The New Moon
The first day of every month, and the anchor from which the whole year is reckoned.
Genesis 1:14 sets the principle: the lights in the firmament are given for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. The moon is appointed for this work, not the sun alone. 1 Samuel 20 shows the new moon kept as the first day of the month, with a feast and an expected place at the king’s table.
Every month of the Israelite calendar therefore begins at the new moon, and every appointed time within that month stands in a fixed relation to it. The calendar of the God of Israel is lunar-solar, anchored to the new moon. No other starting point is scriptural.
How it is kept
The new moon is marked with a service and a feast, the rams’ horns are readied, and bread is blessed and broken among the brethren.