Shavûot

The Feast of Weeks (שבעות), pronounced in modern Hebrew « Shavuot », is the 2nd pentacontad of the year.

A pentacontad is an agricultural system articulated around the number "7".

Indeed the 364-day year can be broken down into 7 periods of 50 days, plus an intercalation of 7 days, twice.

Each 50 day period can also be broken down into 7 weeks, plus an intercalation of 1 day, the 50th day. It is believed that this agricultural count has been used by the Israelite from the beginning of time, later adopted by the Babylonians & Canaanites. This harvesting time reckoning perdured to the 19th century in Judea.

(Tawfiq Canaan, a pioneering Palestinian researcher describes the use of such a calendar among Palestinians in southern Palestine in the 19th century. His contemporary Gustaf Dalman, a German Lutheran theologian and orientalist, also wrote about the practices of Muslim fiftieth-day agriculturalists, "which in turn overlaid far more ancient agricultural practices: grape-watching, grape-pressing, sowing, etc.")

The word שבעות shavuot means a "heptad" or a period of "7" (7 days, 7 weeks, or 7 years). It is commonly translated as “weeks,” since it refers in this context to a period of 7 weeks.

The very similar hebrew words בשבעה / שבעת mean "oath / “oaths,” which is a play on words for this particular feast.

The Feast of Weeks celebrates the completion of the seven-week counting period (or 50 days), between the first two pentacontads, the Feast of First Fruits (also known as Waving of the Sheaf) and Shavuot. Each day was therefore counted, from 1 to 50.

Leviticus 23:15-16 “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, ….”

Temple Scrolls “You [shall count] seven weeks from the day when you bring the new grain-offering to YHW[H], the bread of firstfruits.”

This tradition is known as the Counting of the Omer, or Sepiret HaOmer ספירת העמר .

An Omer is an ancient Hebrew unit of measurement, for grains and dry commodities, known to be used in the era of the Temple in Jerusalem. An Omer is the equivalent of 2 kg in dry flour weight, and is equal to one tenth (1/10) of an ephah. (Photo)

The Bible describes the Shavuot holiday as an agricultural celebration. As all pentacontads, Shavuot is a feast of "first fruits" and of "ingathering".

The counting of the Omer marks the second grain harvest of the Spring.

Deuteronomy 16:9-12

“Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name —you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows living among you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.”

Numbers 28:26

“Also in the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering unto the LORD, in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have an holy convocation;

Exodus 34:22

“You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.”

Exodus 23:16

“Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.”

The Feast of Weeks refers to one of the three most important Biblical festivals, along with Passover and Sukkot.

Its authentic date continues to this day to be debated among many, whereas the discovery of the Qumran parchments definitely settles the issue: Shavuot was and is to be celebrated on the 15th day of the 3rd biblical month.

« On the fifteenth of it (of the third month): Feast of Weeks. » - MMT A (4Q394 1-2)

Under the service of the appropriate priest, specific rituals were to be performed at the Temple.

Leviticus 23:16-20

“...and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD. Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings–a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest.”

Numbers 28:27-31

“But you shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of the first year; And their meat offering of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto one bullock, two tenth deals unto one ram, A several tenth deal unto one lamb, throughout the seven lambs; And one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you. You shall offer them beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings.”

Temple Scrolls XIX …

their[grain-offerin]g and dr[ink-offering] according to the statute. The [priests] shall wave … [wave-offering with the bread of] the firstfruits. They shall b[elong to] the priests and they shall eat them in the [inner] court[yard], [as a ne]w [grain-offering], the bread of the firstfruits. Then … new bread from freshly ripened ears.

The Feast of Weeks is also to be observed as a restful day, “wherever we live”. It is a day set apart, during which no servile work must be done, and during which friends and family gather to celebrate together.

Leviticus 23:21 “On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.”

Numbers 28:26 “ In your Feast of Weeks, you shall have an holy convocation; you shall do no servile work.”

Temple Scrolls XIX … [On this] da[y] there shall be [a holy gathering, an eter]nal [rule] for their generations. [They] shall [do] no work. It is the feast of Weeks and the feast of Firstfruits, an eterna[l] memorial.

