoration-a…) The 10 Days of Awe (https://sightedmoon.com/10-days-of-aw…) You can also follow us on Telegram (https://t.me/sightedmoonchannel) Special thanks to Lifegiver Central who recorded our teaching on April 22, 2025, titled: Church-Wide Bible Study with Joseph Dumond (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvy9cL5LSOY&list=PPSV&t=421s) and to PREPARING THE BRIDE PASTORS AND LEADERS CONFERENCE-SESSION 1-BRO. JOSEP DUMOND.mov who also recorded our teaching we presented to them on April 16, 2025. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kJ3hhPQeycuB14XSPIX4y_RdKdUznOAB/view?usp=drive_link)

New Moon of the 4th Month

Yoel Halevi sighted the new crescent moon at 19:38 pm on May 28th, 2025, Zevulun valley, northern Israel.

The new moon was seen by Gadi Eidelheit in Israel 20 minutes before sunset and posted at 19:31 p.m.

The crescent New Moon was sighted from Israel this evening, thus marking the beginning of the 4th Biblical Month!

The crescent New Moon was spotted with the naked eye on Wednesday, 28 May 2025, from:

Jerusalem at 7:39 pm by Devorah Gordon, followed by Atara, Chaya, and Gil Ashendorf.

It Was A Riddle Not A Command

You Can Learn the Secret Meaning of:

No One Knows the Day of the Hour

 Why does no One Know When Jesus was born?

When Does the Thief in the Night Come?

Why Are the Foolish Virgins Rejected?

No One Knows The Day or The Hour is a Hebrew idiom or parable.

Jesus spoke in parables to conceal His message which He later explained to the Apostles.

No One Knows The Day or the Hour is telling you the very day He will come back on! 

The exact opposite to what you thought it said!

This is the very same day when He first came.

The Book of Revelation Tells you the very day and hour He was born.

You are given clues in Revelation about the thief that comes in the night, about being caught naked and ashamed. All of these clues tell you about the very day He is coming back.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians telling them they had no need to write them about the Day of the Lord

FOR THEY KNEW FULL WELL THE MOEDIM!!!

Knowing the Moedim shows you the Day and Hour No Man Can Know.

We are also told about the Two Witnesses in the Book of Revelation…
What revelations do the Two Witnesses show you about the birth of Jesus?

There was a heavenly Host praising God when Jesus was born.
This, too, tells you the Day He was born.

Are you aware that the 5 Foolish Virgins did not understand what the Thief in the Night was?
Do You?

All these questions and so much more are explained in detail.
It was a Riddle for us to figure out.
It was not a command that we could not know.
We can KNOW.
YOU Can Know!

Thoroughly researched and profoundly significant!

5.0 out of 5 stars

There just isn’t a better book on Christian prophecy than this! What an eye opener!

Of the many books and articles that I have read on prophecy in my personal search for truth, this is the only one that does not rely on old ideas that were developed hundreds of years ago when knowledge was minimal. So much more has been learned through historical and archeological research. The world has changed so much that before now no one could have clearly envisioned how prophecy might play out.

I think the average Christian doesn’t realize that recent developments in technology and huge increases in knowledge offer us a unique opportunity to raise the veil so that we might see clearly what was once hidden behind a dark glass.

After learning about these things and seriously considering the Bible, with a willingness to set aside my traditional beliefs about prophecy, I have come to the conclusion that this book is inspired by God. Mr. Dumond presents compelling information that overturns long held assumptions and unverified beliefs making the entire body of prophetic knowledge fully accessible. As a matter of fact I think that just about anyone with no previous knowledge of the Bible would understand things that scholars have devoted their lives to explaining.

I would like everyone to know what is being shown in the pages of this book. No serious truth seeker should pass up the opportunity to have their eyes opened through its revelations. I believe it is the most important book ever written,- next to the Bible itself.

Thank you Joseph Dumond.

Amazon Customer: Ross Boraan

Order your copy Today!

Barley Searchers Wanted 2026

We are sending out a feeler for those of you who want to come to Israel from approximately February 23, 2026, to March 9, 2026. The potential Wave Sheaf Day is March 8, 2026. We will be looking for the Barley. If we get to do any tours on the side, we will take some of them in. But this is a working group searching for the barley. If we find any, then Passover will be about March 5, 2026, and we will keep Passover together at that time.

Please let me know so we can begin making some housing and transportation plans. Write me at admin@sightedmoon.com

Emmer Wheat or Durum Wheat- That’s the Question

Compromising the Sabbath and Holy Days

I have a story to tell from one of the brethren and his wife in the Philippines. They actually want me to tell you this story. Hannie and Jeruel Nebrada are brethren and part of the Bansilan fellowship. This group was founded by Jeruel’s parents in about 2005, I think, and then crossed paths with us in 2018 when we were sharing our message in Digos.

I met the family in 2022 on my next visit and I was asked to bless each person in the assembly, so I did and when Jeruel came up to me in the line, I asked Yehovah to bless his talents and told him we need leaders in the this work and that his vaping was not a good example for the brethren. He gave up vaping that day and has not returned to it. He, along with his brothers and sisters, then moved the congregation from Digos to a bigger property in Bansilan where they built a new Church building. Jeruel’s brother-in-law Lordge is the leader.

