Shavuot – Pentecost
Importance: High – it is commanded
Mood: Celebratory
Background: Shavuot is an agricultural festival that has many names. You can find it in the Scriptures under the name Hag HaKatsir (feast of the harvest). It is a festival of thanks for the harvest, but it falls in late May or early June because that is the time of the wheat harvest in Israel.
We get the name Shavuot from another name the Bible has for this festival, Hag HaShavuot (the feast of weeks). It marks the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer. It is called Shavuot (weeks) because Adonai commanded us to count seven weeks (49 days) starting on the second day of Passover. On the fiftieth (thus the name “Pente-cost”), we celebrate Shavuot. Because it officially closes the Passover season, some people refer to it as “Shavuot Atzeret” or “Closing Sabbath.”
The Bible tells us that our people were freed from their bondage on the night of Passover. Tradition says that through Moses we were given the Torah on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan. That means that the first time Shavuot was ever celebrated, we received the Law. That is why Shavuot has yet another name Zman Matan Torataynu (the time of the giving of our Torah) and is closely associated with the Torah.
Elisha used the firstfruits offering to perform a miracle and feed one hundred men (2 Kings 4:42-44). Acts 2 tells the story of a certain Shavuot (Pentecost) when God gave the Holy Spirit. It is beyond interesting that the Spirit was given on an anniversary of the giving of the Torah.
Shavuot is one of the shalosh regalim, the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals (Exodus 23:14-17).
Practice: On Shavuot, we light candles and decorate with greenery to symbolize the life and light brought to us through Hashem’s Word. We eat a special meal that includes dairy food. Can you say “ice cream”? And what’s not to like about Cheese Blintzes and Cheesecake! We study Scriptures, particularly as it relates to the inspiration, veracity, or perspicacity of the Word, thank God for the Word in prayer, and read the Book of Ruth.
Biblical Support:
The Practice: Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Leviticus 2:11-16; 23:10-11, 14, 17, 20-21; Numbers 18:12; Deuteronomy 26:1-15; 2 Chronicles 31:4-7; Nehemiah 10:35-37; 12:44; 13:31; Proverbs 3:9-10; Ezekiel 20:40-43
Mood: Celebratory
Background: Shavuot is an agricultural festival that has many names. You can find it in the Scriptures under the name Hag HaKatsir (feast of the harvest). It is a festival of thanks for the harvest, but it falls in late May or early June because that is the time of the wheat harvest in Israel.
We get the name Shavuot from another name the Bible has for this festival, Hag HaShavuot (the feast of weeks). It marks the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer. It is called Shavuot (weeks) because Adonai commanded us to count seven weeks (49 days) starting on the second day of Passover. On the fiftieth (thus the name “Pente-cost”), we celebrate Shavuot. Because it officially closes the Passover season, some people refer to it as “Shavuot Atzeret” or “Closing Sabbath.”
The Bible tells us that our people were freed from their bondage on the night of Passover. Tradition says that through Moses we were given the Torah on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan. That means that the first time Shavuot was ever celebrated, we received the Law. That is why Shavuot has yet another name Zman Matan Torataynu (the time of the giving of our Torah) and is closely associated with the Torah.
Elisha used the firstfruits offering to perform a miracle and feed one hundred men (2 Kings 4:42-44). Acts 2 tells the story of a certain Shavuot (Pentecost) when God gave the Holy Spirit. It is beyond interesting that the Spirit was given on an anniversary of the giving of the Torah.
Shavuot is one of the shalosh regalim, the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals (Exodus 23:14-17).
Practice: On Shavuot, we light candles and decorate with greenery to symbolize the life and light brought to us through Hashem’s Word. We eat a special meal that includes dairy food. Can you say “ice cream”? And what’s not to like about Cheese Blintzes and Cheesecake! We study Scriptures, particularly as it relates to the inspiration, veracity, or perspicacity of the Word, thank God for the Word in prayer, and read the Book of Ruth.
Biblical Support:
- Pentecost: Acts 2:1-4; 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8
- Festival of Harvest: Exodus 23:16; 34:22; Leviticus 23:10
- Firstfruits
- The Name: Numbers 28:26
The Practice: Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Leviticus 2:11-16; 23:10-11, 14, 17, 20-21; Numbers 18:12; Deuteronomy 26:1-15; 2 Chronicles 31:4-7; Nehemiah 10:35-37; 12:44; 13:31; Proverbs 3:9-10; Ezekiel 20:40-43
