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Shavuot -
Revelation and the Fruit of the Spirit

Introduction
In traditional Judaism, the festival of Shavuot (“Weeks”) marks the
culmination of the experience of redemption, sometimes called Atzaret
Pesach, the Conclusion of Passover. Since the great Exodus from Egypt
was intended to lead to the revelation of Sinai, the goal of Passover is the
giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. God took the Jews out of Egypt so
that they would be His own treasured people, holy and separated from the
pagan cultures around them. Indeed, all of the mo’edim (holidays) are
connected with this event, including the fall festivals of Rosh Hashanah,
Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

According to the sages: The new moon of Nisan marks the start of sacred time, Passover
remembers the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, the first day of Unleavened Bread
remembers the Exodus from Egypt, the seventh day of Unleavened Bread remembers the
crossing of the Red Sea, the counting of the Omer recalls the days before the giving of
the Torah at Sinai, and Shavuot remembers the giving of the Torah exactly seven weeks
after the Exodus (on Sivan 6). Indeed, Shavuot at Mount Sinai is sometimes considered
the day on which Judaism was born.

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The Biblical Background of Shavuot

The book of Exodus tells us how Moses was sent by God to Egypt to be a deliverer of
Israel. Pharaoh, of course, did not heed Moses’ appeal to set the people of Israel free
from their slavery, and the stage was then set for the showdown between the God of
Israel and the gods of Egypt.

After repeated demonstrations of the glory and power of the LORD, God told Moses that
He would bring a final and terrible plague that would cause Pharaoh to relent and let the
people go. All the firstborn sons in the land would be killed -- except for those who
observed what God called the Passover.

The LORD commanded that on Nisan 10 the head of each household would select an
unblemished young male lamb to be offered as a sacrifice to the LORD. On the
afternoon of Nisan 14 (erev Pesach), a family member was to slaughter the lamb (called
korban pesach) and smear some of its blood on all three sides of the doorframe, top, right
and left. The lamb was then to be roasted and eaten with unleavened bread (i.e., matzah)
and maror (bitter herbs). This meal was to be consumed “in haste” since the Israelites
would begin their exodus the following morning (Nisan 15). The LORD further required
that only matzah was to be eaten for a week after the Passover meal (from Nisan 15-22),
perhaps to recall the haste in which they left Egypt.

At midnight on Nisan 15 the LORD killed all the firstborn males of those who did not put
the blood of the lamb upon their doorposts (the Jews who trusted in the LORD were
“passed over” (pasach) from the angel of death). Pharaoh and most of Egypt arose in the
middle of the night, lamented the loss of their children, and begged the Israelites to leave
Egypt. The great Exodus from Egypt finally began! After exactly 430 years in Egypt (Ex.
12:40-1, 51, but reckoned from the birth of Isaac) over 600,000 adult males, along with
their wives and children, departed with a wealth of gold and silver which the Egyptians
had given them.

As soon as the Jews left Egypt, a fiery Pillar of Cloud appeared before them, leading
them from Rameses to Succoth and then southward toward the desert (Ex. 13:20-1). But
Pharaoh and his army soon realized that the Jews were never coming back and decided to
pursue and enslave them once again (Ex. 14:4). Six days later, on Nisan 21, the Israelites
were trapped with the Egyptian army behind them and the Sea of Reeds before them. The
Pillar of Cloud moved behind the Israelites and stood between them and the Egyptians.
Moses then stretched out his staff before the sea and it miraculously parted so that the
Jews could walk through. When the Jews had fully crossed over, the Egyptians tried to
follow after them, but Moses again stretched out his staff and the waters caved in on
them so that the pursuing army was drowned.

Three days later, on Nisan 24, the people came to Marah, where the water was bitter.
Moses threw some wood in the waters and they became mayim chayim - sweet water
good for drinking (Ex. 15:22-26). A month later, the Jews complained that they were out

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of food, but God sent manna to feed them (Ex. 16). Interestingly, the amount of manna
collected each day was called an omer. Later still, the Jews began to settle at Rephidim,
near Mount Sinai, but again there was no water. Moses was commanded to take the
elders to a rock at Sinai and strike it with his staff to miraculously bring forth water (Ex.
17:1-7). While the Jews were camped in Rephidim, the Amalekites (descendants of Esau)
suddenly attacked them. Israel won the battle, but God commanded them to never forget
their adversaries (Ex. 17:9-16).