I say this so you know Jeruel’s position and the dedication of the brethren here. Because of their dedication to obey Yehovah, they are growing. In 2022 and 2023, I saw this sign on the front gate of the business Jeruel runs.

Jeruel collects copra, dries it out, and then takes it in bulk to the refinery, where they dry it more and turn it into cooking oils. This is a highly sought-after oil.

The sign states quite clearly that the business is closed on the Sabbath and the Holy Days. I was very proud to see this the first time and knew he would be blessed for doing this with his business.

The following two pictures show the copra (dried-out coconuts) ready to be loaded onto the truck and delivered to the refinery.

The Sabbath is a test.

Exo 16:4 Then Jehovah said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from the heavens for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain amount every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My Law or not.

Exo 16:27 And it happened some of the people went out on the seventh day in order to gather. And they did not find any.

Exo 16:28 And Jehovah said to Moses, How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My Laws?

Exo 16:29 See, because Jehovah has given you the sabbath, therefore He gives you the bread of two days on the sixth day. Each one stay in his place. Let not any one go out of his place on the seventh day.

Exo 31:13  Speak also to the sons of Israel, saying, Truly you shall keep My sabbaths. For it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, to know that I am Jehovah who sanctifies you.

In the same way Yehovah blessed Israel with manna, He also blessed Jeruel with blessings in the copra business.

April 30 is my grandfather’s birthday and my family decided to celebrate it in a beach in Samal island. A week before my grandmother ask me if we can join them and ask Jeruel to be the driver. i decline the invitation because it falls on Shabbat and Feast of Pentecost, and she understood. Then when Jeruel heard about the birthday planning, he insist to drive on that 2 days trip (April 29 and April 30, 2023). I told him that we cannot, (we argue in private) we can make up with them on other days. He insisted. I said if my family will be your reason why you profane Yehovah’s Feast, then I will never let you attend other family gatherings. But he is hardheaded. So on the day he chose to go to Samal and I chose to do the Shabbat and the Feast. We separate then I remember my prayer that time, “to protect Jeruel and my family. Whatever will happen, I just ask Yehovah, if He will teach Jeruel a lesson, just not take his life give him a chance to prioritize You above anything/anyone and protection for the business”.

MAY 2, 2023, it happens. I think its Yehovah’s will because that time there is our truck driver, but he insist to park the truck outside. So after the tragedy, I thank Yehovah! I’m happy because it happens just near our place, he is alive, the stocks are safe, and Jeruel had a great lesson. He cried a lot and now he changed. He now understands how important to obey Yehovah especially His feast. Hallelujah!

The weight of the truck was enormous and when the wheels fell into the ditch, the frame of the truck was twisted with so much more weight on the front half.

Jeruel had to offload the truck of all the copra, and even then, by the time they got the truck back on the road, the frame was so badly twisted that the entire truck was now a write-off.

Jeruel had now paid a very heavy price for compromising the Sabbath and Shavuot.

False Prophets

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matthew 7:15

I am not going to talk about those who make predictions and get them wrong. I am talking about those who twist the scriptures or add Takanot to the scriptures and get you to follow those Ma’asim after them.

2Pe 2:1  But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.

2Pe 2:2  And many will follow their pernicious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be evil spoken of.

2Pe 2:3  And through covetousness they will use you for gain with well-turned words; for whom judgment from of old does not linger, and their destruction does not sleep.

Here is John Gill’s commentary on Mat 7:15. I want you to consider what a false prophet is.

Beware of false prophets,…. Or false teachers; for not such who pretended to foretell things to come, but such who set up themselves to be teachers of others, are here meant; see 2Pe 2:1. It may be queried, whether our Lord has not respect to the Scribes and Pharisees, who sat in Moses’s chair, and taught, for doctrines, the commandments of men? and of whose doctrines he elsewhere bids men beware: for whatever plausible pretences for holiness and righteousness might appear in them, they were repugnant to the word of God, and destructive to the souls of men; such as their doctrines of free will, justification by the works of the law, the traditions of the elders, &c. since it follows,

which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves; for these “loved to go in long clothing”, Mrk 12:38.

בטלית, in a garment which reached to the feet, and was made of the wool of sheep. The Babylonish garment Achan saw and stole, Rab says (r), was איצטלא דמילתא, a garment called “melotes”: which is the very Greek word the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews uses for sheep skins, persecuted saints wandered about in, Heb 11:37 and the gloss upon the place, in the Talmud referred to, says, that this was טלית של צמר נקי, “a talith”, or “garment of pure wool”; and Jarchi (s) says, that

“it was the way of deceivers, and profane men, to cover themselves, בטלי־תאם, “with their talith”, or long garment, “as if they were righteous men”, that persons might receive their lies.”

