Nisan 1 is the Biblical New Year's day. It marks the beginning of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt at around 1400 BCE. It is a month that helps to mark the national history of the Jews. Nisan is regarded as the first month for the purpose of reckoning months of the year and festivals, in the Jewish calendar. It is worth to note that the Jewish calendar is based on moon cycles. The spiritual New Year starts at the appearance of the first new moon, and hence Nisan 1 is also commonly referred to as the head of the months. In Hebrew, it bears the title Rosh Hodashim, which means "First of the Months." However, the Jewish New Civil Year is in Tishri, which is the seventh month, and that is when the year number is increased.
Years in the Jewish calendar are numbered from creation. Elohim created Adam on Tishri and therefore every 1st of Tishri is a commemoration of God's work of creation of the universe and particularly of Adam. However, redemption of the children of Israel from Egypt did not fall on the month of Tishri but instead fell on a different one (Nisan), which God commanded the Israelites to use for counting the beginning of their months. The month of Nisan serves as a benchmark to reckon the miracle of redemption from slavery in Egypt. That explains why Tishri is the seventh month and not the first one because calculation is done from Nisan. Therefore, since Nisan 1 will be on 21st March 2015 (which will be on a Sabbath), it implies that the Jewish year number will not change. The date for biblical New Year will be written as Nissan/ 1/ 5775 and not Nissan/ 1 /5776!
Observing Nisan 1 reminds us of the first commandment that God gave to the children of Israel as explained in Exodus 12:2 "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you." The significance of Nisan as the first month helps to remind the Jews the miracle that God performed in order to take them out of slavery in Egypt. It is a month of salvation because the feast of Passover falls in it. The Jews were redeemed from the physical slavery in Egypt and for us today, we have got spiritual salvation through Yahshua, who is now our Passover lamb as Apostle Paul explains in Ephesians 2. Yahshua was sacrificed upon mount Moriah on this month to save us from the bondage of sins.
We give all the glory to Elohim, the father of creation for the spiritual New Year. Happy New Year!!
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