Passover and the Barley Harvest !

 

Time to Prepare for Passover !

Dear Friends,

We’re glad to be back from our 2nd Barley Inspection of the season, and want to thank the Creator for His protection, and all of you, for your heartfelt prayers and support.

The purpose of this inspection was to determine whether the barley in the Plains of Jericho (Joshua 5:10-12), became Aviv by the10th of this Biblical Month (21 March 2024). The reason being, that some understand Chodesh HaAviv to be the month in which the barley becomes Aviv intime for Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread). This understanding is based on the fact that the barley is described as being Aviv at Chag HaMatzot (Ex 9:31, Lev 23:10, Joshua 5:10-12), that Yom HaNafat HaOmer (The Day of the Wave Sheaf Offering) is when the sickle begins on the standing grain (Dt16:9), and that we’re supposed to bring the reshit (first) of our harvest to the Priest (Lev 23:10) at this time.

Just to remind you, Aviv Barley is when the barley has finished developing (Ex 9:31,Ex 23:15, Lev 23:10, Lev 23:14, Dt 16:9, Dt 16:16-17, Joshua 5:10-12), however there’s still a lot of moisture remaining in the seeds. Therefore, if one were to harvest at this stage, the heads (that’s the top part of the stalk that holds the seeds), would either need to be left in the sun to finish drying, or they can be dried immediately by parching them with fire (Lev 2:14, Lev 23:14,Joshua 5:10-12, Rut 2:14, 1 Samuel 17:17, 1 Samuel 25:18, 2 Samuel 17:28).

We carried out this inspection on 20 March 2024, which was the 9th day of the Biblical Month. We focused our inspection on the Plains of Jericho (Joshua 5:10-12), which is today referred to as the Jordan Valley, because we know that the barley should be Aviv by Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread) in this region(Joshua 5:10-12). You are invited to watch the video of us testing the seeds on the inspection.

JORDAN VALLEY 00:10 - Field #1 - Planted This planted field was in the worm stage. The farmer had smushed the stalks into bundles, presumably he plans on cutting them soon for silage. 03:40 - Field #2 - Volunteer This volunteer field is right across the street from Field #1, and was also in the worm stage. 06:29 - Field #3 - Planted This planted field had mostly empty seeds, with a few in the worm and Aviv stages. 16:39 - Field #4 - Volunteer This volunteer field is right across the street from Field #3, and was mostly empty, with a few in the worm and Aviv stages. 19:36 - Field #5 - Planted This planted field had a lot of empty and worm stage seeds.

SDE TRUMOT (Just North of the Jordan Valley) 27:13 - Field #6 - Volunteer This volunteer field had mostly empty seeds with a few in the worm and Aviv stages. 33:38 - Field #7 - Planted This planted field had a lot of empty seeds with a few in the worm and Aviv stages.

Those of you who have been following our reports for a while, know that we tend not to share when we plan on beginning the year. Instead, we provide this first-hand reliable report on the development of the barley, along with some Bible passages for your consideration. We hope this report has been helpful to you in deciding when to begin the year, and remember, it’s important to begin the year in the month which you believe to be Chodesh HaAviv (Ex 13:3-4, Ex 23:15, Ex 34:18, Dt 16:1), regardless of what month you may currently be in, as one’s understanding is constantly increasing.

As the barley is going to continue ripening very quickly now, we don’t see a need to carry out more Barley Inspections this season. However, we are looking forward to being in touch with you again as we get closer to the upcoming New Moon Observation (9 April 2024). Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and social media platforms, so you receive the information regarding the upcoming New Moon Observation, as soon as it comes out.

We want to once again thank the Creator for His protection, and all of you, for your heartfelt prayers and support. And a special thanks to everyone who participated in this Barley Inspection with us. You not only served as a witness to the state of the barley, but also shared many valuable observations and insights, which contributed to its overall success. That being said, the observations, interpretations, and opinions presented in this report, are those of Devorah Gordon, and may or may not represent those of the other participants on this inspection.

If you have a question regarding the Biblical Calendar, feel free to send it to us and we’ll do our best to try and answer it in a future newsletter. All of our answers are based on relevant Biblical verses, what we’ve seen in the Land over the past few decades, and much study and prayer.

Together we can restore the Biblical Calendar!