All which agrees very well with the Pharisees, who would have been thought to have been holy and righteous, humble, modest, and self-denying men; when they were inwardly full of hypocrisy and iniquity, of rapine, oppression, and covetousness; and, under a pretence of religion, “devoured widows’ houses”. Though, it seems, by what follows, that Christ has respect, at least also, to such, who bore his name, and came in his name, though not sent by him, and called him Lord, and prophesied, and cast out devils, and did many wonderful works in his name; who, that they might get the good will and affections of the people, clothed themselves, not in garments made of sheep’s wool, but in the very skins of sheep, with the wool on them, in imitation of the true prophets, and good men of old; pretending great humility, and self-denial, and so “wore a rough garment to deceive”, Zec 13:4 when they were inwardly greedy dogs, grievous wolves, of insatiable covetousness; and, when opportunity offered, spared not the flock to satisfy their rapacious and devouring appetites. The Jews speak of a “wolfish humility”; like that of the wolf in the fable, which put on a sheep skin.

“There are some men, (says one of their (t) writers,) who appear to be humble, and fear God in a deceitful and hypocritical way, but inwardly lay wait: this humility our wise men call ענוה זאבית, “wolfish humility”.”

Such is this our Lord inveighs against, and bids his followers beware of.

(r) T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 41. 1. (s) In Zech. xiii. 4. (t)Abarbinel Nachalath Abot, fol. 192. 1.

Many will sound, or speak righteous words, and dress the part but they are not teaching the Torah. The only way you can recognize this is if you study the Torah. You must become an expert in the Torah to be able to see through the takanot and ma’asim of men.

Mat 7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness!

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few chosen.

What does it mean to be called?

G2822   (Thayer) κλητός klētos

Thayer Definition:

1) called, invited (to a banquet)

1a) invited (by God in the proclamation of the Gospel) to obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom through Christ

1b) called to (the discharge of) some office

1b1) divinely selected and appointed

 

G1588   (Thayer) ἐκλεκτός eklektos

Thayer Definition:

1) picked out, chosen

1a) chosen by God

1a1) to obtain salvation through Christ

1a1a) Christians are called “chosen or elect” of God

1a2) the Messiah in called “elect”, as appointed by God to the most exalted office conceivable

1a3) choice, select, i.e. the best of its kind or class, excellence preeminent: applied to certain individual Christians

Many are called, many are selected, but very few are elected or appointed by Yehovah.

Many are being called in these last days, but Revelation tells us only 12,000 from each tribe will be elected. Are you going to be one of those 12,000? With so little time left between now and 2030, will you be one of those elected?

Rev 7:4  And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousands, having been sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel.

Rev 7:5  Out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand had been sealed. Out of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand had been sealed. Out of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand had been sealed.

Rev 7:6  Out of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand had been sealed. Out of the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand had been sealed. Out of the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand had been sealed.

Rev 7:7  Out of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand had been sealed. Out of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand had been sealed. Out of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand had been sealed.

Rev 7:8  Out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand had been sealed. Out of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand had been sealed. Out of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand had been sealed.

Adam and Eve walked with Yehovah in the garden. He taught them face to face and even so Eve was able to be deceived.

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it so that God has said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Gen 3:2  And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.

Gen 3:3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.

Gen 3:4  And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die,

Gen 3:5  for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make wise, she took of its fruit, and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Gen 3:7  And the eyes of both of them were opened. And they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made girdles for themselves.

Satan did not come to Eve as a red devil with horns and a pitchfork. He came as an angel of light, as a righteous one. Under that guise of false authority, he then lays out his takanot on Eve, and she buys into it. Many today do the same thing to the Torah, telling you what it says instead of you reading it for yourselves and proving what it says.

H5175   (Strong) נָחָשׁ nâchâsh naw-khawsh’

From H5172; a snake (from its hiss): – serpent.

H5172   (Brown-Driver-Briggs) נחשׁ nâchash

BDB Definition:

1) to practice divination, divine, observe signs, learn by experience, diligently observe, practice fortunetelling, take as an omen

1a) (Piel)

1a1) to practice divination

1a2) to observe the signs or omens

In Leviticus 16, we are told about the two goats. They are exactly alike, and you cannot tell them apart. This is why lots are used because only Yehovah can tell which one is which.

Lev 16:5 And he shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

Lev 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his young bull of the sin offering which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself and for his house.

Lev 16:7 And he shall take the two he-goats and present them before Jehovah at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Lev 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots on the two he-goats; one lot for Jehovah and the other lot for a complete removal.

Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat on which Jehovah’s lot fell, and offer it for a sin offering.

Lev 16:10 But the goat on which the lot fell to be the complete removal shall be presented alive before Jehovah, to make an atonement with him, to let him go for a complete removal into the wilderness.

Satan looks just like Yehovah.

THE SERPENT OF GENESIS 3.

Appendix 19 To The Companion Bible.

In Genesis 3 we have neither allegory, myth, legend, nor fable, but literal historical facts set forth, and emphasized by the use of certain Figures of speech (see Appendix 6).

All the confusion of thought and conflicting exegesis have arisen from taking literally what is expressed by Figures, or from taking figuratively what is literal. A Figure of speech is never used except for the purpose of calling attention to, emphasizing, and intensifying, the reality of the literal sense, and the truth of the historical facts; so that, while the words employed may not be so strictly true to the letter, they are all the more true to the truth conveyed by them, and to the historical events connected with them.

But for the figurative language of verses 14 and 15 no one would have thought of referring the third chapter of Genesis to a snake: no more than he does when reading the third chapter from the end of Revelation (chapter 20:2). Indeed, the explanation added there, that the “old serpent” is the Devil and Satan, would immediately lead one to connect the word “old” with the earlier and former mention of the serpent in Genesis 3: and the fact that it was Satan himself who tempted “the second man”, “the last Adam”, would force the conclusion that no other than the personal Satan could have been the tempter of “the first man, Adam”.

