From the President
Abiyb/Nissan
Abiyb (Abib) is the name of the 1st month established by YaHVaH in Exodus 13:3-4, “Moses [Mosheh] said to the people, “”Remember this day on which you departed from Egypt [Mitzrayim], from the house of bondage, for with a strong hand God [Elohiym] removed you from here, and therefore chametz may not be eaten. Today you are leaving in the month of Abib [Abiyb].” by referencing Exodus 12:1-2, “Hashem [YaHVaH] said to Moses [Mosheh] and Aaron [Aharon] in the land of Egypt [Mitzrayim], saying, “”This month shall be for you the beginning of the months, it shall be for you the first of the months of the year,” (Tanach, Stone edition), words in [ ] are the actual Hebrew words in the text. The meaning of Abiyb is young green ears of grain.
Lubavitch Rabbi Menachem Posner describes in Why Babylonian Names for Jewish Months? that in pre-Babylonian era there were only four months listed in Scripture: Abiyb, Ziv, Eythanim, and Bul. And even these names have been changed to Nissan, Iyyar, Tishrei, and Cheshvan respectively. He further states the Jerusalem Talmud says the names came up from Babylon around 350 BCE.
He concludes with “The original system was to count months in numeric order, starting from Nissan. Thus, any time a person mentioned a month, he was in effect recalling the exodus from Egypt: we are in, say, the sixth month—six months since the month of the Exodus. Thus, the numeric naming served as a constant reminder of our deliverance from Egypt.After we were delivered from Babylonian captivity, however, we started using the names that we became used to using in Babylon. And now, these names served to remind us that G‑d has redeemed us from this second exile.” (© Copyright Chabad.org and Menachem Posner, all rights reserved.)
It is not until the books of Esther and Nehemiah that we see the name of Nissan used for the first month. Esther are during the rule of the Persian King Ahasuerus. Esther 3:7 says, “In the first month, which is the month of Nissan, in the twelfth year of the reign of King Ahauerus, …” (Tanach, Stone edition). Nehemiah is during the rule of King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah 2:1 says, “It happened in the month of Nissan of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was brought before him. I (Nehemiah) carried the wine and gave it to the king. I had never before appeared downcast in his presence” (Tanach, Stone edition).
Today, the Hebrew calendar uses the name Nissan instead of Abiyb. It calls Nissan the 7th month instead of the 1st month.
© Copyright 11/2/2024, Minister Donald H Garrett and Odon Obadyah Ministries, Inc.©
