Q&A: Calculation of the Hebrew Calendar
Calculation of the Hebrew Calendar
Question
I saw a rabbi claiming that one of the strongest proofs that the words of the Sages are connected to divine inspiration and are "the words of the living God" is the calculation of the Hebrew calendar (sanctifying the new month) of Rabban Gamliel.
What scientists know only today as well—that a month is 28.315 days—the Sages already knew in the past through their divine inspiration.
What do you think of this proof, as proof of the total truth of the words of the Sages or something like that?
I'm asking because I've also seen places where the Sages were completely mistaken scientifically (the sun slicing through the firmament / lice do not reproduce sexually, and so on). So sometimes divine inspiration worked and sometimes it didn't?
What do you think about this matter? Thanks.
Answer
I don't know what was known then. In any case, that is not the length of the month in the Talmud either. The length is 29 days, 12 hours, and 793 parts. And of course there are scientific errors in the Talmud, so this certainly does not indicate divine inspiration, but perhaps a tradition from Sinai on this particular issue. But I am very doubtful about that as well.