SHAVUOT
BY RABBI ESTHER BOUCHER
Shavuot (pronounced sha-voo-ote) is also called the Feast of Weeks, Feast
of the Harvest, and Pentecost. It is a major festival and marks the end of the
barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. It is considered the
closing festival of the Passover season, and completes the seven week
counting of the omer (Ex. 34:22; Lev. 23:15; Deut. 16:9-10).

It is a celebration to awaken and strength personal relationships with G-d by
re-dedication to the observance and study of the Torah. It is the anniversary
of G-d's giving the Torah at Mount Sinai and the Ruach Hakodesh (Holy
Spirit) in Jerusalem.

The Torah instructs in Exodus 23:16, "Israelites shall hold a festival for the
Feast, of the first fruits of your work, of what you sow in the field." Lev.
23:17-23 states, "You shall bring from your settlements two loaves of bread
as a wave offering...baked with leavening, as first fruits to the L-rd... on that
same day you shall hold a celebration; it shall be a sacred occasion for you;
you shall not work at your occupations." Deut. 16:10-12 states, "You shall
observe the Feast of Weeks for the L-rd your G-d, offering your freewill
contribution according as the L-rd your G-d has blessed you. You shall
rejoice before the L-rd your G-d with your son and daughter, your male and
female slave, the Levite in your communities, and the stranger, the fatherless,
and the widow in your midst, at the place where the L-rd your G-d will choose
to establish His name."

When the Temple stood, two large loaves of wheat bread were offered by the
priest for the nation and a freewill offering was brought by every family
according to its own means. These offerings were brought from bikkurim, the
first fruits, of the seven kinds of food for which Israel is specifically praised in
the Torah: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.

Today traditional Jews prepare for Shavuot with a visit to the mikveh, which
is a ritual bath done in any free-flowing river, lake, or sea, and special mikveh
rooms in some synagogues. When the children of Israel came to the foot of
Mount Sinai they cleansed themselves of the scars of Egypt to become a
holy nation ready to enter into an eternal covenant with G-d. The Synagogue
is decorated with branches of green leaves, and the Torah scrolls with roses
as a symbol of the shift from spring to summer, and it is a reminder of how
G-d made the desert bloom during the giving of the Torah.

It is customary to eat a dairy meal. There are several opinions on how this
tradition got started. I like the one which reminds us that the land of Israel is a
land flowing with milk and honey. Cheese dishes are usually served such as
cheese blintzes, cheesecake, macaroni and cheese and dairy kugel.

The Feast of Weeks known also as Pentecost not only memorializes the first
giving of the law written on the tablets of stone, but also many years later, the
giving of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit), when the law of G-d was written
on the heart of the believer. Jeremiah 31:33 states, "But this shall be the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the
L-rd, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will
be their G-d, and they shall be my people." Before His resurrection, Yeshua
told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). Thousands of Jews
had journeyed to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Acts 2:1-4 tells
us, "And when the day of Shavuot(Pentecost) was fully come, they were all
with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it
sat upon each of them. And they were filled with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy
Spirit), and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance." There was such a loud noise accompanying this experience that
it attracted the attention of the Jewish visitors. Peter stood up and preached
a bold sermon to them. Three thousand responded to Peter's sermon by
accepting Yeshua as their Messiah and L-rd.

This holiday is likened to our wedding day; beneath the wedding canopy of
Mount Sinai, G-d betrothed Israel to Himself. G-d swore eternal devotion to
Israel, and they in turn pledged everlasting loyalty to G-d. Every year on this
holiday we reenact this historic moment. G-d re-gives the Torah, and we
lovingly re-accept, and reaffirm our fidelity to Him alone. On this day the Ten
Commandments are read from the Torah, and all are encouraged to hear
their reading.

Chag sameach!!!! Happy Feast!!
Shavout: In
Full Bloom
The tradition of
decorating with fresh
flora comes from the
holiday's secondary
significance as an
agricultural festival in
Israel.  Shavuot also
known as Hag
Hakatzir, the Festival
of the Harvest is the
harvest of the grains
wheat and barley.  
Yom Kabikkurim the
Day of the First Fruits
is also celebrated for
the fruit harvest.

The word Shavuot
means weeks in
Hebrew and the
holiday is celebrated
seven full weeks after
the second day of
Passover.

This holiday the
Synagogues are
trimmed in greenery
and flowers.  
Nurseries are loaded
with a breathless
bounty of vivid
annuals and perennials
in flats, pots and
containers.  Turn your
home into a gorgeous
greenhouse of varied
texture, size and color.
 The great news is that
after Shavuot, it's
almost summer, so
you can pop your
plants right into the
ground.
Ministry of Gates of Praise Ministries, Inc.
Copyright Gates of Praise Ministries 2007