The Hebrew word rendered “serpent” in Genesis 3:1 is Nachash (from the root Nachash, to shine), and means a shinning one. Hence, in Chaldee it means brass or copper, because of its shining. Hence also, the word Nehushtan, a piece of brass, in 2Kings 18:4.

In the same way Saraph, in Isaiah 6:2, 6, means a burning one, and, because the serpents mentioned in Numbers 21 were burning, in the poison of their bite, they were called Saraphim, or Seraphs.

But when the LORD said unto Moses, “Make thee a fiery serpent” (Numbers 21:8), He said, “Make thee a Saraph“, and, in obeying this command, we read in verse 9, “Moses made a Nachash of brass”. Nachash is thus used as being interchangeable with Saraph.

Now, if Saraph is used of a serpent because its bite was burning, and is also used of a celestial or spirit-being (a burning one), why should not Nachash be used of a serpent because its appearance was shining, and be also used of a celestial or spirit-being (a shining one)?

Indeed, a reference to the structure of Genesis 3 (on page 7 in The Companion Bible) will show that the Cherubim (which are similar celestial or spirit-beings) of the last verse (Genesis 3:24) require a similar spirit-being to correspond with them in the first verse (for the structure of the whole chapter is a great Introversion). The Nachash, or serpent, who beguiled Eve (2Corinthians 11:3) is spoken of as “an angel of light” in verse 14. Have we not, in this, a clear intimation that it was not a snake, but a glorious shining being, apparently an angel, to whom Eve paid such great deference, acknowledging him as one who seemed to possess superior knowledge, and who was evidently a being of a superior (not of an inferior) order? Moreover, in the description of Satan as “the king of Tyre” ¹ it is distinctly implied that the latter being was of a super-natural order when he is called “a cherub” (Ezekiel 28:14, 16, read from verses 11-19).

¹ Ezekiel 28:11-19, who is quite a different being from “the Prince of Tyre”, in verses 1-10, who is purely human.

Today, many will observe Shavuot on June 2, and others will do so on June 8, 2026. We observed it on May 4, 2025. Why are there three different dates for Shavuot?

Shavuot 2025 begins at sundown on Sunday June 1, 2025, and concludes at nightfall on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. The 10 Commandments are read on June 2, 2025. Yizkor is on June 3.

The above quote is from Chabad.org. For those of you following the Hillel calendar, the above date is when you will be keeping Shavuot, and you will be doing so for two days. You must ask yourselves why they and you keep Shavuot for two days? When you discover the answer, you may be surprised.

Why Shavuot is Observed for Two Days in the Diaspora on the Jewish Hillel Calendar:

Shavuot, as described in the Torah (Leviticus 23:15–21), is a one-day festival marking the giving of the Torah and the wheat harvest, observed on the 50th day after Passover. However, in the Jewish diaspora (outside Israel), Shavuot is traditionally kept for two days, as noted in your example (June 1–3, 2025, with the 10 Commandments read on June 2 and Yizkor on June 3). This practice stems from historical and calendrical reasons:

1. Calendar Uncertainty in Ancient Times: Before the fixed Jewish calendar (Hillel II, 4th century CE), the new moon was determined by observation in Jerusalem, and news was relayed to distant communities. To avoid missing the correct day due to delays or errors, diaspora Jews observed an extra day for festivals like Shavuot, known as “yom tov sheni shel galuyot” (second day of the festival in the diaspora). This ensured compliance with the Torah’s timing (Chabad.org, Why Two Days of Shavuot?).
2. Fixed Calendar Continuity: Even after the Hillel calendar standardized dates, the two-day observance in the diaspora was retained as a tradition to honor historical practice and maintain communal unity. In contrast, Israel observes Shavuot for one day (June 2, 2025), as the original uncertainty was less relevant there (MyJewishLearning.com, Shavuot Observance).
3. Specific Practices: The two-day diaspora observance includes reading the Ten Commandments on the first day (June 2, 2025) to commemorate the giving of the Torah, and Yizkor (memorial prayer) on the second day (June 3, 2025), aligning with the custom of reciting Yizkor on major festivals (Jewish Virtual Library, Shavuot Traditions).

Torah vs. Tradition: The Torah prescribes one day for Shavuot (Leviticus 23:21), but rabbinic tradition, codified in the Talmud (e.g., Beitzah 4b), extended the diaspora observance to two days for most biblical festivals (except Yom Kippur) to safeguard against calendrical errors. This is a widely accepted practice in Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, though some Reform communities may observe one day.

Conclusion: The two-day Shavuot observance in the diaspora (June 1–3, 2025) reflects historical precautions against calendar uncertainty and the preservation of rabbinic tradition, despite the Torah’s one-day directive.

Sources:

• Chabad.org. Why Two Days of Shavuot?
• MyJewishLearning.com. Shavuot Observance.
• Jewish Virtual Library. Shavuot Traditions.
• Talmud, Beitzah 4b.

