W

ith the seemingly endless array of Bible-based articles, newsletters and other publications currently available on the Internet, there is a veritable "information overload" of sorts when it comes to searching for various Bible-related topics.  Since there is already an abundance of Bible-related topics to choose from, you can well imagine that one could devote his or her full time to reading these studies.  June and I have added our share of studies to cyberspace, some of which are very lengthy.  Indeed, some topics require lengthy explanations to provide in-depth answers.  On this page, however, we want to keep things as "short and sweet" as possible.  While we primarily gear our writings to those who share our understanding that the Torah is relevant for believers today, anyone is welcome to read and offer feedback; however, due to our schedules, we cannot guarantee a quick turn-around response time.  We invite you to direct all correspondence to seekutruth at aol dot com.

Newsletter #22  

Calendrical Hypocrisy

By Larry and June Acheson

06/18/2018

Updated 06/01/2024

 

I

 really didn't want to compose this article because I try to focus on our quest for truth instead of imputing motives to those who don't arrive at the same conclusions we do. Nevertheless, in the spring of 2018 an example of what we feel is blatant hypocrisy surfaced within the leadership ranks of the Sacred Name Movement and blatant hypocrisy needs to be exposed, especially when the guilty party doesn't respond to our probing inquiry. I figured after two weeks of not answering my inquiry, the group in question just wasn't going to respond. And now, after nearly six years, I am persuaded that my suspicion is confirmed. As the title of this article suggests, the hypocrisy has to do with the calendar; specifically, the reckoning of the Scriptural year. My wife and I are currently persuaded that the Scriptural new year begins with the sighting of the waxing crescent moon on or after the vernal equinox. After having been criticized by various believers who are persuaded the Scriptural year begins with the sighting of the waxing crescent moon after green ears of barley are found in Israel, June and I composed two studies explaining our position, Balancing the Calendar and Balancing the Calender II. In this update to our original 2018 commentary, I not only expose a group that doesn't even go by their own plain instruction, but I am pleased to report about another well-known believer who stays true to her conviction and understands that she may have "jumped the gun" in previous years.

     The Scriptural year is now well underway in 2024, and Pentecost, the way we count to it, is nearly two weeks away. The way in which this year began has been unusual in several ways. First, it was a controversial year in that there was a question as to whether or not we should begin the new Scriptural year with the new moon sighted in March or if we should wait a month. For those of us who understand that Yahweh's holy days are still as special to Him today as they were thousands of years ago, properly determining the timing of those holy days is paramount. We had to decide whether or not to go with the "early feast" held in early April or the "late feast" held in early May. For those who go by the green ears of barley reports from Israel, there were some internal questions as to whether or not the barley was sufficiently ripe. The condition of the barley crop plays an important role in that the ancient Israelite priests were required to wave a sheaf of the firstfruits of the barley crop before Yahweh on the morrow after the sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Obviously, if there was no ripe barley to be found, there could not have been a Wave Sheaf Offering.

     This year has also been unusual because in years past, controversial years such as this one have led to some "smack talking," including claims from those who go by the green ears of barley in Israel that the stage of barley crop for the late feast-keepers had by that time become so ripe that the seeds were already falling from the heads and the plants were re-seeding themselves. For those who didn't know any better, such scare tactics probably worked. But there were no such scare tactics in the spring of 2018, at least none that I was aware of, and I was definitely paying attention. I would say the reason for holding back from the scare tactics this year was due to the next unusual scenario that needs to be factored into the agricultural/meteorological equation for 2018: It was definitely a "late year." By that I mean winter seemed to linger longer than usual. Here in Texas this obvious fact was a constant mantra of the weather forecasters on TV. I don't usually need to wear a jacket to work in the month of April, but this year a jacket was needed nearly every day of the month. But it wasn't just Texas that was experiencing a winter that didn't want to go away; my brother, who farms in midwestern Illinois, texted me a photo of the scene outside his home on April 9th -- a landscape shrouded in snow. He privately told me he couldn't remember a year when winter hung on as long as it did this year. I also visited with an individual from the state of Wisconsin who told me that although they were accustomed to snow, they weren't accustomed to it snowing so late in the year--they were anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring, even though it had already technically arrived. Reports of this nature (pardon the pun) were not limited to the Midwest; late-season snowstorms also plagued the northeast region of the US.

     With so many feastkeepers enduring wintry conditions during the bulk of their spring feast, it isn't all that surprising that they backed off on the smack talk this year. I'm not really interested in putting down the beliefs of sincere believers, so I don't really understand some of the comments we've heard from various individuals who disagree with our views on this topic. This being said, when obvious contradictions and/or missteps are exhibited, someone really needs to speak out about it. So here goes ....

