Tishrei 1 – The waters were dried up from the earth…

September 15, 2023

Tishrei 1, 5784; from sunset September 15, 2023, to sunset September 16, 2023

Noah’s Ark (1846), by the American folk painter Edward Hicks.

Then he waited yet another seven days, and sent out the dove; but she did not return to him again. Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up. – Genesis 8:12-13 (NAS)

Today in the Bible is the traditional date for when Noah released the dove for the final time. But why do all of the other events for today reference the first day of the seventh month when this scripture reads the first day of the first month?

The word Tishrei means, “Beginning.” It was originally considered the first month of the year; the day when God made Adam. It wasn’t until the exodus from Egypt that God switched things around.

Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. – Exodus 12:1-2 (NAS)

Because of this, the first month of the year is now in the springtime. It became known as the month of Nisan after the return from the Babylonian exile. Tishrei is now the seventh month; however, the year still turns over on the first day of Tishrei.

Judaism recognizes Tishrei 1 as Noah’s birthday. The book of Jasher tells the story of his birth.

And the wife of Lamech conceived and bare him a son at that time, at the revolution of the year. And Methuselah called his name Noah, saying, ‘The earth was in his days at rest and free from corruption,’ and Lamech his father called his name Menachem, saying, ‘This one shall comfort us in our works and miserable toil in the earth, which God had cursed.’ And the child grew up and was weaned, and he went in the ways of his father Methuselah, perfect and upright with God. – Jasher 4:13-15

It’s interesting that Noah and Adam are said to have the same “birthday.” The story of Noah and the flood are like a “re-creation” of the Earth. Noah was like a second Adam…but that’s a study all to itself.

If you’d like to read all of our posts on Noah, please click on the image above.