Halakha 1 Raja-raja 8:2: Abudarham, Mishneh Torah, Prayer and the Priestly Blessing, The Sabbath Epistle & Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim

People are accustomed to reading the Song of Songs on the Festival of Matzot because it speaks about the salvation from Egypt, which is the beginning of the subjugation of Israel and their first redemption. As it is stated (Song of Songs 1:9), "To a mare in Pharaoh’s chariots." And they are also accustomed to read Ruth on the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot), because it is written in it (Ruth 1:22), "at the beginning of the barley harvest" - and [Shavuot] is the the time of the harvest. And there is another reason: Because our ancestors only accepted the Torah and entered the covenant through circumcision, immersion and the sprinkling of blood [at that time], as it is found in the chapter [entitled] HaCholetz; and Ruth also converted, as it is stated (Ruth 1:16), "for where you go, I shall go." And from the answer of Ruth, we know what Noami said to her. As she said to her, "It is prohibited for us [to go beyond] the Shabbat perimeter." [She answered,] "Where you go, I shall go" (Ruth 1:16). "Isolation [with a stranger of the opposite sex] is forbidden to us." "Where you lodge, I shall lodge" (Ruth 1:16). "We are commanded to observe six hundred and thirteen commandments." "Your people are my people" (Ruth 1:16). "Idolatrous worship is forbidden to us." "Your God is my God" (Ruth 1:16). "Four types of capital punishment were handed over to the court." "Where you die, I shall die" (Ruth 1:17). "Two burial grounds were set up for the court, one for those burnt and stoned and another for those executed and strangled." "And there I shall be buried" (Ruth 1:17). So is it found in the chapter [entitled] HaCholetz (Yevamot 47b). And we are hence accustomed to reading Ruth on the Holiday of Weeks. And also on the Festival of Shemini Atzeret (Assembly of the Eighth), it is customary to read Ecclesiastes, because in it, it is written (Ecclesiastes 11:1), "Distribute portions to seven or even to eight" - these [correspond to] the seven days of the Festival (Sukkot) and the Festival of the Assembly of the Eighth. I mean to say, because it is the holiday of the reaping, to warn about the tithes and the priestly tithes and the pledges, such that they not transgress, "you shall not delay," [past] the three festivals. And there is another reason - because King Shlomo said it on the Festival (Sukkot) during the assembly (hakhel). As it is written (Deuteronomy 31:10-12), "at the appointed time of the year of remission, during the Sukkot festival; When all of Israel comes to be seen, etc. Assemble (Hakhel) the people; the men and the women and the infants, etc." And it is [also] written (I Kings 8:2), "they assembled before King Shlomo in the month of Etanim during the festival, etc." So he said it then in the assembly, to rebuke Israel. Hence it is fit to say it during [this] festival. All of this was written by Ibn HaYarchi (R. Avraham ben Natan). And they said in Tractate Soferim (14:3), "One who reads from Ruth, the Song of Songs, Lamentations and from the Scroll of Esther must [recite the blessing that concludes], 'concerning the reading of the Megillah' - even though it is included in the Writings. One who reads from the Writings must recite, 'Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, [who has sanctified us with Your commandments and has commanded us] to read in the Holy Writings.'"

On the feast of Tabernacles, the section read on each of the first two days is that referring to the Festivals and beginning, "When a bullock or a sheep or a goat is brought forth" (Leviticus 22:26-23:44). The lesson from the Prophets on the first day is that beginning, "Behold, a day of the Lord cometh" (Zechariah 14:1-21). The lesson from the Prophets on the second day is that beginning, "And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto King Solomon" (I Kings 8:2-21). On the eighth day, the section from the Pentateuch is that beginning, "Every first born" (Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17). The lesson from the Prophets is that beginning, "And it was so that when Solomon had made an end of prayer" (I Kings 8:54-66). On the following day, the weekly portion beginning, "And this is the blessing" (Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12) is read. The lesson from the Prophets is that beginning, "And Solomon stood" (I Kings 8:22-53). Some read, as the lesson from the Prophets that beginning, "Now it came to pass after the death of Moses" (Joshua 1:1-18). On the other (intermediate) days of the Feast, the sections concerning the sacrifices for the festival are read (Numbers 29:17-34).

When the new moon comes again at the time of ripening in the Land of Israel, then one year is complete, whether the year is twelve months or thirteen. For this reason, in Hebrew they did not refer to the month of ripening as Nisan, rather “first.”⁸⁰ The first month in the Hebrew calendar might not always coincide with the Babylonian month of Nisan. The same is true for all the months. Therefore, other than in books of the exilic period, you will not find in the twenty-four books (the Hebrew Bible)⁸¹ The canon for the Hebrew Bible contains 24 books: Pentateuch (5), Early Prophets (4), Later Prophets (4), Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemia, Megilot (5), and Chronicles. names for the months as they are known today, of which the first is Nisan.⁸² The names used for the months of the Hebrew calendar – Nisan, Iyar, etc. – for approximately the last two and a half millennia are Babylonian in origin. These names were adopted by the Jews after the destruction of the first Temple. Until that time the months were not given names and were referred to numerically – first month, second month, etc. So the year for Israel does not begin with the equinox, rather with the day of the new moon. Once we know that this month is the first, we observe the holidays in the seventh month from it. Thus, if Passover was in the days when the barley ripens, then Pentacost will be at the time of cutting and Tabernacles at the time of gathering.