After 45 days in the desert, on the new moon of Sivan, the Jews reached the desert of
Sinai and camped near the very mountain where Moses was first commissioned (Ex.
19:1). During the previous weeks the Jews had become more and more conscious of the
LORD and therefore more and more readied to receive instruction (Torah) from Him
before entering the Promised Land.

Moses ascended the mountain, and there God commanded him to tell the leaders that if
they would obey the LORD and keep His covenant, then they would be the LORD’s
"kingdom of priests" and "holy nation." After delivering this message, the people
responded by proclaiming, kol asher diber Adonai na’aseh ("all that the LORD has
spoken, we shall do"). Moses then returned to the mountain and was told to command the
people to sanctify themselves before the LORD descended upon the mountain in three
days. The people were to abstain from worldly comforts and not so much as touch (under
penalty of death) the boundaries of the mountain. "Be ready for the third day; for on the
third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people."

Rabbinic tradition says that the Torah was actually given on the sixth of Sivan, the
Shabbat following the new moon of Sivan that year (which would make the new moon of
Sivan a Monday [Shabbat 86b]).

On Shabbat morning of the sixth of Sivan, exactly seven weeks after the Exodus, all the
children of Israel gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai, where the LORD descended amidst
thunder, lightning, billowing smoke, fire, and the voluminous blast of the shofar. The
LORD then declared the foundation of moral conduct required of the people, the Ten
Commandments.

The sound of a shofar grew louder and louder until terror gripped the heart of the people.
The LORD then uttered, “I am the LORD Thy God who took you out of Egypt.” As the
LORD began speaking the second commandment, however, the people began falling
back in fear and begged Moses to be their “middleman” or mediator before God. The
people then stood far off, while Moses alone drew near to the thick darkness where God
was.

As mediator of the covenant, Moses later reported to the Israelites all the words of the
LORD and the people responded in unison, kol hadevarim asher diber Adonai na’eseh:
"all the words which the LORD has said we will do." He wrote down the words of the
covenant (sefer habrit), built an altar at the foot of Mount Sinai with twelve pillars (one

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for each tribe of Israel), and ordered sacrifices to the LORD to be made. He took the
sacrificial blood from the offerings, threw half upon the altar, and read the covenant to
the people. The people ratified the covenant with the words kol asher diber Adonai
na'aseh v’nishma ("all that the LORD says we will do and obey"). Upon hearing their
ratification, Moses took the other half of the sacrificial blood and threw it on the people
saying, "Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in
accordance with all these words."

Next, Moses, Aaron (and his sons Nadav and Avihu), and seventy of the elders of Israel
ascended Mount Sinai to eat a "covenant affirmation meal" between klal Yisrael and the
LORD. It was there that the elders beheld the awesome glory of Elohei Yisrael (the God
of Israel), under whose feet was "a pavement of sapphires, like the very heaven for
clearness" (Ex. 24:9-11).

After returning from the mountain with the elders, the LORD commanded Moses to go
back up to receive luchot ha’even (the tablets of stone) inscribed with the Ten
Commandments (Ex. 24:12). He remained on the mountain for a total of 40 days and 40
nights learning Torah while the Israelites waited for him at the camp down below (Ex.
24:13-18).

Midrashim about the Tablets

According to Jewish midrash, the tablets of stone were made of blue
sapphire as a symbol of the heavens and God's throne, written by the
“finger of God” (Ex. 31:18). The Hebrew letters were said to be bored fully
through the stone (Ex. 32:15), which was a miracle, since the inner part of
some of the Hebrew letters (such as Samekh and the final Mem) “floated”
in place. Moreover, even though the letters were bored fully through the
stone, both sides appeared normally (that is, the “back” of the tablet looked
identical to the front - Shabbos 104a).
Jewish tradition claims that the Hebrew script used was Ketav Ashurit (the classical
Hebrew script used in the Scriptures today), and not the older Ketav Ivri (which was later
written (by God) on the second set of tablets that Moses hewed after he broke the original
set). Another midrash says that the tablets “carried their own weight,” enabling Moses to
carry them down the mountain.