As you know, sightedmoon.com kept Shavuot on May 4, 2026. We go by the crescent moon to begin the month and the barley to begin the year. As you just read from Chabad.org, they used to go by the crescent moon to begin the month and kept the Holy Days for two days in the diaspora. But they do not have the excuse today to do that because you can know with a phone call. But they will not change.

How do you know which one is right?

Some of you say you are going to follow the majority, who are the Jews, and then, when Jesus returns, He can sort it out, and then you will do what He says. That is an utter cop out and just pure laziness. You are too lazy to do your own research and prove the truth.

1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Exo 19:5  And now if you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure to Me above all the nations; for all the earth is Mine.

Exo 19:6  And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the sons of Israel.

Rev 1:6  and made us kings and priests to God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Rev 5:10  And You made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign over the earth.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years.

How on earth can you expect to be a priest in Yehovah’s Kingdom if you do not know the law and cannot teach it, let alone keep His Holy Days at the proper time according to the Torah, not men dress up as authorities.

If you are waiting for Jesus to fix things then you are deceived, because He said Elijah would come first and RESTORE ALL THINGS.

Mal 4:5 Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Jehovah.

Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers, that I not come and strike the earth with utter destruction.

Mat 17:10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?

Mat 17:11 And answering Jesus said to them, Elijah truly shall come first and restore all things.

In the same manner, when Elijah comes in these last days, the people will not recognize him, just as they did not recognize John the baptizer until Yehshua told them he, John, did come in the spirit of Elijah. Today, there are men here teaching you to go back to the original way of keeping the Torah, but most of you fight and resist them. They have restored all those things once forgotten.

Again, how can you tell which method is the proper way to and proper time to keep Shavuot? All three groups are dressed in righteousness and speak with authority. Like Satan coming as a nâchâsh, they are dressed in talits, wearing Tzit Tzit and speaking Hebrew. How do we discover which ones are the false teachers and which ones are teaching the truth?

You must go back to the Torah, read it for yourself, and ask Yehovah to reveal the truth to you. Once you ask, you must earnestly seek it out.

The Feast of Firstfruits

Lev 23:9 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

Lev 23:10 Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you have come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap the harvest of it, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.

Lev 23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah to be received for you. On the next day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

Lev 23:12 And you shall offer that day when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering to Jehovah.

Lev 23:13 And its food offering shall be two-tenths part of fine flour mixed with oil, a fire offering to Jehovah for a sweet savor. And the drink offering of it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.

Lev 23:14 And you shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears, until the same day, until you have brought an offering to your God. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

The Feast of Weeks

Lev 23:15 And you shall count to you from the next day after the sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete.

Lev 23:16 To the next day after the seventh sabbath you shall number fifty days. And you shall offer a new food offering to Jehovah.

Lev 23:17 You shall bring out of your homes two wave loaves of two-tenth parts. They shall be of fine flour. They shall be baked with leaven, firstfruits to Jehovah.

Lev 23:18 And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bull, and two rams. They shall be for a burnt offering to Jehovah, with their food offering, and their drink offerings, a fire offering of sweet savor to Jehovah.

Lev 23:19 Then you shall sacrifice one he-goat for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.

Lev 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits, a wave offering before Jehovah, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to Jehovah for the priest.

Lev 23:21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it may be a holy convocation to you. You shall do no work of labor. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

Lev 23:22 And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not completely reap the corner of your field. When you reap the gleaning of your harvest, you shall not gather. You shall leave them to the poor and to the stranger. I am Jehovah your God.

The Pharisees read the above and then dismissed it because of what they read in Joshua 5. Here is where the confusion comes in.

Jos 5:10 And the sons of Israel camped in Gilgal and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.

Jos 5:11 And they ate of the old grain of the land on the next day after the Passover, unleavened cakes and roasted grain in the same day.

Jos 5:12 And the manna stopped on the next day after they had eaten the old grain of the land. And there was no more manna to the sons of Israel, but they ate the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

As you just read in Leviticus 23, the morrow after the Sabbath is the Sunday or the first day of the week. This is then confirmed as you read the next section about when to keep Shavuot. It is to be kept the morrow after the 7th Sabbath. So you count seven Sabbaths as 49 days, and the 50th day is the next day, which is Sunday.

If we then go to the actual week of Joshua 5:10 which the Pharisees use to justify starting the count to Shavuot from the 16th of the Aviv then we can see what actually took place.

Torah calendar is using a computer program that uses Julian counting, so the year we want when Joshua entered the promised land is 1337 BC which is 1338 Julian counting.

You can see that Passover began Sabbath night and into Sunday. That Sunday is when the Wave Offering would have been done. It is that same day that Israel began to eat of the produce of the land because the offering had been made. Then the next day the manna stopped coming down each morning.

Nehemia Gordon will now explain this to you in his own words.

Shavuot is a biblical festival known in English as the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. Shavuot is a pilgrimage-feast, in Hebrew chag. As a chag, Shavuot is one of the three annual biblical festivals on which every male Israelite is commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple. Shavuot is also referred to in the Torah as Chag Ha-Katzir, the Feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16) and Yom Ha-Bikurim, the Day of Firstfruits (Numbers 28:26).

The Hebrew Bible does not associate any historical event with Shavuot, although in later times it was connected with the Revelation at Sinai. The Book of Exodus says that the Revelation at Sinai took place shortly after the Israelites arrived in the Sinai Desert some time in the beginning of the Third Hebrew Month (Exodus 19:1). Like Shavuot, the exact date of the Revelation of Sinai is not specified, and it is tempting to connect the two.

Shavuot is unique among the biblical festivals in that it is not given a fixed calendar date. Instead, we are commanded to celebrate it at the end of a 50-day period known today as the Counting of the Omer. The commencement of this 50-day period was marked in Temple times by the bringing of the Omer offering and ended on the 50th day with the festival of Shavuot, as described in the Book of Leviticus:

“And you shall count from the morrow of the Sabbath from the day you bring the Omer [sheaf] of waving; seven complete Sabbaths shall you count… until the morrow of the seventh Sabbath shall you count fifty days… and you shall proclaim on this very day, it shall be a holy convocation for you.” (Leviticus 23:15-16,21).

In late Second Temple times there was a famous debate between three different Jewish factions about the meaning of the Hebrew phrase “morrow of the Sabbath” and hence about the timing of Shavuot. All three factions agreed that the “morrow of the Sabbath” was associated with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, although the precise connection led to the festival being observed on different days. The seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread runs from the 15th day to the 21st day of the First Hebrew Month (Nissan) and marks the Exodus from Egypt, as well as the beginning of the barley harvest in Israel. All three factions connected the “morrow of the Sabbath” with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but differed as to the exact timing and connection. The three factions who argued over the timing of Shavuot were the Pharisees who wrote the Mishnah and the Talmud, the Essenes who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Sadducees who made up the Temple Priesthood.

The Pharisees argued that Shavuot is to be counted from the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which they designated a “Sabbath.” According to the Pharisees, “morrow of the Sabbath” means the “morrow of the 1st day of Unleavened Bread.” The ancient Pharisees and their modern day successor the Orthodox rabbis begin the 50-day count to Shavuot on the second day of Unleavened Bread, which is always the 16th day of the First Hebrew Month. As a result, the Pharisee Shavuot always fell out in ancient times from the 5th to the 7th day of the Third Hebrew Month (Sivan). After the destruction of the Temple, the Pharisees became the predominant surviving faction among the Jewish leadership and their interpretation is followed by most Jews until this very day. In 359 CE, the Pharisee leader Hillel II established a pre-calculated calendar and ever since the Pharisee Shavuot has always been observed on the 6th of Sivan.

The Essenes who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls began the 50-day count to Shavuot on a different Sabbath from the Pharisees. In their reckoning, the Omer offering was to be brought on the morrow of the weekly Sabbath, in modern terms: “Sunday.” The Essenes began their count on the Sunday after the seven-days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As a result, they always began their count on the 26th day of the First Hebrew Month. The Essenes had a 364-day solar calendar, which began every year on a Wednesday and had fixed lengths for each month. Based on the Essene calendar, Shavuot always fell out on the 15th day of the Third Hebrew Month. The Essenes are presumed to have been wiped out when the Romans invaded Judea in 66-74 CE and only their documents survive today.

The third faction, the Sadducees, agreed with the Essenes that Shavuot must be counted from a weekly Sabbath, but disagreed as to which one. The Sadducees believed the 50-day count must begin on the weekly Sabbath that falls out during the seven-days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. According to their reckoning, the counting towards Shavuot could begin anywhere from the 15th to the 21st day of the month, depending on what day of the week the Feast of Unleavened Bread began. If Unleavened Bread began on a Sunday, the count would begin on the 15th day of the month. If Unleavened Bread began on a Saturday, the count would begin on the 16th day of the month, and so on. Based on this counting, Shavuot could fall out from the 4th to the 12th of the Third Hebrew Month. Karaite Jews have accepted the Sadducee reckoning as the only one to be consistent with the plain meaning of the biblical text.

The Sadducees and Essenes agreed that the 50-day count to Shavuot had to always begin on the morrow of a weekly Sabbath. They only differed as to whether this referred to the Sunday during the Feast of Unleavened Bread or the Sunday following the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In contrast, the Pharisees believed the 50-day count must begin with an annual “Sabbath,” rather than a weekly Sabbath. According to the Torah, work is forbidden on the 1st day and the 7th day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Pharisees began their count from the morrow of the 1st day of Unleavened Bread. Although work is forbidden on this day, it is never referred to in the Hebrew Bible as a “Sabbath.” The only annual feast day to ever be referred to in the Hebrew Bible as a Sabbath is the Day of Atonement, on the Tenth day of the Seventh Hebrew Month. Work is forbidden on six other annual feast days, but the days are never referred to in the Tanakh as Sabbaths.

The bigger problem with the Pharisee interpretation of “Sabbath” is when it comes to the end of the 50-day count. Leviticus 23:16 says,

“Until the morrow of the seventh Sabbath shall you count fifty days.”