The Renewal of the Covenant of Mount Sinaï is described in Torah as having occurred on the 1st, the 2nd and the 3rd day of the 3rd month.

Exodus 19:1-15 “In the third month, after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day (the 1st day), they came into the wilderness of Sinai. (…) Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my את covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. (…) YHWH said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, and be ready against the third day; for on the third day, YHWH will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai. You shall set bounds to the את people all around, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t go up onto the mountain, or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain shall be surely put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it is animal or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain. Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the את people; and they washed their clothes. He said to the people, “Be ready by the third day. Don’t have sexual relations with a woman.”

Therefore, the Israelite were given 3 days to prepare and to purify, before renewing their Covenant with God. They had just left Egypt & had witnessed the most incredible miracles leading to their liberation. At the feet of the holy mountain, God gave them three days, as He saw it would suffice them to cleanse themselves, to enter anew the Covenant.

God is allotting us more time (therefore more grace) than the Israelite to purify ourselves, for the Covenant had been (and continues to be) cyclically forgotten & remembered over the ages.

Jubilees 6:17-21 "And this whole Festival [of Weeks] was celebrated in heaven from the day of creation till the days of Noah, twenty-six jubilees and five weeks of years. And Noah and his sons observed it for seven jubilees and one week of years, till the day of Noah’s death, and from the day of Noah’s death his sons did away with (it) until the days of Abraham, and they eat blood. But Abraham observed it, and Isaac and Jacob and his children observed it up to thy days, and in thy days the children of Israel forgot it until ye celebrated it anew on this mountain."

As the rest of humanity is invited, like Abraham, to join in at the Feast of First-Fruits, we must prepare physically & internally to renew every year the Covenant on the 15th of the 3rd month.

Jubilees 15:1-2 "... in the third month, in the middle of the month (the 15th), Abram celebrated the feast of the first-fruits of the grain harvest.

Shavuot is also celebrated as the day of the Renewal of the Covenant: the Alliance Day. On that Feast, the anniversary of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinaï is conjointly celebrated.

Some, however, might notice that the verses describing the Feast of Weeks say nothing about renewing the Covenant on that day. Shavuot in Torah is only described as a harvest holiday.

How can traditions then be explained? Where does the connection between the agricultural feast and the Alliance come from ? Unknowingly to most, this association is given to us, as an instruction, in the book of Jubilees:

Jubilees 6:17-21 “For this reason it is ordained and written on the heavenly tablets, that they should celebrate the Feast of Weeks in this month (the 3rd month) once a year, to renew the covenant every year. … And do thou command the children of Israel to observe this festival in all their generations for a commandment unto them: one day in the year, in this month (the 3rd month), they shall celebrate the festival. For it is the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of First Fruits: this feast is twofold and of a double nature: according to what is written and engraven concerning it, celebrate it.”

This Feast is therefore “twofold and is of a double nature ». Indeed, on that day we thank God for the Breads of Life: The bread made from grains that sustains our bodies throughout the year, and the bread from the Alliance that sustains our souls for eternity. Both are mirror images of each other.

Indeed, it is with an attitude of joy and praises that man works the earth. Equally, we embrace with joy and praises the day we enter a life time of dedication towards the One True Living God.

Likewise, despite being hard workers, dedicated servants and seed sowers, we can never boastfully claim that our harvest is guaranteed, nor that our salvation is earned, for the mystery of seed germination and salvation, both remain in the righteous hand of God.

The farmer just knows to faithfully return to his field and continuously nurture his plants, awaiting for them to bloom into fruits. Similarly, it is through our covenant faithfulness to God that we will see our faith blossom into good fruits. As working the soil brings the virtue of patience, we persevere on the good narrow path, for patience is the gap between the seed and the harvest.

As pests come to steal the harvest at every occasion, the lures of false doctrines and wolves in sheep’s clothing will come to test our fidelity. It will be vital to be able to discern them & keep them at bay.

The pinnacle point of the Renewal of the Covenant Day, on Mount Sinaï, was undoubtedly the receiving of the Ten Commandments. These remain eternal morally important standards for righteousness. Because they summarize the particular laws that follow in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy, it has become a custom to read them on Shavuot :

Exodus 20:1-17 "And God spoke all these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

(1.) You shall have no other gods before Me.

(2.) You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

(3.) You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.

(4.) Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

(5.) Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

(6.) You shall not murder.

(7.) You shall not commit adultery.

(8.) You shall not steal.

(9.) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

(10.) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

These ten commandments can, in turn, be summed up into 2 simple rules, as taught by Messiah:

Matthew 22:37-40 “Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Easily, one can see that the ten commandments are structurally divided into two parts, the first 4 commandments establishing what it means to love God, while the last 6 commandments explain what it means to love our neighbor.

On Shavuot, we choose to be part of God’s people, and to be gaffed in. We agree to study and abide to His Law, being at His service. We desire to change our bad ways (to repent), to return fully to Him, and stay faithful to Him, Him only. This image is the one of a “marriage” between God and His bride.

A marriage covenant is rooted in love & genuine devotion for one another. It also defines your life, your behavior, and all your future decisions from the moment you say, “I do.”

Whereas a Covenant is a contract, it’s not a business agreement, it is not a shallow “feel good” membership, nor is it designed for you to get free handouts or self-centered gifts. A marriage Covenant is a greatly celebrated engagement, but it is a solemn act, a sacred vow, a serious choice, that bind two individuals for a lifetime. When God covenants with us, He doesn’t ever change His mind nor his promises. However, just like in a marriage, He requests in return our faithfulness, just as stated in a marriage vow:

"I, child of God, take thee, Almighty One, Creator of the Heavens & Earth, God of Abraham Isaac & Jacob, to be my wedded “husband”, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death takes my soul away, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith and pledge myself to you."

It is also important to realize that, like all of God’s Feasts, Shavuot predates the agricultural rhythms in the time of the Temple, or even Mount Sinaï.

Noah, Abraham & Moses, who had inherited the knowledge from our forefathers all the way back from Adam, all purposefully renewed the Covenant on the head of the 3rd month.

Noah:

Jubilees 6:1-4 "And on the head of the third month, he went forth from the ark, and built an altar on that mountain. And he made atonement for the earth, and took a kid and made atonement by its blood for all the guilt of the earth; for everything that had been on it had been destroyed, save those that were in the ark with Noah. (…) And the Lord smelt the goodly savour, and He made a covenant with him that there should not be any more a flood to destroy the earth; (…)"

Abraham:

Jubilees 14:1-6 "After these things, in the fourth year of this week, on the head of the third month, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a dream, saying: ‘Fear not, Abram; I am thy defender, and thy reward will be exceeding great.’ And he said: ‘Lord, Lord, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go hence childless, and the son of Maseq, the son of my handmaid, is the Dammasek Eliezer: he will be my heir, and to me thou hast given no seed.’ And he said unto him: ‘This (man) will not be thy heir, but one that will come out of thine own bowels; he will be thine heir.’ And He brought him forth abroad, and said unto him: ‘Look toward heaven and number the stars if thou art able to number them.’ And he looked toward heaven, and beheld the stars. And He said unto him: ‘So shall thy seed be.’ And he believed in the Lord, and it was counted to him for righteousness."

Moses:

Exodus 19:1-15 “In the third month, after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day (the 1st day), (…) YHWH said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them."

The most significant outpouring of the Holy Spirit of the 1st century is known to have occurred on Pentecost.

Acts 2:1-11 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. And when this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking his own language.

Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!””

Some still think that this occurrence was a brand new event, the Holy Spirit having been spontaneously birthed on that random day, called Pentecost. Yet Christendom simply chose to remember the Greek name Pentecost instead of its Hebrew name Shavuot. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 was on the day that had been celebrated by the Hebrews for centuries.

Recalling the fire on Mount Sinaï, the fire of the Holy Spirit was an expression of God’s power among His faithful. Pneuma in Greek, Ruah in Hebrew mentioned 377 times in the Tanakh, the Holy Spirit is the Breath of Life. It never was biblically a mystic person of a triune god that would manifest itself for the first time in the 1st century.

As God breathed the Ruah - and its vitality - into humanity at Creation (Gen 2:7), the breathing of life was again powerfully expressed the day of Shavuot, making His faithful ones prophesy, yet again.

Numbers 11:25 “Then the LORD gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied.