12 Moon or 13 Moons

 

About every third year, we encounter some level of disagreement within Yahusha's body (Covenant people, Israel) over the necessary adjustment of the number of moons for that year.    The “intercalating” (adding) of an extra month is sometimes needed to keep the seasons balanced with the months, so about 7out of every 19 years needs to have 13 months.  The last sitting Sanhedrin set up the standardized method for the calendar, so the only authority to overrule this would be the entire Body of Mashiach.   The added moon (13th month) has to be done sometime, so why not just acknowledge it and do it in unity?   Otherwise, we'll each be doing whatever is right in our own eyes, and observing the moedim (appointed High Sabbaths) at diverse times from one another.   As you may know, there are divisions over this, concerning the sighting of the barley in Israel, when a day begins, when a moon begins, and so on.      

   The first moon of the year arrives when the sun nears the equator, and we begin to see grasses, shrubs, and trees begin to bud. Barley is one of these, but barley alone does not determine when we watch for the first moon;  we are simply told to bring a sheaf of the harvest (the cultivated crop planted) to the priest (SEE LEV. 23:10), and this occurs during the week of Matsah, aka Unleavened Bread.   If each one of us privately interprets how and when to do things  -- as it seems most do  -- people will remain divided.   That's why we must search out the TRUTH of every matter carefully  --  and it's not hard to do.  The brother that's been doing it for thousands of years knows how it's done, but the younger brother, in arrogance, thinks he knows as well.