The 1st day day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread could theoretically be called “Sabbath,” even though the Hebrew Bible never uses this terminology. However, the 49th day of the Pharisee counting is not a Sabbath, unless it happens to fall out on a weekly Sabbath – the 7th day of the week. Consequently, the Pharisee Shavuot is rarely the “morrow of the Seventh Sabbath” as required by Leviticus 23:16. About once every seven years, the Pharisee Shavuot does happen to fall out on the “morrow of the seventh Sabbath.” For example, in the year 2018 the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins in the Pharisee reckoning at sunset on Friday March 30. In that year, the Pharisee counting begins on Sunday April 1, 2018 and ends 50 days later on the “morrow of the seventh Sabbath,” Sunday May 20, 2018. However, this is the exception to the rule. In most years, Shavuot according to the Pharisee reckoning is actually the morrow of seventh Monday, the morrow of seventh Tuesday, etc. The only way for Shavuot to consistently be the “morrow of the seventh Sabbath” is for the counting to begin on the morrow of a weekly Sabbath, in modern terms on a “Sunday.” Of course, Scripture did not call this a “Sunday,” because that term did not exist in ancient Hebrew. The ancient Hebrew term for Sunday morning is “morrow of the Sabbath.”

An important verse that confirms the timing of Shavuot appears in the Book of Joshua:

“And they ate of the produce of the land on the morrow of the Passover, unleavened and parched grain on this very day. And the Manna ceased on the morrow when they ate of the produce of the land…” -Joshua 5:11

This verse describes the events surrounding the cessation of the Manna, shortly after the Children of Israel entered the Land of Canaan. To understand this the significance of this verse, we must go back to the Book of the Leviticus, where the Israelites were forbidden to eat of the new crops of the Land of Israel until the day of the Omer offering:

“And bread and parched grain and ripe grain you shall not eat until this very day, until you bring the sacrifice of your God; it shall be an eternal statute for your generations in all your habitations.” Leviticus 23:14

When Joshua 5:11 describes the eating of “unleavened bread and parched grain… on this very day” it is using almost the precise wording of Leviticus 23:14 “and bread and parched grain… you will not eat until this very day.” The new produce of the land was forbidden until the Omer offering was brought. Joshua 5:11 is saying that when the Israelites entered the Land for the first time, they observed this commandment and waited until the terms of Leviticus 23:14 were fulfilled. In other words, they waited for the Omer offering before eating the grain of Israel. This has been widely recognized by Jewish Bible commentators throughout history, such as the 11th Century rabbi Rashi who explains on Joshua 5:11, “morrow of the Passover is the day of the waving of the omer.”

Joshua 5:11 is saying that the first Omer offering in the Land of Israel was brought on the “morrow of the Passover.” Immediately after this, the Children of Israel were permitted to eat of the new crops of the Land. For the first time, the Israelites pulled out their sickles and ate of the good bounty of their new homeland.

To understand the phrase “morrow of the Passover” we need to define two terms: “morrow” and “Passover.” The Hebrew word for “morrow” is mi-mocharat which refers to “the morning after.” In the phrase “morrow of the Sabbath” it describes Sunday morning, the morning after the 24-hour Sabbath.

Today we commonly refer to the Feast of Unleavened Bread as “Passover.” However, in the Hebrew Bible, the term “Passover” (Pesach) always refers to the Pascal sacrifice. The “morrow of the Passover” is the morning after the Passover sacrifice. The sacrifice was slaughtered at twilight at the end of the 14th day of the First Hebrew Month (Nissan) and eaten on the evening that began the 15th day of the First Hebrew Month (see Exodus 12:18; Deuteronomy 16:4). The morrow of the Passover is therefore the morning of the 15th day of the First Hebrew Month.

Confirmation of the meaning of the phrase “morrow of the Passover” can be found in a verse in the Book of Numbers:

“And they traveled from Ramesses in the first month on the fifteenth of the month; on the morrow of the Passover the Children of Israel went out with a high hand in the eyes of all Egypt.” – Numbers 33:3

This verse describes the day of the Exodus from Egypt as both the 15th of the First Hebrew Month and as the “morrow of the Passover.”

What all this means is that the first Omer offering in Israel took place on the 15th day of the First Hebrew Month. The first year that the Israelites entered Canaan, the 14th of the First Hebrew Month must have fallen out on a Sabbath so that the 15th of that month was a Sunday. In that year, the “morrow of the Passover” happened to also be the “morrow of the Sabbath,” what we call “Sunday morning.” This proves the Pharisee interpretation of Leviticus 23:15 to be wrong. According to the Pharisees, the Omer offering could only be brought on the morning of the 16th of the First Hebrew Month, but in the year that the Israelites entered Canaan, they brought the sacrifice one day earlier.

The great 12th Century rabbinical Bible commentator Ibn Ezra mentions a “Roman sage” who brought Joshua 5:11 as proof for the Pharisee interpretation. According to this Roman rabbi, Joshua 5:11 is no less than the silver bullet, the irrefutable proof for the Pharisee position. This Roman rabbi argued that since Passover begins on the 15th of the First Hebrew Month (Nissan), the “morrow of the Passover” must be the 16th. This is exactly when the Pharisees believe the Omer offering is supposed to be brought, on the 16th of the First Hebrew Month. If the Israelites brought the Omer on the 16th day of the First Hebrew Month in the year they entered the Land of Israel, argues the Roman rabbi, it proves that the Pharisees are correct in beginning the 50-day count to Shavuot on the 16th.

