1st of Etanim

1st Etanim (7th month)

THE 1ST OF ETANIM

What is known as the major Jewish holiday of 'Rosh Hashana' is one of the Torah's several Shabbatons [1].

Leviticus 23:24-25 [2] says:

"In the seventh month on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath-type rest ('Shabbaton'); a memorial ('zikron [3]') of sounding trumpets ('teruah' [4]), a holy assembly ('mikrah' [5]). You shall not do any laborious ('avodah' [6]) work ('melechet' [7]) and shall present an offering made by fire to Yehova [8]".

Numbers 29:1 [9] repeats this requirement.

THE LAWS OF THE 1ST OF ETANIM

Leviticus 23:24-25 therefore identify 6 commands concerning the 1st Etanim:

1) A Shabbaton of rest;
2) A memorial;
3) The shofar must be sounded;
4) A holy convocation must be convened;
5) Customary work is prohibited;
6) Offerings are to be presented.

THE 1ST OF ETANIM OFFERINGS

As the 1st of the month, the 1st Etanim is also a Rosh Chodesh [10].

Numbers 29:2-6 [11]:

"As a pleasing aroma to Yehova you are to present a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished, together with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil; three-tenths of an ephah with the bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven male lambs. Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their prescribed grain offerings and drink offerings".

Ezra 3 [12] describes a period after the destruction of the First Temple where the Israelites returned to their towns and started offering sacrifices again on the 1st Etanim.

THE ADDITIONS OF NEHEMIAH THE GOVERNOR TO THE 1ST ETANIM HOLIDAY

In Nehemiah 8:1-3 [13], we are told of an occasion where the people gathered together on the 1st Tishrei in front of the Water Gate. They told Ezra the Priest to bring the Book of the Law of Moses and, "the men and women who could hear with understanding listened".

At the Water Gate convocation, Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites tell the people not to mourn or weep; the Levites tell the people not to grieve and Nehemiah tells the people to, "eat of the abundance ('mashman' [14]) and drink sweetness ('mamtak' [15]) and send portions ('manot' [16]) to those for whom nothing is prepared ('le'en' [17] 'nachon' [18])" (Nehemiah 8:9-11 [19]).

It is important to note that Nehemiah was not a Priest or Prophet but a cup-bearer [20] to King Artaxerxes I and had been appointed Governor ('Hatirshata' [21]) over Judah.

TORAH LAW PROCEDURES

The Torah prescribes a particular system of procedural law that is equally important to its substantive rules [22]. Not every citizen can make public laws; only members of parliament or congress can.

The Torah is the same in this respect. The administration of Jewish Law is assigned exclusively to certain authorised officials only. These officials must keep the Torah and whether or not they merit Divine wisdom on their decisions is res ipsa loquitor (see 'shechina' [23]).

The Torah essentially states that the parties procedurally responsible for managing Jewish Law are the Priests, Levites and Judges [24]. According to these procedures, governors are ordinarily excluded from making Jewish law. It is useful to study the exact conversation that took place with Nehemiah, the Levites, the Priests and the people although a background on Governor Nehemiah will first be presented.

STUDYING NEHEMIAH: A BACKGROUND

The Book of Nehemiah is written by Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah [25]. A second but different Nehemiah, son of Azbuk [26], is mentioned in Nehemiah 3:16 [27];

"Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth-zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Mighty Men [28]".

Nehemiah son of Hacaliah is introduced in Nehemiah 1 as particularly zealous for Torah. He weeps, mourns, fasts and prays for days when he hears that the remnant are in trouble and disgrace and that the wall of Jerusalem is broken and its gates burned (Nehemiah 1:3-4 [29]).

King Artaxerxes notices Nehemiah's fallen countenance and, when the latter asks to be sent to Judah to rebuild it, the king grants his requests, "because the gracious hand of … God was upon [Nehemiah]" (Nehemiah 2:8 [30]).
Nehemiah then begins his legendary mission [31] in Nehemiah 2 [32], where he refers to himself as 'a servant' ('avadav' [33]) of the 'God of Heaven' ('Elohei' [34] 'Hashamayim' [35]). He devises and implements an effective plan, overcomes enemies at every turn and succeeds in rebuilding the wall (Nehemiah 7 [36]). He ensures the people do not fall victim to usury during the famine and conscientiously objects to eating the food allotted to the people;
Nehemiah 5:15-18 [37]:

"The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people but I did not do this because of my fear of God. Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall and all my servants were gathered there for the work; we did not acquire any land. There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations. Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me and once every 10 days an abundance of all kinds of wine was provided".

Nehemiah even had an exchange with Sanballat [38], Tobias [39] and Geshem [40] the Arab in Nehemiah 6 [41] that mirrored that of Elijah the Tishbite [42] and King Ahaziah's men in 2 Kings 1 [43].

When Nehemiah completes the wall, he puts his brother, Hanani, in charge of Jerusalem, "because he was a faithful man who feared Elohim more than most" (Nehemiah 7:2 [44]). In Nehemiah 7:5 [45], he states that 'God put it into his heart' to call an assembly of the nobles ('chor') [46] rulers ('saganim' [47]) and people ('am' [48]). It is after that in Nehemiah 8 that the Water Gate convocation takes place.

NEHEMIAH 8: THE WATER GATE CONVOCATION

The conversation that takes place with Nehemiah, the Levites, the Priests and the people will now be discussed. This occurs in Nehemiah 8:5-12 [49] and Nehemiah's addition to the rules of the 1st Tishrei holiday appear in Nehemiah 8:10 [50].

"Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was standing above them all and as he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed Yehova, the great ('HaGadol' [51]) God and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, 'Amen, Amen!' Then they bowed down and worshiped Yehova with their faces to the ground. The Levites … instructed ('mevinim' [52]) the people in the Law as they stood in their places. So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining ('parash' [53]) it and giving insight ('sekel' [54]) so that the people could understand ('hevinu' [55]) the reading ('mikrah' [56]). Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe and the Levites who were instructing ('hamevinim' [57]) the people said to all of them, "This day is holy to Yehova your God. Do not mourn or weep". For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law.

Then Nehemiah told them, 'Go and eat of the abundance, drink what is sweet and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord ('Adoneinu' [58]). Do not grieve, for the joy of Yehova is your strength'.

And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, 'Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve'. Then all the people began to eat and drink, to send out portions and to rejoice greatly because they understood ('hevinu' [59]) the words that had been made known ('hodiyu' [60]) to them".

NEHEMIAH'S FOUR ADDITIONS

We can see, therefore, that Nehemiah added 4 new requirements to the 1st Etanim observance:

1) Eating of the abundance;
2) Drinking sweetness;
3) Sending portions to those for whom nothing is prepared;
4) Rejoicing greatly.

When investigating these words, I noticed that the concept of 'abundance' had appeared when Isaac was expecting the sumptuous stew from Esav before giving him his birthright blessing (Genesis 27 [61]). 'Sweetness' had been in relation to the bitter waters of Marah when the Israelites had struggled to find water in the desert and Yehova had responded with the miracle of a tree that made the waters sweet (Exodus 15 [62]). It seems as though Nehemiah's devotion to Torah led to Yehova's Spirit resting upon him (Nehemiah 7:5 [63]) and he therefore prophesied the additions to the law as the words of Yehova spoken by a Man of God.

REFERENCES

1. 'Shabbaton': https://biblehub.com/bdb/7677.htm.

2. Leviticus 23:24: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/leviticus/23-24.htm.

3. 'Zikaron': https://biblehub.com/bdb/2146.htm; https://biblehub.com/strongs/hebrew/2146.htm.

4. See 'teruah': https://biblehub.com/bdb/8643.htm. For a video I found on YouTube of a silver temple trumpet, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbrIovlWDcg.

5. 'Mikra': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/mikra_4744.htm.

6. 'Avodah': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/avodah_5656.htm.

7. 'Melechet': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/melechet_4399.htm.

8. For why I write the name of God as Yehova, see: www.israelalia.com/g-ds-name.

9. Numbers 29:1: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/numbers/29-1.htm.

10. IsraelAlia, 'Celebrating the Rosh Chodesh': https://web.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=917607067069333&set=pb.100064601442948.-2207520000&type=3.

11. Numbers 29:1: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/numbers/29-1.htm.

12. Ezra 3: https://biblehub.com/bsb/ezra/3.htm. The Book of Ezra discusses the history of Artaxerxes I and the Jews' attempts to rebuild Jerusalem.

13. Nehemiah 8:1: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/nehemiah/8-1.htm.

14. 'Mashman' https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4924.htm.

15. 'Mamtak': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4477.htm.

16. 'Manot': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/manot_4490.htm.

17. 'Leein': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/leein_369.htm.

18. 'Nachon': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/nachon_3559.htm.

19. Nehemiah 8:9: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/nehemiah/8-9.htm.

20. Nehemiah 1:11: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/nehemiah/1-11.htm.

21. 'Hatirshata': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8660.htm.

22. IsraelAlia, 'Substantive and Procedural Laws': https://www.israelalia.com/substantive-vs-procedural-laws/.

23. 'Shakan': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7931.htm.

24. See IsraelAlia, 'Priests and Judges': https://www.israelalia.com/levites-priests-judges/ and IsraelAlia, 'Other Officials in The Torah': https://www.israelalia.com/procedure-officials-in-the-torah/.

25. 'Hacaliah': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2446.htm.

26. 'Azbuk': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5802.htm.

27. Nehemiah 3:16: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/nehemiah/3-16.htm.

28. 'Gibor': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/haggibborim_1368.htm; https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1368.htm.

29. Nehemiah 1: https://biblehub.com/bsb/nehemiah/1.htm.

30. Nehemiah 2:8: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/nehemiah/2-8.htm.

31. Called 'melacha' in Nehemiah 7:70: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/nehemiah/7-70.htm.

32. Nehemiah 2: https://biblehub.com/bsb/nehemiah/2.htm.

33. 'Avadav': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/avadav_5650.htm.

34. 'Elohei': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/elohei_430.htm.

35. 'Hashamayim': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/hashshamayim_8064.htm.

36. Nehemiah 7: https://biblehub.com/bsb/nehemiah/7.htm.

37. Nehemiah 5:15-18: https://biblehub.com/bsb/nehemiah/5.htm#15.

38. 'Sanballat': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5571.htm.

39. 'Tobias': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2900.htm.

40. 'Gashmu': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1654.htm.

41. Nehemiah 6: https://biblehub.com/bsb/nehemiah/6.htm.

42. 'Tishbi': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8664.htm. It is interesting to note that the 7th month was called 'Tishrei' after the Babylonian exile; see also the comments to this post.

43. 2 Kings 1: https://biblehub.com/bsb/2_kings/1.htm.

44. Nehemiah 7:2: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/nehemiah/7-2.htm.

45. Nehemiah 7:5: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/nehemiah/7-5.htm.

46. 'Chor': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2715.htm.

47. 'Sagan': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5461.htm.

48. 'Am': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5971.htm.

49. Nehemiah 8: https://biblehub.com/bsb/nehemiah/8.htm#5.

50. Nehemiah 8:10: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/nehemiah/8-10.htm.

51. 'HaGadol': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/haggadol_1419.htm.

52. 'Mevinim': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/mevinim_995.htm.

53. 'Parash': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6567.htm.

54. 'Sekel': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/sechel_7922.htm; https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7922.htm.