     In the April-May 2018 edition of Sacred Name newsletter Beginning Anew (which we received in early March), the group alerted its readers to be on the lookout for the upcoming "critical" new moon because IF the barley was to be seen in Jerusalem, then that upcoming new moon would mark the countdown to Passover. The contingency about barley being seen in Jerusalem as the criterion for using the upcoming new moon to begin the countdown to Passover was intriguing to us because most groups claiming to go by the "green ears of barley" as observed prior to the new moon sighting are content to go with barley anywhere within the state of Israel. The problem with the "anywhere in Israel" method is that, according to the only historical record we're aware of, the barley used for the Wave Sheaf Offering was local barley -- grown within a short distance of the temple. It also stands to reason that they wouldn't have brought in barley from 20 miles away while the local barley was still too young and tender to even consider harvesting for anything other than hay.

     Knowing that the Sacred Name group that published the Beginning Anew newsletter wouldn't count the upcoming new moon as the first month of the new year if there wasn't sufficiently ripe barley in Jerusalem, we took a keen interest in the barley reports from Israel. Unlike previous years, the reports were not easy to come by. Finally, we received a report from a man named Brian Convery, who runs the "Abib of God" website. We have no idea who Brian is, but upon examining some of his beliefs, we know we have little in common with him, including whether or not we honor Yahweh by referring to Him as "God." Nevertheless, I was impressed by his sincere desire to deliver accurate reports of the state of the barley crop in Israel. Although the state of the barley crop in Jerusalem has no bearing on whether or not Brian would declare the new month "Abib" (the first month of the Scriptural year), he nevertheless examined barley in that area in addition to points well to the south. The answer: There was no "abib barley" in the Jerusalem area. Brian described the barley in the Jerusalem area as being "very young." Nevertheless, since the barley was sufficiently ripe in areas well to the south, Brian gave the "thumbs up" for declaring the month of abib with the sighting of the upcoming new moon. Here's a link to the pertinent portion of the video.

     So the barley was not sufficiently ripe in the Jerusalem area prior to the sighting of the new moon in March 2018. Shortly after watching Brian's video telereport of the barley in Israel, we received a confirmation of the same from Devorah's Date Tree, a newsletter sent out by Devorah Gordon. We thus had two witnesses that the barley in Jerusalem was NOT "Abib barley." Here's a screenshot of Devorah Gordon's "Barley Report":

     The combination of Brian Convery's report and the one above from Devorah Gordon effectively serves as two witnesses affirming that there was not "Aviv barley" in Jerusalem prior to the sighting of the new moon over Israel in March 2018.   The next question was, "In view of the above reports, would the Sacred Name group referenced above -- who specifically mentioned the need for there to be "Abib barley" in Jerusalem prior to the sighting of the March new moon—would they thus postpone their Passover/Unleavened Bread observance for one month?  We checked their web site and to our dismay, we found that they had decided to go with the "early feast." That's right, even though the barley in Jerusalem was too young to be considered "Abib barley," the Sacred Name group went with the early feast anyway. No explanation—it's just what they did.  On May 7th, as our "late feast" was about to end, I e-mailed the lead elder a request about the "Jerusalem Abib barley" report they had apparently received.  He never replied and yes, I checked my "spam" folder.

     We go into more details about this group's decision in the latest revision to our study "Balancing the Calendar II." See chapter VI, "Calendrical Hypocrisy." It seems that all our lives June and I have witnessed the sad effects of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a form of lying—pretending to hold a certain view dear, then caving when that view becomes inconvenient. I still remember how disappointed June and I were when, many years ago after persuading our Sundaykeeping pastor to discontinue passing the offering plate, he reinstated the practice after noticing a drop in donations. It was amazing to witness his agreement that our Creator loves a cheerful giver, but when a collection plate is passed around, many give out of guilt because they don't want their peers to think they don't want to give. We ourselves have often given out of peer pressure instead of out of the love that should have inspired the giving in the first place. Nevertheless, in spite of agreeing with our observation, the pastor quietly reinstated the passing of the offering plates, not because he changed his mind about giving from a cheerful heart, but because he was concerned about his financial "bottom line." Money is such a motivator! Is money the reason why the Sacred Name group decided to overlook their "critical" criterion of not declaring the new moon IF the barley in Jerusalem wasn't sufficiently ripe?

     Why did they state one thing, then practice another?

 

2024 Update: An Influencer Catches On—While Others Perpetuate Confusion and Discord

     I was pleasantly surprised in Spring 2024 when I found out the believer named Devorah Gordon, referenced above, ignored the regular "green ears of barley" crowd¹ by going with the April new moon sighting to start the new Scriptural year instead of the March one. In an April 9, 2025 posting to her Facebook page (facebook.com/datetree), Devorah questioned the status of the barley crop near Jerusalem and decided to go with the "later" start to the new year. I'm supplying a PDF file of her full report here.  Although I do not fully agree with her method of determining when a new year begins—which I feel is based on an arbitrary view of the barley crop status—I am nevertheless very impressed with Devorah Gordon's turnaround from her 2018 report referenced above. Over the years, the Aviv barley reporters have given me the impression that they want to be the first to not only sight the new moon, but also issue their "official" report that they've found "Aviv barley" in Israel. And of course, if you travel south of Jerusalem and venture into the Negev region where it's considerably warmer, you will find a more mature barley crop than you will in the area surrounding Jerusalem. And that's precisely what Devorah Gordon did in 2018, ignoring the immature crop up in the plains of Jericho. In her 2024 report, she limited her search to the plains of Jericho. It was on the plains of Jericho that Joshua and the Israelites celebrated their first Passover upon entering the Promised Land.  If the state of the barley crop must be the only criterion for determining when the first month of the year begins, it most certainly would have been at the proper level of maturity in the plains of Jericho at the time of the Israelites' Passover celebration. It would likely have been at the mature stage a month earlier in the Negev region. The plains of Jericho are actually a bit north of Jerusalem.

     In her 2024 report, Devorah Gordon outlined three barley inspections, the first of which was on March 7, 2024, just prior to the new moon observation of March 11th. The barley fields at that time had just finished flowering, and the heads were only beginning to develop. Her report had no bearing on other groups' decision-making process, as I soon found out several groups are willing to accept any report of Aviv barley, regardless of where in Israel it's found. Here's the annual "plea for assistance" from Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah's Beginning Anew April-May newsletter (which was obviously sent prior to the March new moon sighting):

     Again, based on Devorah Gordon's 2024 report, the barley crop in the area surrounding Jerusalem could not have been sufficiently mature in time for their Passover observance.  Sadly, contrary to their plain instruction that green ears of barley "must" be seen in Jerusalem to make that month (March) the first month of the Scriptural year, the barley seeds had only begun developing and could not have been sufficiently ripe in time for Passover. Moreover, Devorah's second inspection was carried out on March 20th, five days prior to the early Passover memorial. Per Devorah, "It had been pouring [rain] the days prior, and we found one field which was in the early dough stage, and the rest of the fields had mostly empty heads, with a few stalks which were in the early dough and Aviv stages." Clearly, they could not have been sufficiently ripe in time for a March Passover. Nevertheless, groups such as The Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, PA and Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah, Rocheport, MO, went with reports from the Negev region. Here's their Passover/Unleavened Bread report, as lifted from their June-July 2024 Beginning Anew newsletter:    

     I once again ask, "Why did they state one thing, then practice another?"

     I commend Devorah Gordon's integrity in determining to do the right thing insofar as staying true to her beliefs. Truly, if one must go with the first month following a general state of "Aviv barley" for beginning the new Scriptural year, that "Aviv barley" needs to be in or around the plains of Jericho, where the Israelites' first Promised Land Passover was celebrated. Those who wish to "jump the gun" will either continue searching for green ears of barley in more temperate regions or find alternate ways to justify their early reports of "aviv barley."²  I also admire how Devorah, in her own writings, exhibits respect for other views while refraining from name-calling.

     As an aside, I have often told others that if these groups truly went with barley that is certain to be ripe in time for Passover, the months that we all commemorate Passover and the other feasts would usually be aligned. It shouldn't be a matter of "Will the barley be sufficiently ripe?"; rather, it should be, "Will the barley be ripe?" My wife and I may have our share of disagreements with Devorah Gordon, but I am encouraged that we at least commemorated the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread on the same dates in 2024.

 

___________________________________

1 By "green ears of barley" crowd, I am referring to those who believe the Scriptural new year does not begin until the sighting of the new moon, which in turn follows the determination that the barley in Israel is sufficiently ripe to be harvest-ready in time for Passover.

2 The other "green ears of barley" adherent referenced here, Brian Convery, who runs the "Abib of God" website, continues the same track he was on in 2018, and in humblebrag fashion dismisses Devorah Gordon's report as follows: "And yes, Devorah has learned the terminology and its application in the field well. Now she only needs to have here [sic] eyes opened to its intended application in scripture. Something to pray about." In view of the fact that there is an ongoing "Spiritual War" within the green ears of barley crowd, as Convery himself concedes, with the various "barley-only" groups observing Passover 2024 in (a) February, (b) March and (c) April, each group certain their understanding is the only one supported by Scripture, this is truly a case of each group going by their interpretation of Scripture and their interpretation of Scripture alone. Elsewhere on his website, Convery lists ten "Witnesses of the Month Abib," none of which are supplied in the Bible as Scriptural "signs of Abib," and two of which are inclusive of historical understanding (condition of the barley crop and fruit of the trees). Historically, however, it was understood that the Scriptural year doesn't begin until the vernal equinox, c.f., Philo, Supplement II, "Questions and Answers on Exodus," translated by Ralph Marcus, Ph.D., Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA:, 1953, pp. 2-3. Convery treats the vernal equinox as having originated within pagan worship, ignoring the possibility (and I would say likelihood) that the pagans borrowed this practice from the righteous patriarchs of Old. Finally, for those who do not agree with Convery's perspective, he invokes Apostolic/Messianic privilege in labeling them such things as "Satan's minions," "confused people," "numbskulls" and "teachers of spiritual stupor," yet he closes his messages with "Our peace we give to you."

Archived Newsletters