According to Ibn Ezra, bringing up Joshua 5:11 was a disaster for the Pharisee position:

“[The Roman Rabbi] did not know that it cost him his life, for the Passover is on the fourteenth and its morrow is the fifteenth, and so it is written, “And they traveled from Ramesses in the first month, etc.” (Numbers 33:3). Eating parched grain is forbidden until the waving of the Omer.”

Desperate to salvage the situation, Ibn Ezra proposes a novel re-interpretation of Joshua 5:11. Previous rabbis understood this verse to describe the Israelites eating the new grain of the Land of Israel, which only becomes permissible each year after the Omer offering is brought (Leviticus 23:14). The time between harvest and the Omer offering might be anywhere for a few hours to a couple of weeks. During this interim period, the new grain must be stored and only old grain may be eaten, that is, grain from a previous year’s harvest. Since the Israelites were new in the Land of Israel, they did not have any grain from previous years. They had been wandering in the desert eating Manna for 40 years. As soon as they entered the Land, they harvested the grain they found growing in the fields of Jericho. They then waved the Omer, the first sheaf of the harvest, making all their new harvest permissible to eat and began the 50-day count to Shavuot.

From Ibn Ezra’s perspective, the Israelites did this one day too early, on the morning of the 15th day of the First Hebrew Month. According to the Pharisees, the Omer must always be brought on the 16th day of the First Hebrew Month. Ibn Ezra’s ingenious solution to this embarrassing biblical fact of history is to add the word “old” to Joshua 5:11. If the Israelites ate “old grain,” that is, grain harvested in a previous year, then the verse has nothing to do with the Omer offering or the 50-day count to Shavuot.

Ibn Ezra’s new interpretation was highly influential, more than most people realize. When Christian scholars started translating the Bible into English, they went to Jewish rabbis to learn the Hebrew language. When it came to Joshua 5:11, the rabbis told the Christian translators to add the word “old” to the verse. More precisely, they told them that the word “grain,” in Hebrew avur, actually means “old grain.” As a result, Ibn Ezra’s novel interpretation is reflected in the most famous English translation of all time, the King James Version:

And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. Joshua 5:11 –King James Version

A scan of the original 1611 King James Version is reproduced at the top of this page.

Most translations do not employ the Ibn Ezra translation trick of adding the word “old.” This is true for both Christian and Jewish translations. Here are a few examples:

“On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain.” New Revised Standard Version

The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain.” New International Version

“And they did eat of the produce of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes and parched corn, in the selfsame day.” Jewish Publication Society 1917

“On the day after the passover offering, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the country, unleavened bread and parched grain.” Jewish Publication Society 1985

“And they ate of the grain of the land on the morrow of the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched grain on this very day.” Judaica Press

These translations were made by people who read Hebrew and they knew that the word “old” was simply not there. The Christian translators of the King James Version, on the other hand, did not know this and took someone else’s word for it.

Ibn Ezra himself must have known that adding “old” to the verse was not the correct linguistic interpretation. In his introduction to his commentary on the Torah, Ibn Ezra declares that the rules of language and grammar must be bent to fit rabbinical interpretation when it affects practical religious observance. Adding the word “old” to Joshua 5:11 is a clear example of bending the rules of the language. Ibn Ezra reveals his true understanding when he points out in response to the Roman rabbi, “Eating parched grain is forbidden until the waving of the Omer.” He only mentions the “parched grain” from Joshua 5:11 and not the “unleavened bread” because he knows it disproves the very thing the Pharisees wanted to prove.

“Parched grain,” in Hebrew kali, refers to nearly ripe grain that is still slightly moist. The farmers would harvest this moist grain early and parch it in fire to make it crunchy and delicious. Parched grain could only come from a freshly harvested crop, not from old grain! Joshua 5:11 says the Israelites ate “parched grain” on the morrow of the Passover, on the morning of the 15th day of the First Hebrew Month. The “unleavened bread” could theoretically have come from the old grain, as Ibn Ezra suggested, but the parched grain had to be new grain. Year-old moist grain would go bad, so parched grain could only be “new” grain from that year’s harvest. This new crop would be forbidden to eat until the waving of the Omer, which took place on the “morrow of the Passover,” which Ibn Ezra knew from Numbers 33:3 was the morning of the 15th day of the month. That first year in the Land of Israel, the Israelites ate the new grain and began the 50-day count to Shavuot on the 15th of the First Hebrew Month. This was one day too early for the rabbinical reckoning, which is why Ibn Ezra says that bringing Joshua 5:11 into the discussion of the timing of Shavuot cost the Roman rabbi his life – figuratively speaking, of course.

One technical point to consider is that the word “morrow” is the operative term in the phrase the “morrow of the Sabbath.” Joshua 5:11 makes it clear that the “morrow” has to be during the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Sabbath itself might actually precede these seven days, as it did that first year the Israelites entered the Land of Israel.

In ancient times, the Pharisee Shavuot would coincide with the Biblical Shavuot about once every seven years. This would happen whenever the First Hebrew Month began with the sighting of the new moon on a Friday night. In years such as these, the 16th day of the month would be both the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the morrow of the weekly Shabbat. The modern rabbinical calendar established by Hillel II in 359 CE calculates the beginning of the month using the dark moon, making this a less common scenario.

After being shown the above answer, I had to know how much wind was needed to form such large hail.