Another well-known Jewish midrash says that the LORD initially offered the Torah to
each of the 70 nations, but none accepted it without first asking what it was about. After
hearing the various commandments, each nation had some excuse or another for not
accepting it (for example, God offered Torah to the Ishmaelites, but they declined the
offer because of its prohibition of theft, since their trading practices required it). God
finally turned to the nation of Israel, who said kol asher diber Adonai na'aseh ("all that
the LORD says we will do"). Note something remarkable here: Unlike the other nations,
Israel chose Torah before knowing its contents (Exodus 19:8). In fact, even after Moses

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had explained the extent of Torah’s demands, all Israel said kol asher diber Adonai
na'aseh v’nishma ("all that the LORD says we will do and obey") (Exodus 24:7). The
heart of the Jew unquestioningly says "Yes" to the LORD like a child who trusts his
father... (halevai - may we all so live!).

The Agricultural background - Yom Ha-Bikkurim

When the Jews began to settle in the Promised Land, the meaning of Shavuot was
transformed into an agricultural holiday that celebrated the LORD’s provision for His
people. In the final book of Torah, Moses reviewed the history and the laws given to the
Jews and reminded them to faithfully observe Passover (Deut. 16:1-7), Unleavened Bread
(Deut 16:8), the Omer Count (Deut 16:9), and Shavuot:

You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the
sickle is first put to the standing grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to
the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which
you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you. And you shall rejoice before
the LORD your God. (Deut. 16:9-11)

The Hebrew word sheva means seven, shavu’ah means week, and Shavuot means weeks.
Exactly seven weeks after the first harvest of barley is the celebration of Shavuot
(“weeks”), one of the three pilgrimage holidays where Jews would come to the mishkan
(and later the Temple) to present the firstfruits of their spring crops before the LORD.
Since Shavuot occurs on the 50th day after Passover, the Greek translators of the Torah
called this day “Pentecost.”

The first fruits of the crops were called bikkurim, and referred
especially to Shivat Haminim (the seven species of fruits) of the
Promised Land: Wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates,
olives, and dates (Deut. 8:8). As soon as a Jewish farmer saw the
first sign of ripening fruit in his field or orchard, he would tie a
string or ribbon around it and designate it as bikkurim.

Later he would pick this fruit, put it in a basket woven of gold

and silver (the poor used wicker baskets of peeled willow
branches) and head to the mishkan (or later to the Temple in
Jerusalem) for the festival of Shavuot. Since it was a pilgrimage
festival, a large procession of other Jews would be carrying their
baskets on the road, singing songs of joyful praise. They would
place their baskets on oxen adorned with garlands of flowers in
a grand parade to Jerusalem! As the pilgrims passed through
various towns along the way, they would be accompanied by
still others (Deut. 26:1-3).

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At the mishkan (or Temple), each family would present the basket of fruits to a kohen
(priest) to be put before the altar while reciting the following passage from the book of
Deuteronomy:
A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned
there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.
And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor.
Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice
and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the LORD brought us out
of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror,
with signs and wonders. And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a
land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the
ground, which you, O LORD, have given me.' And you shall set it down before the
LORD your God and worship before the LORD your God.

The Priestly Avodah - Shtei Halechem

In the priestly avodah (service) at the mishkan (and later at the Temple), the 49 day
countdown to the holiday is called Sefirat Omer (“Counting of the Omer”), every day of
which a special blessing was recited naming exactly how many more days were left
before the climactic 50th day - a Jubilee of days!

Just as a sample of the first crop of barley was waved before the altar during the festival
of Firstfruits, so on Shavuot a sample of the first crop of the wheat harvest was brought to
the priests, baked into two loaves of leavened bread (shtei halechem), and then waved
(tenufah) before the altar as a concluding rite of the season. This was the only time
leavened bread was used by the priests for the avodah (see Lev. 2:11).

Shavuot stands in contrast to Passover that requires unleavened bread (matzah), since the
two loaves of bread made from the first fruit of the wheat harvest were baked with
chametz (yeast) before being "waved before the LORD" (Lev. 23:15-20). There is some
uncertainty among Jewish sages regarding the meaning of the use of the otherwise
forbidden leaven (Lev. 2:11), though prophetically it is a picture of the "one new man"
(composed of both Jew and Gentile) before the altar of the LORD (Eph. 2:14).

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While the Temple was still standing, Shavuot (along with Passover
and Sukkot) was one of the three pilgrim holidays (shalosh regalim)
when Jews would come to Jerusalem to make a sacrifice of their
crop’s first fruits. After the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, the
agricultural aspect of Shavuot could no longer be observed, and the
Talmudic sages later re-connected this festival with the giving of the
Torah at Mt. Sinai during the month of Sivan (Ex. 19:1).

Shavuot thus came to be called Z’man mattan torateinu - "The Season of the Giving of
the Torah." To this day, it has become customary to observe Shavuot by staying up all
night studying Torah. While this custom (called tikkun leil Shavuot) is beautiful, Jewish
law prohibits afflicting or torturing oneself on a holiday, so if you are tired or won’t feel
well the next day, it is better to go to sleep. A tikkun (order) presents small excerpts from
each book of the Tanakh as well as tractates from the Talmud.

Timeline of Giving the Torah

There is a connection between Passover, the Omer Count, and the holiday of Shavuot that
is rooted in the redemptive actions of the LORD God of Israel. According to various
Jewish sources, the basic timeline for the giving of the Torah at Sinai is as follows:

1. Nisan 1 - The Start of the Sacred Year

On the first of Nisan, two weeks before the Exodus, the LORD showed
Moses the new moon and commenced the divine lunar calendar. This is
called Rosh Chodashim.

2. Nisan 15 - Passover
Two weeks later, God was ready to deliver the Israelites from their bondage
in Egypt. Earlier that evening the Israelites kept the Passover Seder and
sprinkled the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. At the stroke of midnight
of Nisan 15 the LORD sent the last of the ten plagues on the Egyptians,
killing all their firstborn. This was the breaking point for Pharaoh and Israel
was "permitted" to leave Egypt. 600,000 adult males (plus the woman and
children and a "mixed multitude") left Egypt and began the journey to Sinai
under the leadership of Moses.

3. Nisan 18 - Pharaoh Pursues

Three days after the Exodus, and regardless of the plagues and devastation that
befell Egypt, Pharaoh mobilized his army and pursued the Jews to bring them
back. Perhaps this was the result of Pharoah realizing that the "three-day feast to
the LORD" in the wilderness was a permanent escape from his clutches....

4. Nisan 20 - Pharaoh traps the Israelites

Pharaoh’s army trapped the Jewish people against the Sea of Reeds. The
shechinah glory of the LORD intervened and blocked them from attack.

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5. Nisan 21 - the parting of the Sea

The following day the LORD commanded Moses to order the Israelites to march
directly into the waters of the sea. Nachshon ben Aminadav of the tribe of Judah
was the first to jump into the sea; the water split, and "the children of Israel walked
across on the dry land in the midst of the sea." When the Egyptians attempted to
follow after them, the waters rushed back and drowned them. The Israelites
celebrated their deliverance with the "Song at the Sea" in praise to the LORD.

6. Nisan 24 - the first Shabbat celebrated

Two days later the Israelites arrived in Marah where they received the
commandment to observe Shabbat.

7. Iyyar 15 - Manna is given

One month after the Exodus, God provided bread from heaven (manna) which
sustained the Israelites during their years of wandering through the desert. In light
of the divine provision of food, the commandment not to collect manna on
Shabbat is restated (on Iyyar 22).

8. Iyyar 23 - Water from the Rock

38 days after the Exodus the Israelites arrived at Rephidim, a desert area. The
people complained that they would die of thirst but the LORD commanded Moses
to strike a rock with his staff to produce water.

9. Sivan 1 - Arrival at Sinai

The Israelites finally arrived at the desert of Sinai (Ex. 19:1) where Moses was initially
commissioned. Note that the question of whether the new moon of Sivan (Rosh Chodesh
Sivan) fell on Sunday or Monday is undecided (Talmud, Shabbat 86b).

10. Sivan 2 - The Day of Distinction, “Yom HaMeyuchas”

On this day Moses ascended Mount Sinai and God told him to tell the people of
Israel: "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:4-6).

11. Sivan 3-5 - the three days of preparation

On Sivan 3 the LORD instructed Moses to "set boundaries" for the people around
the mountain in preparation for the giving of the Torah three days later.

12. Sivan 4 - Moses writes the Torah

According to midrash, on Sivan 4 Moses wrote down the first 68 chapters of the
Torah, from Genesis 1:1 to the account of the giving of the Torah in Exodus 19.
This is unlikely, but it is part of Jewish tradition, nonetheless.

13. Sivan 5 - the Covenant offered

On Sivan 5 Moses made a covenant with the Jewish people at the foot of Mt Sinai at
which the people declared, "All that the LORD has spoken, we shall do and hear" (Ex.
24:7) -- pledging to "do" also before they "hear" the terms of the covenant.

