Nisan, the month of the redemption
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On this Thursday, March 19, 2026, which begins on the evening of March 18 in the Hebrew calendar, we find the 1st of Nissan 5786. This blog recalls the important facts and symbols of this month.
Origin of the Name
The name Nisan is of Babylonian origin (Nissanu) because it was adopted during their exile in Babylon. Beforehand, the Jews (the modern name given to the inhabitants of Judea) customarily named the months according to the Bible. Nisan was previously called the month of spring (Exodus 13:4) and also the first month (for more information on the Hebrew calendar, click here). To put it simply, note that in the Hebrew calendar, months are counted from Nissan (the first of the twelve months), years from Tishri (the seventh month), days of the week from the end of Shabbat (after nightfall on Saturday), and weeks as seven-day cycles punctuated by the seventh day, that is, Shabbat.
The Babylonians also called it Nitsan (נצן) because this word means bud, which aligns with the biblical designation of the month of "spring." In Hebrew, the word for spring is Aviv (אביב), which can be read as "Av + iv," where Av means father or head, and "iv" (יב in Hebrew) is the acronym for the number 12 (the letter yod has a value of 10, and the letter beth has a value of 2). Thus, Aviv, and therefore Nisan, can be understood as "the head of the 12," that is, the first of the twelve calendar months.
Zodiac
The zodiac sign for this lunar month is Aries, which reminds Jews of salvation (the Geulah in Hebrew) because, just before the Exodus from Egypt (in the night of the 14th to the 15th of Nisan), the Hebrew slaves sacrificed a ram to God and used its blood to mark the lintels of their doors before the angel of death struck Egypt with the tenth plague, the plague of the firstborn. For the ancient Pagans, the ram was a symbol of masculinity and procreation, as this month heralded the renewal of spring. Thus, for Jews the ram is a symbol of service and sacrifice to God, but a symbol of idolatry linked to Nature for Pagans.
Here are some important dates in the month of Nisan.
1st Nisan
It was on the 1st of Nisan, in the month of the Exodus from Egypt, that the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, descended upon the land of bondage.
One year after the Exodus, on the following 1st Nisan, the Hebrews consecrated the newly created Tabernacle (Exodus 40:17), built at God's command. It was on this day that God brought the Shekhinah (the divine presence) into it. It has since accompanied the Jewish people throughout their long history of over 3,000 years. Furthermore, the reign of the kings of Judah (during the First Temple period) was counted from Nisan: for example, if a king succeeded his father after the 1st Nisan, the entire year was counted as part of the father's reign, not the son's. For the son, the first year of his reign was then counted from the following 1st Nisan.
It was also on this same 1st Nisan, after the dedication of the Tabernacle, that Nadab and Abihu, the two eldest sons of Aaron the high priest, perished because they had transgressed the rules of the Tabernacle.
Nisan, the Month of Redemption
A biblical verse states concerning Nisan: “This month is for you the beginning of months; it is the first month of the year for you” (Exodus 12:2). The phrase “for you” (לָכֶם) is repeated twice in this verse, which is interpreted as the occasion for two redemptions: once during the Exodus from Egypt, and a second time during the final Redemption that will take place with the Messianic era. Both events are decreed to occur in Nisan, specifically on the 15th of Nisan.
Shabbat HaGadol (the Great Shabbat)
This is the Shabbat that falls before the celebration of Passover. The Exodus from Egypt (15 Nisan) took place on a Thursday, according to Jewish tradition. Therefore, the preceding Shabbat, called HaGadol, fell on the 10th of Nisan. It was on this date, the 10th of Nisan, that the Hebrew slaves began gathering lambs (which were sacred animals to the Egyptians) for the upcoming offering. This flurry of activity surprised the Egyptians, who were accustomed to seeing the Jews do nothing on Shabbat. The gathering of lambs seemed suspicious to them, and the Hebrews were in great danger, but God spared them from being attacked by the Egyptians, which was a miracle in itself. Since then, this Shabbat preceding Passover has been called "HaGadol" (the Great) in commemoration of this miracle that spared the Hebrew ancestors.
For linguists, note that the word "Shabbat" is feminine, but its adjective "HaGadol" is masculine! Why such mismatch? Because the emphasis is not on the fact that the miracle occurred on a Shabbat, but rather that it occurred "on that day" (day is masculine in Hebrew). The Haftarah read on Shabbat HaGadol is the last chapter of the Book of Malachi (Malachi 3), as this text announces the coming Redemption (that of the Messianic era), mirroring the redemption during the Exodus from Egypt.
