The Eternal Wisdom Of The Jewish Calendar

In Parashat Re’eh, we’re reminded not just of mitzvot and blessings but also of the sacred systems that govern Jewish life — most notably, our calendar.

According to our mesorah, when the Sanhedrin functioned, the beginning of each month was proclaimed based on the testimony of two witnesses who sighted the new moon. These witnesses would travel to the Beis Din in Yerushalayim, where they were cross-examined thoroughly. If their statements align, Rosh Chodesh would be declared.

But in one famous episode (Rosh Hashanah 25a), Rabban Gamliel overruled public perception when clouds distorted the moon’s appearance. He cited a tradition “from the house of my grandfather” that a new month cannot be declared before 29.5 days and 793 chalakim (roughly 44 minutes and 3.3 seconds) had passed. That exact figure — miraculously handed down since Moshe Rabbeinu — aligns precisely with the modern astronomical calculation of 29.5305941 days, the very figure used by NASA to launch lunar missions.

The genius of the Jewish calendar lies in its perfect harmony between the solar and lunar cycles. Every 19 years, the moon completes 235 revolutions around the earth — and the sun completes 19. This 19-year Metonic cycle is built into our halachic system. Seven out of those 19 years become shana me’uberet — leap years with a 13th month added — ensuring that Pesach always occurs in the spring.

This structure is so precise that Don Yitzchak Abarbanel reports Ptolemy was stunned by it, declaring: “This proves the Jews had prophecy.” Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi writes in the Kuzari that “no amendment has been required” to our calendar — unlike all others, which demanded constant corrections.

The solar eclipse of 1968, traced back to one predicted in 585 BCE by the Greek scholar Thales, provided empirical confirmation: 932,221.9 days had passed — precisely 31,568 lunar months. Dividing the two gives us the same sacred time span Rabban Gamliel cited over 1,900 years earlier.

So why require witnesses at all? That’s a question left unanswered here, but one thing is clear: Our calendar is divinely inspired. It has outlasted empires, remained unaltered for millennia, and still governs the life of klal Yisrael. It is a living miracle — one visible not just in the heavens, but in the enduring faith and unity of the Jewish people.

Parashat Shoftim: Prophets Over Predictions - Trusting In Divine Truth

With the following commandment, the parashah introduces a discussion about prophets:

"When you have come to the land the Lord, your G-d, is giving you, you shall not learn to do like the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire, a soothsayer, a fortune teller, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer; or a charmer, a pithom sorcerer, a yido'a sorcerer, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations, the Lord, your G-d is driving them out from before you. Be wholehearted with the Lord, your G-d" (Devarim 18:9-13).

Why did those nations resort to such practices?

To answer this, we turn to the Rambam, who categorizes fortune tellers and explains their methods. A diviner, Rambam says, may enter a trance to predict future events or offer advice based on illusions or rituals. Some used stones, mirrors, or staff; others manipulated the perception of time (me'onen) or used clever tricks to fool the eye.

The Torah's rejection of these methods is not a denial of human desire to know the future but a redirection. The Torah teaches that we don’t need fortune tellers because Hashem provides true knowledge in its time. As Rashi explains: "Do not inquire of the future; rather, accept whatever happens to you with simplicity... and you will be with Him."

If a Jew needs guidance, the Torah does not point him to sorcery but to prophecy. As the verses continue:

"For these nations... hearken to fortune tellers... but as for you, the Lord, your G-d, has not given you [such practices]. A prophet from among you, from your brothers, like me [Moshe], the L-rd, your G-d will set up for you; you shall hearken to him" (Devarim 18:14-15).

Sadly, today, we have no prophets. But that absence is unnatural. Our people once lived with prophets regularly. Their words were not guesses. They were fulfilled.

How do we test a prophet?

If he claims to speak in G-d's name and it does not come to pass, he is false. But if it does, we must listen.

Prophecies Fulfilled

History confirms the predictions of our prophets. Babylon, the mighty empire, was destroyed exactly as Yirmiyahu prophesied, never to rise again. Jews were exiled from their land as foretold, scattered across the globe. And yet, we returned. Eretz Yisrael has been rebuilt. Torah is again being studied in its cities. These are not coincidences.

Dr. I. Eivin wrote: Imagine seeing Hebrew tiles spelling out Bereishis line by line. If someone says they fell that way by accident, you'd laugh. So too, with the precise fulfillment of Jewish prophecy – it's no accident.

There is a righteous Judge above us. His words come true. The uniqueness of our prophecies lies in their clarity and accuracy. The survival and return of the Jewish people to Eretz Yisrael is living proof.

 Parashat Shoftim is sponsored by Aaron & Natalie Iskhakov