Entrance to Hebrew Astrological Texts in english
How can we understand that the first mitzvah, the first divine imperative, was told to Moshe and Aharon [Moses and Aaron] in Egypt, preceding the giving of the Torah?
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל־אַהֲרֹן בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר׃
And the Lord spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt, saying,הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים רִאשׁוֹן הוּא לָכֶם לְחׇדְשֵׁי הַשָּׁנָה׃
Exodus | שמות 12:1
This month shall be to you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year for you.
The month of Aviv | אביב | Spring, is designated by our Only Deity to be the first of the 12 lunar months. This month came to be called by its Babylonian name ‘Nisan’ [ניסן], as a remembrance of the Babylonian exile. The festival of Passover is observed on the 15th of Nisan and commemorates the exodus from slavery, from fear and oppression; it is the time of liberation for Israel and, ultimately, for all of humanity.
The physical exodus was preceded by a unique performance: the sacrifice of a ram. Each family performed this sacrifice which atoned for their past worship of Egyptian gods; but more than that, it was a spiritual exodus, an exodus from the fear of the Egyptians through sacrificing a lamb, an animal that they, the Egyptians, held in reverence because it was associated with Khnum, the ram-headed god, who was responsible for regulating the annual inundation of the Nile river, source of produce and prosperity. A newborn ‘lamb’ becomes a ‘ram’ (or ewe), according to Talmudic tradition, after one year. ‘Lamb’ or the sign of Aries in Hebrew is Telah | טלה.
