בס”ד
The Jewish New Year
Rosh Hashanah, the 1st of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, is the true New Year, the birthday of the universe, the day that G-d created Adam and Eve. How does the Hebrew date of Rosh Hashanah correspond to the secular calendar? Well, for example, this year, Rosh Hashanah was celebrated beginning at sunset of the 15th of September and continued until nightfall on 17 September. That was the day on wich the New Year of 5785 started.
Rosh Hashanah is important for all human beings because this is the day that G-d judges everyone, as we read in the Mishnah Rosh HaShanah 1:2
On Rosh HaShanah, all creatures pass before Him like sheep [benei maron], as it is stated: “He Who fashions their hearts alike, Who considers all their deeds” (Psalms 33:15)
The judgment on Rosh Hashanah, is more of a moral/religious judgment.[1]
The Torah’s yearly cycle is important for the whole world because it makes us aware of the time plan G-d has with the world: how long it will exist, and when the world as we know it today will be changed because the Messiah will be revealed, and a new spiritual era will begin.
The Western “New Year” on January 1st
The Gregorian solar calendar, widely used for civil affairs worldwide, took years to be universally adopted. For example, in the Netherlands, this transition spanned from 1583 to 1701, while Japan switched in 1873, Russia in 1918, and Saudi Arabia in 2016.[2]
This calendar, proclaimed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, improved upon the Julian-Roman Calendar, still utilized in Eastern Orthodox churches today. The Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC, was a Roman adaptation of the Egyptian calendar, which featured three seasons, divided into four months of 30 day each, which were again divided into three decades. Five more days were added to these 360 days, so that the year has 365 days. Alexander the Great promoted this Egyptian calendar throughout the Mediterranean region.
The Romans, in 153 BC, added two months before March and shifted the new year’s celebration to January, named after the two-faced god Janus, who was the Roman god of beginnings. He had two faces, allowing him to look back into the past and forward into the future. Emperor Julian made slight changes, primarily renaming the months. Besides the political significance of starting the year on January 1, as it marked the consuls’ assumption of office in Rome, the Roman influence is evident in month names. For instance, September, October, November, and December, although now representing the ninth to twelfth months, were originally named for their positions in the Roman calendar (7th, 8th, 9th and 10th). [3] Despite the year beginning on Jan 1, March 25 remained New Year’s Day for many Christians, celebrating the Annunciation.
Dionysius Exiguus, a Scythian monk commissioned by Pope Joannes I in 525 BCE, devised the Western calendar, separating Easter from the Jewish Passover, to create a new Easter table. [4] This was because the Pope did not want to be dependent on having to ask the Jews when to celebrate Easer. The sentiment was expressed in The Council of Nicea as follows:
The new calender separated the celebration of Easter from the Jewish Passover, stating, “For it is unbecoming beyond measure that on this holiest of festivals we should follow the customs of the Jews”[5]
Thus,many Christian countries initially marked the new year on Easter. Over time, Western European[6] nations shifted to January 1 even before adopting the Gregorian calendar.
Celebrating the First of January
Because the Torah’s year doesn’t start on January 1st, there is no specific reason to celebrate that date; in fact, it is a somber date for the Jews. Below are some examples of events that occurred on January 1st.
- 1577 Pope Gregory XIII decreed that all Roman Jews, under pain of death, must listen attentively to the compulsory Catholic conversion sermon given in Roman synagogues after Friday night services.
- 1578 Gregory signed into law a tax forcing Jews to pay for the support of a ‘House of Conversion’ to convert Jews to Christianity.
- 1581 Gregory ordered his troops to confiscate all sacred literature from the Roman Jewish community. Thousands of Jews were murdered in the campaign.[7]
- 1791, Russian ruler Catherine the Great established the Pale of Settlement, an area in the western part of her empire which became the only district in Russia’s vast empire where Jews were permitted to live.
- 1798, all Hebrew language books began to be censored in Russia.
- 1807, Russia’s Czar Alexander I introduced wide-ranging new laws governing what Jews could do and how they could be educated and earn their livings.
- 1939, all Jews in Germany had to add the names Sarah (for women) and Israel (for men) to their names. They also had to start carrying identity cards with them at all times.
- 1940, Jews were forbidden from gathering for prayer, either in synagogues or in private homes, in Nazi-controlled lands.[8]
Since the true New Year does not fall on January 1, “New Year’s Eve” does not fall on Dec 31. This evening is called “Sylvester” in German-speaking countries and in Poland, and not without reason. Sylvester I was the 33rd pope of the Roman Catholic Church who died on this date and the evening on which he is commemorated. This pope played a major role in making Christianity a state religion and shaping the Council of Nicea, which led to major negative consequences for the Jewish people.
Sylvester and the Council of Nicea
Not much is known about him, but Sylvester I presided over the Catholic Church during a crucial period in its history. It is said, for instance, that he cured Constantine of leprosy, which prompted Constantine to convert to Christianity and be baptized just before his death.
Additionally, Sylvester played a significant role in the formulation of the final declaration of the Council of Nicaea in the year 325. Although he could not attend in person due to his advanced age, he sent his legates, who held the foremost position among the subscribers to its decrees, preceding the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch.[9]
The Council of Nicaea produced the Nicene Creed, a statement of the most important Christian doctrines, which directly contradicts the 13 Jewish principles of faith as outlined by Maimonides, such as the belief in one G-d. Furthermore, as mentioned above, this council established the date of Easter, explicitly rejecting the Oral Torah.[10]
Christianity and Judaism were therefore opposed from that point onwards as we can see in the following decree that was issued after the Council:
We wish to make it known to the Jews and their elders and their patriarchs that if, after the enactment of this law, any one of them dares to attack with stones or some other manifestation of anger, another who has fled their dangerous sect and attached himself to the worship of G-d [Christianity], he must speedily be given to the flames and burnt together with all his accomplices. Moreover, if any one of the population should join their abominable sect and attend their meetings, he will bear with them the deserved penalties. (Laws, Oct. 18, 325-J. R. Marchus, The Jew in the Medieval World, p.4)[11]
All of this let to pogroms, persecutions of Jews, murder, and blood libels even to the modern day. In short, new year celebrations have historically brought disaster upon the Jewish people, which makes New Year’s Eve/Sylvester and New Year’s Day no cause for celebration
By Angelique Sijbolts
With Thanks to Rabbi Tani Burton for his feedback
Sources:
[1] English Explanation of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:2:1
[2] Gregoriaanse kalender
[3] Juliaanse kalender
[4] Waar komt onze jaartelling vandaan?
[5] Lets Get Biblical Volume 1 p. 7
[6] The official start of the year on January 1 gradually spread to different regions:- 1522: Republic of Venice – 1544: Holy Roman Empire (Germany) – 1556: Spain, Portugal – 1559: Prussia, Sweden – 1564: France – 1576: Southern Netherlands – 1579: Lorraine – 1583: Republic of the Seven United Netherlands – 1600: Scotland – 1700: Russia – 1721: Tuscany – 1752: Great Britain (excluding Scotland) and its colonies.
[7] Sylvester Night is not a holiday
[8] January 1: Five Jewish Facts
[9] St. Sylvester
[10] Lets Get Biblical Volume 1 p. 282-283 by Rabbi Tovia Singer
[11] Lets Get Biblical Volume 1 p. 7 by Rabbi Tovia Singer
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