G-d's Shabbat; Our Calendar 

This idea has been presented before in Torah Tidbits (and elsewhere), but there are a few new factors added that make the point all the more powerful. 

When we have a Sanhedrin, they are in charge of sanctifying Rosh Chodesh primarily (a new adverb whose significance will be mentioned several paragraphs from now) based on eye witnesses to the first visibility of the lunar crescent. 

The Torah allows Shabbat to be "violated" in order for potential (also a significant word) witnesses to travel to Yerushalayim to offer their testimony. (The Mishna restricts this permission to Tishrei and Nissan, unless the Beit HaMikdash is standing, in which case we "violate" the Shabbat for all months.) 

Part of the Mitzva of Kiddush HaChodesh (sanctifying of the month, i.e. of Rosh Chodesh) is the requirement upon the committee of Sanhedrin in charge of Kiddush HaChodesh to calculate in advance if the moon will be visible on the evening following the 29th of the current month, and if so, exactly where in the sky, when, for how long, with what apparent thickness and what orientation - all for the purpose of intelligently questioning the witnesses to determine whether they actually saw what they claimed to have seen. This means that the judges know in advance the facts, and therefore, the witnesses are not telling them something they don't know (this is different from all other testimony). We can almost suggest that witnesses for Kiddush HaChodesh are there for the formality, and not to give "real" testimony. Yet they still are allowed to "violate" the Shabbat. 

Very often, a person will only think that he might have seen the L'vana B'chidusha (the moon in its newness), but not be 100% sure. The first visiblity of the moon is far from the romantic crescent that will be visible a night or two later. Yet, this person can travel to Jerusalem to tell the judges what he saw, and they, in turn, might politely inform him that he was mistaken. Yet he has permission - more, a mitzva - to go to Jerusalem, even on Friday night. 

No matter how many people see the moon, they all have the obligation to go and offer their testimony - which can prove to be unnecessary, if others have arrived before he gets there. Yet Shabbat still steps aside to accommodate the witnesses. 

Furthermore, the Sanhedrin has the discretionary power to proclaim Rosh Chodesh on the morning that they calculate it should be proclaimed - even if no witnesses come (they can do this if there is a "need"). And witnesses STILL come on Friday night, even though they really aren't necessary. 

Why is this so? How can this be?

Will Shabbat step aside to allow people who think they saw the moon to travel to Yerushalayim on a Friday night in order to tell Sanhedrin something they well know, when they have the authority to proclaim Rosh Chodesh even without these "so called" witnesses? 

The answer is YES! 

Shabbat is G-d's. He created the world and everything in it in six days and "rested" on the seventh day. Therefore (AL KEIN) He blessed the Shabbat and sanctified it. He commanded us to keep the Shabbat, but it is His. 

The calendar, the months, the Chagim - they could be His too. He created the Sun-Earth-Moon system that is the basis of our calendar. He took us out of Egypt, gave us the Torah, and He protected us and determined our path of wandering in the Midbar for 40 years. Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot could be His too. 

But He chose (so to speak) to give them to us. He commanded us to take Nissan as OUR first month. He called the Holidays ours. He wants us to be active in the process of setting up the calendar and all the dates therein. And He is willing to "suspend" His Shabbat to facilitate our process of setting up the calendar in the best possible way. 

And another point... Techinally, the Torah permits "violation" of the Shabbat for Kiddush HaChodesh every month, even without a Beit HaMikdash and its Rosh Chodesh Musaf concerns. Our Sages, however, restricted our use of the Torah's permission (so to speak) to Nissan and Tishrei (unless we have the Beit HaMikdash, as mentioned earlier). This is one of the many ways that we demonstrate our high regard for Shabbat and everything it represents. 

May we merit the restoration of Sanhedrin and the building of the Beit HaMikdash, speedily in our time.