Thus, the month of Nisan is considered by Jews as the month of Redemption, as expressed in the Talmud: In Nisan they were redeemed, and in Nisan they will be redeemed in the days to come. (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 11a).
10 Nisan
Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, died on the 10th of Nisan, after spending 39 years in the desert (Numbers 20:1). During those years in the desert, a miraculous well followed her, ensuring the Hebrews never lacked water (this well was located next to Miriam's tent, near the entrance to the Tabernacle). The well's presence ended with Miriam's death (Numbers 20:2), causing discontent among the people for fear of running out of water (especially since the hot season begins in Nisan). But Moses intervened, bringing forth water from a rock. A year later, on the 10th of Nisan to the day, the Hebrews crossed the Jordan River opposite Jericho, and the river's waters were miraculously held back upstream, allowing the people to cross on dry land.
14 Nissan
Several events took place on this day in biblical and Jewish history: the day of preparations before the Exodus from Egypt, the day Jacob was blessed by his father, the fast of the firstborn, and the Passover offerings during the time of the Temple. For this reason, the Jewish people gathered in Jerusalem for Passover more than for any other holiday, and, unusually, this pilgrimage was also obligatory for women. Each family or group of pilgrims brought a lamb for sacrifice at the Temple.
15 Nisan
The day of Passover, which begins the night before the 14th of Nisan (to learn more about this important holiday in the Jewish calendar, click here). The word Pesach (פסח in Hebrew) refers to several symbols: the "Paschal" lamb (פסח), whose name is derived from the name of the festival; the leap when the angel of death passes over Jewish homes and spares them from the death of the firstborn (passage = פסיחה). The numerical value of the word פסח is 148, which is also the numerical value of the word נצח, meaning "eternity," because the Jewish people became eternal, like God, from the moment they were taken out of bondage from Egypt to receive the Torah.
26 Nisan
Day commemorating the death of Joshua. He led the conquest of Canaan after succeeding Moses. Every year on this date, thousands of people make a pilgrimage to his tomb, even though it is located in the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris near Nablus, which poses a security problem.
Passover 5786
This year, 5786, is auspicious for the Messianic Redemption process. First, the numerical value of 5786 is 5+7+8+6 = 26, which is the numerical value of the Tetragrammaton, the four-letter name of God (it is worth noting that the year 2026 also contains the number 26). Furthermore, in this year 5786, the days of the week for Shabbat HaGadol and Passover fall exactly as they did at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. There is therefore a perfect parallel between the foundational event of the Exodus from Egypt and its commemoration in the year 5786.
Furthermore, a prophecy was recalled by Rabbi Tzvi Elimeleh Shapira of Dinov (1783-1841) in his work Bnei Issachar (The Children of Issachar). This work offers commentaries on the different months of the Hebrew year, and concerning the month of Nisan, the author develops sermons on the significance of the Passover festival. He writes, in particular, that according to the ancient Kabbalistic work Tikkunei Zohar, and others, the ultimate war against Amalek, an ancient people who swore to destroy the people of Israel, will take place before the end of time. Amalek has since been the symbol of Israel's sworn enemy from generation to generation and is today associated with the regime of the mullahs in Iran. This prophecy states that the ultimate war against Amalek will begin on Purim and end on the eve of Passover (to read the Hebrew text, click here). The Shabbat on which the war began in 2026 was Saturday, February 2nd, the Shabbat Zachor (a word meaning Remembrance), the Shabbat on which the biblical passage "Remember Amalek" is read. This Shabbat falls on the Shabbat preceding Purim (to learn more about this holiday, click here). On this first day of the war, the modern-day Amalek, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed. This represents the first "stage" of the prophecy: that the annihilation of Amalek will begin on Purim and be complete on the eve of Passover. It seems that world events are coinciding with this prophecy, which, however, may not be fully fulfilled if a return to spirituality is lacking. Indeed, there have been Amalekites in every generation, and Amalek has never been completely eradicated since time immemorial. Of course, if the prophecy would be fulfilled this year and the mullahs' regime would fall, then we will most certainly enter the Messianic era. Otherwise, even more difficult times will begin for the world and for Israel. So, to be continued...
Albert Benhamou
Private tour guide in Israel
1st Nissan 5786, 19 March 2026
