Given that the first of Tishrei is considered to be the "beginning of the year" in these regards, we may wonder why it is that this day -- the first day of the *seventh* month -- is afforded "New Year's Day" status at all! What is there about this day that is right smack in the middle of the Torah's yearly cycle that makes it the beginning of a new year?

It is true that the autumnal equinox occurs at (or close to) the beginning of Tishrei, and that this point in time, when days and nights are equally long, may be regarded as a starting point in the yearly astronomical cycle. However, the vernal equinox at the beginning of Nissan (the *first* month), would seem to be at least as appropriate a starting place as its fall counterpart.

Actually, the Midrash discusses this question:

It was taught in the name of Rebbi Eliezer: The creation of the world began on 25 Elul (= 6 days before 1 Tishrei).... On Rosh Hashanah [man was created]... and in the tenth hour of that day he sinned (by eating the forbidden fruit)..., in the eleventh hour of the day he was judged, and in the twelfth hour he was exonerated of his sin. Hashem said to Adam, "This will be a sign for your descendants -- just as you stood before me on this day and you were exonerated, so too will they stand before me in judgment and be exonerated on this first day of the seventh month."

(Vayikra Rabba 29:1)

This explanation, however, appears to be only a partial solution to our question. In the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 8a and 27a) we are told that although Rebbi Eliezer (author of the above Midrashic excerpt) indeed was of the opinion that the Creation of man took place in Tishrei, Rebbi Yehoshua disagrees with this assertion. In Rebbi Yehoshua's opinion, it was in *Nissan* that the world was created. How can we account for assigning the 1st of Tishrei the role of "New Year's Day" according to R. Yehoshua? To make the question even more pertinent, it should be noted that Rashi and Tosafot both point out (in their commentaries to Rosh Hashanah 12a) that the Halacha is in accordance with the view of R. Yehoshua, and *not* with that of R. Eliezer (see Parasha-Page Noach 5756)!

Tosafot (Rosh Hashanah 27a) deals with this in part. Following through a point made by the Gemara there, Tosafot points out that it does not seem consistent that we should determine that the Halacha is in favor of R. Yehoshua (i.e., a Nissan Creation), while retaining the line "This is the day of the beginning of Your works..." in the Rosh Hashana prayer books (which are read on 1 Tishrei). Tosafot suggests that the line in question may be interpreted in a slightly different light in order to accommodate R. Yehoshua's opinion. It should be understood as, "This is the day of the beginning of Your works *of judgment* of the world. In this sense it is commemorative of the first day of history -- since it is being decided whether the world shall *remain* in existence or not."

The textual difficulty of the liturgy aside, however, we still must explain the nature of the holiday. Why should the first of Tishrei be assigned the status of New Year's Day in the first place?

1. The Ran (Rosh Hashanah 16a) points out that Rosh Hashanah comes out only nine days before Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur was designated as a day of forgiveness for Israel throughout history, after the sin of the Golden Calf was forgiven on that day in the Sinai Wilderness (Ta'anit 30b). Hashem therefore chose that day to be the day that the judgement of mankind is completed, in order that the mercy He arouses on that day would be utilized for judging His people in a spirit of pardon and grace. (This is very similar to the theme of Rebbi Eliezer's Midrash that we quoted in section I, with regard to Rosh Hashana).

Since Yom Kippur is the day of the final judgment, a holiday was ordained in close proximity to that Day of Atonement to serve as a day of penitence and introspection in preparation for the great day of judgment just ahead of it. It is even possible, he adds, that Hashem's "change of attitude" that led to the exoneration of the Jews for the sin of the Golden Calf began on the 1st of Tishrei. If so, Rosh Hashanah is actually itself an anniversary of this historical rapprochement between God and his people. It is therefore an ideal day to designate as the Day of Judgement -- and, mercifully, of exoneration -- throughout the ages.

2. Rabbenu Tam (quoted in Tosafot to Rosh Hashanah 27a, s.v. K'Man) explains that even according to R. Yehoshua, who fixes the anniversary of creation at the beginning of Nissan, Hashem had "planned" to create the world at the beginning of Tishrei -- i.e., six months younger than the way it actually was when it came into being. (What it means that Hashem "changed His mind" and delayed the Creation is a topic for another occasion.) Thus, the first of Tishrei commemorates even more of a beginning than the beginning of Creation -- it marks the *planned* beginning of Creation. (A similar idea may be found in Or HaChaim to Bereishit 1:1, #16.)

The Arizal (R. Yitzchak Luria, renowned Kabbalist of Zefat, 16th century) used this thought to explain the expression used in the Rosh Hashanah liturgy -- "Today was the *conception* of the world ('Harat Olam')." This day does not mark the *birth* of the world, but the *conception* of the world -- i.e., the day that it was first conceived! (See also Parasha-Page Noach 5756, end of section II.)

judgement:.

1. Since Tishrei is the beginning of the rainy season in Eretz Yisrael (see Rosh Hashanah 16a and Ta'anit 2b), it may be regarded as the start of the agricultural year. Fields were sown during Tishrei in preparation for the first rains of the season. Crops grew and blossomed through the winter, and began to bear fruit in Nissan (Shmot 23:15). The various types of produce were gathered from the fields during the summer months, up until Tishrei (Rashi Devarim 25:11), and in Tishrei, a new cycle would begin. Being the beginning of the cycle of growth and flourishing for life-giving crops, it can also be said to be a more fitting occasion for the judgment of man's destiny for the year than the first of Nissan, which was the alternate choice for New Year's day, as mentioned in section II. (One may still argue, of course, that the *appearance* and *ripening* of the year's produce would be a more suitable marker for the start of the yearly cycle -- see Parasha-Page Noach 5756, III:(2). See also R.S.R. Hirsch in Horeb, par. # 166 and footnote.)

2. We find in Shmot 12:2 that the Torah tells us: "This month (Nissan) shall be for you the first of months; it shall be the first of the months of the year." When counting the order of months we thus always consider Nissan to be the first, Iyyar the second, etc. (see Tosafot Rosh Hashanah 12a, s.v. "Ella"). The Ramban (ad loc.) interprets this verse as being a positive commandment. We must always count our months from Nissan in order to commemorate the Exodus that took place in that month. (This is similar to the way we always count the days of the week according to their position in relation to Shabbat -- "First Day" = Sunday, "Second Day" = Monday, etc. We do this in order to constantly recall the Sabbath day throughout the course of the week, see Gemara Beitzah 16a.)

Accordingly, we may suggest that perhaps 1 Nissan is indeed a more appropriate time to fix as the first day of the year, according to Rebbi Yehoshua's opinion, since that was the day of the world's creation. However, making the 1st of Nissan a New Year's Day would have detracted from Nissan's status as the "month of the Exodus." If the year actually began in Nissan because of reasons relating to historical considerations (i.e., the creation of the world), people would not realize that it is only because of the *Exodus* that Nissan was chosen to be the first of the months. Hashem therefore "moved" the date of New Year's Day to the other equinoxal month, Tishrei. The peculiar situation of having the year begin in the "seventh" month would enhance, rather than diminish, the commemoration of the Exodus!