INSIGHT 5767 - #15 ORDERING TIME The mishna at the beginning of Massechet
Rosh Hashanah1 begins with the famous
words: Arba’ah Roshei Shanah heim,
“There are four New Years…” The mishna
and then the gemara continue with an investigation
of the various yearly cycles and the question upon which
date each cycle begins. T.J. Rosh Hashanah 1:1 and
Tanchuma 1:7 both state that this idea of
different yearly cycles for different concerns is
actually based on the words of Shemot 12:2. The
first of Nisan is to be the first month for you,
for the months of the year – but not for other
matters such as, for example, Shmitta, the seventh
year. The Torah is informing us that the year is to be
seen differently in different contexts. In regard to one
circumstance, the year should be seen as beginning in Tishrei;
in regard to another, it should be seen as beginning in Nisan.
The question is why.
Time is fluid. It is a yardstick that essentially
measures movement. What we often do not recognize is that
how we measure this movement of time can also affect our
understanding of this movement and, thus, our
understanding of life. In Nishma Insight 5767-04: The
Juncture of Humanity and Reality, we investigated
this idea in regard to the unit of time of a day. There
is a difference if we see a day as beginning and ending
at sunset and if we see a day as beginning and ending at
sunrise. How we define the day affects our understanding
of how we move through time and, thus, how we understand
the progression of our life. This idea also applies to
our view of the year. How we see the year and use the
year as a measurement of our own lives will affect our
very understanding of our lives. The different ways of
looking at the yearly cycle, as marked by different
starting points for the year, would thus seem to be
informing us that we should look at the movement of time,
the movement of our lives, in different ways. Time should
not be monolithic. Different issues within life demand
different perspectives. The key to understanding these
different perspectives is how we view the passage of
time, how we structure the movement of the year.
The question is not only how we view the movement of time
over the year. There is clearly a difference in how we
view the year if we consider it beginning in the autumn
versus if we see it beginning in the spring. Years are
also the measurement of time that we use to describe
greater periods of time. In this regard, there is also a
difference whether we mark this greater passage of time
with years beginning in Nisan or years beginning
in Tishrei. There is a difference if we count the years
beginning with Yitziat Mitzrayim, the Exodus, or Bri’at
Olam, Creation.2 Is the focus of our life
to be more nationalistic or universal? A call for both
may be reflected in the parallel different visions we may
have of New Year as prescribed by Halacha. We can
mark the complexity of life in the different ways we can
describe time and the units of time. We can also learn
how to respond to the complexities of life through the
direction the Torah gives us in describing the nature of
a year in differing circumstances. This thought, perhaps, finds its most
powerful expression in giving meaning to the two
different units of a year, i.e. the solar year and the
lunar year. While the lunar year is the dominant
construct of a year for the Jewish People,3
the solar year still finds an influence in the Jewish
calendar through ibur hashanah, the extension of a
year into 13 months in order to maintain a connection
between the months and the seasons. Thus, while we do not
have a unit of a solar year, we do recognize that there
is such a unit. More so, the solar year may actually have
a true halachic representative within the world of
Torah. When we refer to a year that begins with Tishrei,
while the actual makeup of the year is lunar, the
reference, in certain situations, may be to the concept
of a solar year. Any sources, including the Yerushalmi
and Tanchuma referred to above, state that Nisan
is to be the New Year for months but Tishrei is to
be the New Year for years. What does this mean? T.B.
Rosh Hashanah 8a explains that the statement
regarding Tishrei concerns judgement which is to
consider the entire year from beginning to end.4 The
lunar year describes a year that is constructed from 12
months. The solar year describes a year that is then
divided into 12 months. The difference is subtle but
nevertheless important. When we view the lunar year, we
see it as building upon the dominant construct of the
month. It is the month that is the essence. When we view
the solar year, we see it as building upon the dominant
construct of the year. It is the year that is the
essence. The approach to the movement of time, when
viewed from the perspective of the solar calendar, is to
be built upon the unit of a year. Movement is to be seen
in the context of the year. While our understanding of
the movement of time within a Jewish perspective is to
concentrate on movement defined by the month, this gemara
is informing us that din, judgement, is best
understood when viewed in the context of the unit of a
year. The solar year, which is not constructed from
smaller units but represents its own prime whole,
represents this concept. We acknowledge this concept in
referring to our year, our lunar year, beginning with Tishrei. Rashi, Devarim 11:12 simply writes
that on Rosh Hashanah -- Tishrei 1 –
we are judged on what will be at the end of the year.
This gives us an interesting perspective on judgement. Din
does not just concern immediate consequences. It must be
considered in the context of the greater movement of
time. It is the full year that is the context of din,
for the proper evaluation of what happened and the proper
consideration of what to do next have to consider and
reflect the broader movement of time. The year is the
proper unit of time for judgement. Other concepts and
ideas demand a different perspective of time. Jewish
identity, for example, would seem to demand the
perspective of the month; it is living within the context
of the month that ignites our Jewish consciousness. The
method by which we describe time affects us – and so
it should. The different units of time, and the variant
ways we can see each unit, carry with them important
lessons.
Rabbi Benjamin Hecht e-mail Notes (1)
T.B.
Rosh Hashanah 2a. . Return to top |
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