Discrepancies with the Jewish Calendar

Hey everyone. I haven't posted in this forum before, but was hoping to get some insight and feedback regarding the Jewish calendar. I'm not Messianic myself, but over the years have developed a significant interest with the Jewish culture, especially regarding both the Mo'edim and minor holy days. I can see God's grace and omniscience woven into the culture, as well as deep symbolism pointing to Yeshua.

It's been confusing however regarding observance of the Jewish calendar, since there is debate as to when the months actually begin, the duration of the yearly cycle, when the high holy days occur and when the new year officially starts. There are also other calendars emerging, all which are claimed to be the actual calendar given by God, in contrast to the one being used in Israel currently. I would think God kept it simple, and guided Israel in observing the correct calendar. But, it would be reassuring to know for sure.

Would this be an appropriate topic for discussion? Also, are there any resources that would bring added insight and resolution to these disagreements? Thanks

Thanks for the welcome. =)

One area of confusion has to do with if the new moon is actually the full moon, and if we should use calculation to determine the months, or should stick with the first sighting of the new moon? Personally, I don't think having the month begin at the full moon makes sense, especially because of the verse Psalm 81:3.

I remember hearing that God celebrates the feast days in Heaven at the same time the Jewish people do on earth (since they're divine appointments). But, if the Jewish calendar is off, this would create a misalignment between the two. Thus, it would be important to know for sure how the calendar should be observed.

Thanks for the feedback, @Dave-W , I appreciate it. The idea that God takes into account our human nature when keeping with the calendar pretty much resolves most of the immediate issues I had. I'm also sure the system being used in Israel today was given careful thought and attention regarding how it should be kept, and certain issues wouldn't be casually overlooked.

IIRC, there was a discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls not too long ago, which described a Enoch / Zadok Priestly Calendar being used by the Qumran community at this time. Supposedly, it was based off the sun (in contrast to the moon), and used a fixed set of months consisting of 30 days each (with an additional day added after each solstice and equinox). An argument raised in the past for supporting a solar calendar would be Genesis 1:14, in which God states the stars are for days and years, but not months. The book of Enoch (which is very controversial both in its context and validity) also claims that the Jewish calendar would error in the future by basing the months off the moon (and likewise being off by 10 days). However, I've noticed that there are a few issues with this calendar, thus I'm highly skeptical of it's authenticity as the correct system.