I found this in Wikipedia about November 21: “164 BCE – Judas Maccabeus . . . rededicates the Temple in Jerusalem, an event that is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah (25 Kislev 3597 in the Hebrew calendar).” For those of you who keep careful check on holidays, this statement seems a little odd because Hanukkah this year takes place from December 25 to January 2, thus coinciding with Christmas. So why does the Wikipedia article mention November 21? Because in 164 BCE (Hebrew year 3597) the date of 25 Kislev was November 21. Confused?

The problem is that the Hebrew calendar has months based on cycles of the moon with the result that the Hebrew year turns out to be only 354 days long. Every two or three years it adds an extra month to bring it closer to the solar year of 365¼ days–more or less. That makes the dates for Hanukkah move all over the place from November to January. A similar problem of moon cycles is what causes Easter to move around every year.

Telling time from celestial phenomenon is a common Biblical topic. “You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting” (Psalm 104:19. Think about the meaning of that verse where cultures surrounding Israel thought of the sun and moon as deities. Hah! Says the Psalmist. Those aren’t gods. They’re only lights the real God made for telling time. God invented time. Who would imagine that calendars reveal the glory of God? What time is it? God’s time.

Read Genesis 1:14-19 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne