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Holy Day Dates

As I reviewed the dates for the holy days in Leviticus 23, I discovered something that shocked me! The dates of the modern Jewish observances of Passover, Firstfruits, and Pentecost contradict the Gospels and Acts. Spoiler: it turns out that the Torah is ambiguous, and Jewish interpretations differ from first-century practice. The reason is that modern Judaism is based on what the Pharisees thought, but first-century practice, as reflected in the Gospels and Acts, was based on what the Sadducees thought.

Passover

5The Passover to the Lord comes in the first month, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month. 6The Festival of Unleavened Bread to the Lord is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. - Leviticus 23:5-6, CSB

The issue is, should the lambs be slaughtered late on the 13th and the meal eaten on the 14th, or should it be the 14th and 15th?

Modern Judaism says the latter, which means that the Passover meal is on the first day of Unleavened Bread. Note that this day is a Sabbath.

This has implications for the Gospels:

• The Jews conducted a trial and brought Jesus to Pilate on the Sabbath
• Pilate crucified criminals on the Sabbath
• Joseph and Nicodemus buried Jesus on the Sabbath
• The next day was a regular Sabbath, which is why Joseph and Nicodemus rushed to bury Jesus (???–they were already violating it)
• Jesus was in the tomb during the day only on Friday and Saturday, and during the night only on Saturday and Sunday–two days and nights

The Sabbath violations, especially the first and third, simply didn't happen.

Most of these problems go away if the Passover was eaten in the evening of the 14th and Jesus was crucified during the day, before Unleavened Bread. If the Passover fell on a Thursday, the three days, three nights problem goes away as well.

Firstfruits and Pentecost

9The Lord spoke to Moses: 10“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest, you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. 11He will present the sheaf before the Lord so that you may be accepted; the priest is to present it on the day after the Sabbath.
…

15“You are to count seven complete weeks starting from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the presentation offering.16 You are to count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. - Leviticus 23:9–11, 15–16, CSB

Note that verse 11 says, "on the day after the Sabbath." But wait! Is that the regular Sabbath after Unleavened Bread starts, or the first day of Unleavened Bread, which was a special Sabbath? Modern Judaism says the latter.

So, if Unleavened Bread fell on a Friday the year Jesus was crucified, then Firstfruits and Pentecost would have falled on the Sabbath. Acts clearly says it was the first day of the week, Sunday.

But the Sadducees, who ran the Temple, counted from the regular Sabbath, so Firstfruits and Pentecost always fell on a Sunday.

Conclusion

Clearly, this is a matter of opinion as far as how these Holy Days are observed. I am not, in any way, criticizing modern Judaism.

However, first-century practices were clearly different, and search results do not reflect this.