A Look Back

In the last full paragraph of this post:

http://keitzmeguleh.blogspot.com/2008/02/yovel-count-of-rebbi-yehudah.html?m=1

I wrote that following this year's Yovel would seem an ideal time to resume counting of the Yovel cycle by the Sanhedrin.  The wording I wrote would seem to imply that I meant for the Halacha to immediately return to Chachamim and have 5776 be year 50 and 5777 be year number 1, but I guess it indeed would be more consistent with the analysis written to say that they should begin counting this year.

And then a few days ago I found this:

http://beitsanhedrin.co.il/היובל-חוזר-שנת-תשעו-תתחיל-ספירת-חמישי/

The announcement there is from eleven months ago, and yesterday I received confirmation that year number one was indeed counted on Tzom Gedaliah.

And You Shall Sanctify the Fiftieth Year

וקדשתם את שנת החמשים שנה וקראתם דרור בארץ לכל-ישביה

Perhaps one can say that to sanctify the Yovel year means to make it in to its own year and not overlapping with the first year of the following cycle.  And since that is not done now, on this Yovel year of 5776, the 50th year overlaps the first year, which was counted in Beit Din on Tzom Gedaliah.

Shana tova