Does the moon have to be physically visible in order to determine a new month?
There is no statement whatsoever in all of Scriptures that the moons luminary has to actually be viewed by a man before it could be officially designated as the beginning of a month. This detail is implicit in the statement that Yahweh “made the moon for the moadim” (Psalm, 104:19) and by the fact that it was already designated as regulating the night before Adam was created. (Genesis, 1:14-18) Therefore, the original purpose of the moon, which existed long before any man walked upon the face of the earth, was to fulfill its role as a mechanism for calculating time. Its role is not predicated upon the existence of man. Indeed, even when its crescent is large enough to be visible to people who are standing on the ground, the obstruction of clouds, snow, smoke, poor eyesight, and the like are all a constant threat as an impediment to their vision. This detail moves us away from visibility as a prerequisite for determining a new moon and emphasizes the moons position in orbit.
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