Hi Everyone,

Those of us who grow gardens and farm farms will need to know when the Shemittah (Sabbatical) year is!  The current opinion is based on the work of Benedict Zuckermann from the 1800’s. Popular sentiment is that the last Shemittah was Tishri 1, 2007 to Tishri 1, 2008. However, Zuckermann’s opinion which is based on Maimonides is not the only Jewish view of the matter. Seder Olam gives another Shemittah year. If you work it out, then Tishri 1, 2006 to Tishri 1 2007 is the Shemittah year. Rashi gives another opinion, which yield the year before that, but it is not too likely. And then there is the modern view of Ben Zion Wacholder, where the Shemittah year would be 2008-2009, but this again is not too likely.< The only serious candidates are R. Jose Halaphta’s view in Seder Olam (ca. 165 A.D.) and Maimonides view (1100’s A.D.) adopted by Zuckermann in the 1800’s.

Now I have definite reasons for preferring the Seder Olam option. It just so happens to work with the Daniel 9 proof that Yeshua is the Messiah. Daniel 9:24-27 predicts that from the rebuilding of Jerusalem there would by 7 sabbatical years (called sevens) and 62 sabbatical years. After the 62 sabbatical years the text predicts Yeshua would be ‘cut off’, which means die for our sins.

Now Jerusalem was rebuilt in the summer of 444 B.C. According to the Halaphta cycle, the summer of 444 B.C. was a shemittah year. So if we count 7 and 62 from there we find that the year 32 to 33 A.D. was a Shemittah. Yeshua was cut off after the 62^nd Shemittah. Therefore, in A.D. 34.

Now I know that a lot of Evangelicals like to place Yeshua’s death in A.D. 33, but this is not necessary. A.D. 34 could also be the year. In fact, this year was chosen by Sir Isaac Newton! Newton was great scholar. Also the Jewish scholar Solomon Zeitlin picked A.D. 34 for Yeshua’s death, even though he did not believe in Yeshua. Needless to say, a lot of discussions and lists don’t even mention that A.D. 34 is within the range of historical dates possible.

But if we are willing to admit this possibility, then the 7 sabbatical periods and 62 sabbatical periods will fit exactly between Nehemiah’s building of the wall’s of Jerusalem and Yeshua’s death and resurrection.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Daniel