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14. Sivan 6 - The giving of the Torah

On the 6th Sivan, exactly seven weeks after the Exodus, the LORD revealed Himself
on Mount Sinai. All of Israel (600,000 heads of households and their families) heard
the LORD speak the first two of the Ten Commandments. Following this initial
revelation, Moses re-ascended Sinai for 40 days, to receive the remainder of the
Torah. This date coincides exactly with the festival of Shavuot.

The Omer Controversy and Date of Shavuot

The date Shavuot is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah but is inferred from the start of
the omer count. There is some controversy, however, about precisely when the first day of
the counting of the omer should begin. This controversy is not insignificant, since Shavuot
is one of the three mo'edim (appointed times) in which all males are directly commanded to
appear before LORD in Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-17). Since the date of Shavuot depends
on the first day of the omer, starting the count on the wrong day would imply that festival
would be observed at the wrong time.

The Torah (Leviticus 23:15) states that the first day of the 49 day countdown to Shavuot
begins “on the day after the Sabbath,” but it is unclear if the word “Sabbath” here refers to
the weekly Sabbath or to the High Sabbath (shabbaton) of Passover, on Nisan 15. Three
main viewpoints developed regarding the meaning of the phrase “after the Sabbath”:

• The Tzaddukim (Sadducees) believed that the word “Sabbath” was used in its
regular sense, as the seventh day of the week, and therefore began the countdown
on the first Sunday after Passover (Talmud: Menachot 65). Now since Shavuot
occurs 7 weeks later to the day, this implies that it also fell on a Sunday.
Moreover, since the date for the weekly Sabbath varies over the year, the date of
Shavuot would likewise vary.

• The Perushim (Pharisees), on the other hand, believed that "the day after the
Shabbat" referred to not the weekly Sabbath but to the first day of Passover
(which is a shabbaton or day of work restrictions), and therefore began counting
the following day, that is, the day after Passover (which is also the second day of
Unleavened Bread). This is supported in Joshua 5:11-12 when Israel first entered
the land and ate of its firstfruits. Now since Passover always occurs on Nisan 15,
this established a fixed date for Shavuot 49 days later on Sivan 6.

• The Karaites rejected both these methods but instead relied upon the sighting of the
new moon (Rosh Chodesh) and the appearance of the first sheaves of barely to
determine the month of Aviv and the festival of First Fruits, respectively. After these
observations, the wave offering of the first fruits would then be presented at the
temple on the day after the weekly Sabbath, and only then would the 49 day
countdown to Shavuot begin. Therefore, since the appearance of the first barely
sheaves is not constant, the date Shavuot could not be foreknown with any certainty.

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Historically, the Pharisee’s position prevailed in the Jewish tradition, and the modern
Rabbinical calendar marks Shavuot on the fixed date of Sivan 6 (in May/June), exactly
49 days after the second day of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 16). This accords with the
testimony of first century historians Josephus and Philo, who both state that the “day after
the Sabbath” meant the day after the holiday Sabbath.

Shavuot and Marriage

In the Talmud, Shavuot is referred to as the “marriage day” between God and the Jewish
people, between heaven and earth (Passover is considered the time of Israel's "betrothal"
or engagement to God). The LORD is the Heavenly chatan (groom) who said, “Accept
Me”; the Jewish people represent the beloved kallah (bride); and the Torah represents the
ketubah (marriage contract). A midrash says that Mount Sinai was lifted up over the
heads of the Jewish people like a chuppah (wedding canopy) when the Jews first drew
near to hear the Ten Commandments (i.e., perform the ceremony). The Sephardic
tradition actually recites a ketubah on the holiday of Shavuot to remember their marriage
to the LORD.

Just as a bride eagerly counts the days between her engagement and her wedding, so
Israel counts the days between Passover and Shavuot, when we were united with God
through our acceptance of the Torah.

Names for Shavuot

Because it is a multifaceted holiday, Shavuot is given different names in the Scriptures
and in the Jewish tradition:

Chag Shavuot (“The Festival of Weeks”); the Hebrew

word sheva means seven, shavu’ah means week, and
Shavuot means weeks. Exodus 34:22; Deut. 16:10

Chag Hakatzir (“The festival of the Harvest)

Exodus 23:16

Yom Habikkurim (“The Day of First Fruits”)

Num. 28:26 (not to be confused with the festival of First
Fruits (Lev. 23:9-12).

Bikkurei Ketzir Chittim (“The first fruits of the wheat”)

Exodus 34:22

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Yom HaKahal (“The Day of Assembly”)

Deut. 18:16

Z’man Mattan Torateinu

“The season of the giving of the Torah”

Contemporary Shavuot Customs

Since the sages identified Shavuot as Z’man Mattan Torateinu, a time that
commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, activities and customs about
receiving the Torah are prevalent during this time. According to midrash, the soul of
every Jew was present in the first generation of Israel that left Egypt, and therefore every
Jew was “present” at Sinai when the covenant was given. We are commanded to consider
ourselves personally involved at Sinai. Therefore, on Shavuot Jews reaffirm their
commitment to the Mosaic covenant and the Jewish way of life. During synagogue
services, everyone stands as the Ten Commandments are recited, and everyone ratifies
them with kol asher-dibber Adonai na’aseh v’nishmah:

Since children are considered a heritage of the LORD, it is common for Jewish confirmation
ceremonies to be held at the synagogue. At this time, young adults recommit themselves to
Talmud Torah (the study of Torah) and the decision to live as a Jew.

Some other Shavuot customs include decorating the home and synagogue with greenery,
eating dairy foods and sweets (as samples of “milk and honey,” such as a good cheesecake),
and staying up the entire night of Shavuot to study the Torah (tikkun leil Shavuot).

Tikkun Leil Shavuot

Among the ultra Orthodox, it is customary to stay up the entire night Note:
before the holiday of Shavuot reading selected passages from all the books This custom is based on
recent Kabbalistic
of the Tanakh as well as the tractates of the Talmud. This custom, called tradition, since some of
tikkun leil shavuot, "rectification for Shavuot Night," is meant to repair the Jewish mystics
believed that the heavens
(tikkun) the mistake of being unprepared to receive the Torah on the were open to receive the
morning of Sivan 6. “We remain awake to show that, unlike the situation thoughts, study, and
of our heavy-lidded ancestors at Sinai, there is no need to bring us to our prayers of those who
remain awake on the
senses; we are ready to receive Torah.” The anthology of passages from anniversary of the giving
the Tanakh and Talmud is called a (Shavuot) "Tikkun." of the Torah at Sinai...

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Scripture Readings for Shavuot

The following Scripture Readings are traditionally assigned for the Holiday of Shavuot:

Day Torah Haftarah Brit Chadashah

Erev Shavuot
Tikkun Leil Shavuot
(5 Sivan)
Shavuot 1 Exodus 19:1-20:23 Ezek 1:1-28; 3:12 Jn 1:32-34; Mt 3:11-17;
(6 Sivan) Num 28:26-31 Ruth Acts 2:1-21, 37-41

Shavuot 2 Deut 14:22-16:17 Habakkuk 3:1-19 Acts 2:1-13

(7 Sivan) Num 28:26-31

Megillat Rut - The Book of Ruth

Megillat Rut, the Book of Ruth, is read in the synagogue at this

time, since the events recounted took place during the time of the
spring harvest (linking it to the agricultural aspect of Shavuot),
and Ruth is a picture of willing acceptance of a Jewish lifestyle
(linking it to the events of Sinai).

Ruth was a Moabitess, a non-Jew who converted to the Jewish faith and became part of
the lineage of King David and the Messiah Yeshua through the love of a goel, or kinsman
redeemer:

As the Goel (kinsman-redeemer), Boaz

was a wealthy man of the tribe of Judah
who married a Gentile bride. Boaz’s
name means “in Him is strength,” a
picture of the Mashiach Yeshua, his
greater Descendant, who also redeemed
for himself a bride from among the
Gentile nations.

by John J. Parsons 12 Hebrew4christians.com

 Hebrew for Christians
www.hebrew4christians.com Shavuot - Pentecost

The Anniversary of the Church

During Temple times, Shavuot was observed an agricultural festival, though the sages
also recognized it as the time to commemorate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. As
one of the three pilgrimage festivals, Jews from all over the world would come to
Jerusalem to celebrate and reaffirm their commitment to the covenant of Moses.

And such was the practice when God delivered the Substance of which the festival of
Shavuot was merely a “type and a shadow.” For the Brit Chadashah reveals that Shavuot
is the climax of God’s plan for our deliverance through Yeshua, the true Lamb of God
(Seh Elohim). The countdown to Shavuot represents the giving of the anticipated New
Covenant to mankind, since it was on this very day that the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy
Spirit) was given to form the Church of God.

With a touch of divine irony, on the very day that Jews from around the world gathered in
Jerusalem to reaffirm their commitment to the covenant of Moses, the Holy Spirit
descended upon Israel to offer the promise of the New Covenant to all who will believe
(see Acts 2:1-42). This new covenant makes Torah a matter of the heart, written by the
God’s Spirit, that yields a life fruitful in the praise of God.

Just as the resurrection of Yeshua represents the Firstfruits of those who have died (1 Cor
15:20) and fulfills the prophetic ritual of the waving of the omer on the festival of First
Fruits, so the giving of the Holy Spirit to the church fulfills the wave offering of the
wheat loaves on the day of Shavuot.

Shavuot marks the day when God entered into covenant with the Jewish nation. During
the first Shavuot at Sinai, God instituted the Mosaic covenant and gave the Torah in
written form, but during the Shavuot after the resurrection of Yeshua, God established the
New Covenant when He wrote the Torah on the hearts of Yeshua’s followers.

• Shavuot at Mt. Sinai is sometimes considered the day on which Judaism

was born. Shavuot in Jerusalem (Mount Zion) is the day on which the
church was born when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the followers
of the Mashiach.

• At Mount Sinai the Ten Commandments were written on tablets of stone

by the "finger of God" (Exodus 31:18), but at Mount Zion, the Torah is
written on tables of the heart by the Spirit of God (2 Cor 3:3; Hebrews
8:10).

• Just as the Israelites were affirmed as God's chosen people on Shavuot

with the giving of the Torah, so the Church was affirmed as God's chosen
people at Shavuot after the Mashiach’s ascension into heaven as the
Mediator of a Better Covenant (Hebrews 8:6). The 3,000 that were added
to the church that day were firstfruits of the redeemed people of God.

by John J. Parsons 13 Hebrew4christians.com

 Hebrew for Christians
www.hebrew4christians.com Shavuot - Pentecost

• In the Jewish tradition, Shavuot is compared to a wedding, for it was on Shavuot

that the covenant between God and the Jewish People was sealed at Mount Sinai.
The church is called Kallat Mashiach - the Bride of Messiah (Rev 21:2,9), and we
eagerly await the marriage supper to come (Rev 19:9).

A note about Isru Chag

The day following the closure of the Shavuot season is known as Isru Chag, “binding the
festival” (from Psalm 118:27). It is observed as a semi-festive day, when the Tachanun
supplications (normally recited after the weekday Amidah) are omitted from the morning
and afternoon services.

The LORD is God; He has given us light; bind the festal offering to the horns of the altar with cords.

El Adonai yaiyaer lanu isru-chag, b’avotim ad-karnot ha-mizbe’ach.

During the Temple period, Isru Chag was the day when the pilgrims would leave
Jerusalem for their journey back home. According to the Talmud, observing Isru Chag as
a festive day is akin to offering sacrifices upon the altar in the Temple (Sukkah 25b).

by John J. Parsons 14 Hebrew4christians.com

 Hebrew for Christians
www.hebrew4christians.com Shavuot - Pentecost

Preparing for Shavuot -

Getting the point of your Redemption....

Anticipating Revelation
The two-month wait is nearly over now, and we anticipate a time to recommit our lives
to the LORD God of Israel. On Shavuot Jews are commanded to remember the
revelation given at Sinai (Deut. 4:9) and to spiritually reenact kabbalat ha-Torah (the
receiving of the Torah). This is symbolic of a wedding day, when God betrothed Israel
as His own people, separate from all others. The goal of Passover redemption was to set
us free to become God’s own treasured people (am segulah), a light to the nations:
ambassadors for Heaven’s voice... According to some of the sages, the entire Jewish
nation will one day be saved from their spiritual exile on Shavuot.

As Messianic Jews, we likewise understand that our

Passover redemption was designed by God to set us free to
become appointed heirs (κληρονοµοι) with Yeshua (Jesus)
and to identify with His redemptive purposes in the earth
(Rom. 8:17, Titus 3:7, etc.). By God’s chesed we are now
called God’s own treasured people (am segulah), a light to
the nations: ambassadors for the Kingdom of God (1 Peter
2:9). We have been saved from our spiritual exile when the
Ruach Ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit) was given to us (Acts 2).

Collectively, the followers of Yeshua are called kallat Mashiach - the bride of the
Messiah (2 Cor. 11:2, Rom. 7:4, Eph. 5:25-27, Rev. 21:9, 22:17). Presently we are living
during a betrothal period in which the bride and groom are separated until the wedding.
Our responsibility during this age is to be faithful to our Heavenly Bridegroom (2 Cor.
11:2; Eph. 5:24). When Yeshua returns, we will finally be united with Him and the
glorious "wedding ceremony" will take place (Rev. 19:7-9; 21:1-2).

by John J. Parsons 15 Hebrew4christians.com

 Hebrew for Christians
www.hebrew4christians.com Shavuot - Pentecost

Shavuot begins on Sivan 6 on the Jewish calendar. In Jewish tradition, the second day of
Sivan is called Yom Hameyuchas - the "Day of Distinction" - since it was on this day that
God told the Israelites that He would make them into a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation (Ex. 19:5-6). A three day period immediately following (Sivan 3-5) is called
shelosh yemei hagbalah - the “three days of setting the boundary” (Ex. 19:12) - and
represents a time of enhanced sanctity. The Jewish day begins at nightfall and on Erev
Shavuot (Sivan 6) it is customary to stay up all night studying the Torah in order to instill
a deep longing for God’s revelation to be given. According to some sages, one who
studies the first and last chapters of a book of the Tanakh is considered to have studied
the entire book, and therefore the custom arose to read the first and last chapters of each
book of the Bible on the first night of Shavuot. The study of the Ten Commandments and
the Taryag Mitzvot (613 commandments enumerated by the sages) is also a common
custom during this time.

Since Shavuot recalls the momentous time when Israel received revelation from God at
Sinai, at daybreak additional prayers and blessings are recited at the synagogue for the
gift of the Torah (mattan Torah). However, since ignoring the Torah leads to ruin,
admonition to pursue the study of Torah is also made during this time.

Who is the man so wise that he can understand this? To whom has the mouth of
the LORD spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste
like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? And the LORD says: "Because
they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice
or walked in accord with it. (Jer. 9:12-13)

The sages sometimes make a connection between the Ten Days of Repentance (the time
between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) and the seven weeks of the Omer Count (the
time between Passover and Shavuot). Studying God’s revelation is a prelude to re-
experiencing the joy of His Presence, though this requires diligence and hard work. In
order to understand what God requires of us, we must make effort to study the Torah....
We therefore ask God to make Torah sweet on our tongues and to help us be “engrossed”
in the words of the Scriptures.

All of this, obviously enough, indicates that Shavuot is a time when we are called to
engage ourselves in the study of God’s revelation and Torah. But how is this possible if
we are not properly educated to do so?

by John J. Parsons 16 Hebrew4christians.com

 Hebrew for Christians
www.hebrew4christians.com Shavuot - Pentecost

In the Talmud there is this statement:

"The world exists because of the breath of the schoolchildren who

study Torah." (Talmud Bavli Shabbat 119b)

In Hebrew the word chinukh means "education," a word that shares the same root as the
word "chanukah" (hknx, dedication). Unlike the ancient Greek view that pragmatically
saw education as a humanistic means of escaping from "the cave of ignorance" to better
one’s personal power or happiness, the Jewish idea of education implies dedication to
God and His concrete purposes on the earth. Rambam (Maimonides) notes that the word
chinukh is borrowed from the Torah’s description of dedicating a tool for use with the
Holy Altar, "habituating the tool for its work." In other words, godly education is a
process of being made a "fit vessel" for the service of God in the world. All other ends of
knowledge ultimately exist for this purpose, and rightly understood, education is a form
of worship.

Hence the Jewish value of teaching children the words of Torah and their obligation to
live as Jews.

God said to the Jews, "I want to give you the Torah, but who will guarantee that
you will obey its instruction?" The Jews replied, "The Patriarchs will be our
guarantors." "Not good enough," said God. "They themselves owe Me...." "The
prophets will be our guarantors." Again God responded, "Not good enough. They
themselves owe Me...." "Our children will be the guarantor." "This is good
guarantor!" (Midrash Tehilim/Shocher Tov 8)

Torah learning is not an individual act. When we learn to “talk Torah” with each other as
members of a community, we share the greater message of redemptive love that Yeshua
gave to the world... Chaverim, pursue talmud Torah...

by John J. Parsons 17 Hebrew4christians.com