Chag Hashavu’oth – The Festival of Weeks

It is commanded in Torah that all the males of Yisrael are to present themselves before YHWH three times in the year at His annual festivals. In ancient times, when the Temple still stood in Yerushalayim, each family of Yisrael would prepare a basket of “Habikkurym” – the first-fruits of the land, to take with them up to the place where YHWH had chosen to place His name, for Chag Hashavuoth. The basket contained in it seven kinds of ripe fruit arranged in the following order: barley in the bottom, wheat above that, then layered to the top: olives, dates, pomegranates, figs and grapes. The basket was guarded all night by a company of at least twenty-four persons from each tribal father’s house as they counted the fiftieth and final day of the Omer, then studied, recounted or recited the Scriptures and commandments until dawn. In the morning when they set out for the Temple, they would say, “Arise, and let us go up to Tzion, to YHWH Eloheynu!” (Yirmeyahu 31:6). An ox, to be the “Shelomim” (peace offering), went before them with gilded horns and an olive branch crown upon its head, as the people sang, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of YHWH’” (Tehillah 122: 1). Upon approaching Yerushalayim a messenger was sent before them to announce their arrival, and the first-fruits were tastefully arranged for presentation. The officiating Kohayn, Leviym, and other officials of the Temple went out to meet them and accompanied them into the city. At the gates, the watchmen would cry out, “Brothers! Men of (tribe or family), you have come in shalom!” The incoming party would sing in response as they entered, “Our feet are standing within your gates, O Yerushalayim!” (Tehillah 122:2). The piper, who led the music of the party, continued to play until the procession came to Mount Moriyah, the site of the Beyth Hamiqdash (Temple). Here, every head of household, even the King, took his own basket upon his shoulders and went forward until coming to the Temple court, singing, “Halleluyah! Hallelu El in His set-apart place!...” (Tehillah 150). The Leviym then responded with, “I will extol thee O YHWH…” (Tehillah 30). Pigeons or doves, which were hung about the baskets, were taken for Olah (whole burnt) offerings to be sacrificed upon the altar. With baskets still upon their shoulders, the leader of each group would recite the story of Ya’akov from Devarym 26:3-11. When each came to the verse, “My father was a wandering Aramean…,” he would let down the basket, holding it by its rim. The Kohayn would then put his hands under theirs and “wave” it – forward, back, up, down, denoting the directions of the compass, heaven and earth – as the offerer continued to recite the story. When he reached the verse, “And now behold, I have brought the first of the produce…,” he would put the basket beside the north side of the altar and then, having prostrated himself before YHWH one final time, would depart. After passing the day and night celebrating in Yerushalayim, the pilgrims turned the following day for their homes.

None of these private offerings were allowed to be presented until the public offering for the entire nation was first made on Shavuoth by the kohanym after the morning Olah offering and sacrifices in the third hour of the day – about 9 o’clock. In fact, this was the purpose of the festival service, to consecrate the first-fruits of the entire land to YHWH, so that each of those crops could then be used by the people as food, in commerce, and during the rest of the year. The Torah nowhere states specific amounts to be given in these particular offerings, which was left to the giver’s discretion. It only demanded that the first and choicest portions be offered to YHWH.

In the third and sixth year of the Shemittah (seven-year cycle), verses 13-15 of Devarym 26 were substitutionally declared. Certain types of people were also allowed exemptions for various reasons. For example: those who owned trees but not the land they were on, could not offer, because they could not say, “…the ground which Thou, O YHWH, has given me.” Those living beyond the land of Yisrael could not bring first-fruits, because they could not say from, “…a land flowing with milk and honey.” An unconverted proselyte, though bringing the offering, was not to recite the service, being unable to say, “I have entered the land which YHWH swore unto our fathers to give us.” Servants, slaves, women, sexless persons, and hermaphrodites were not allowed to recite the service, because they were unable to say, “I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which thou, O YHWH, has given me,” they having no original share in the land.

Now, in modern times, Shavuoth is celebrated with decorations of flowers in homes and synagogues, along with eating fresh fruits. The 10 commandments are read along with the book of Ruth, and a worship service is held. It is a celebration of great joy and thanks for YHWH giving us the produce of the land, His spirit, and His promises.

Blessed Art Thou YHWH Eloheynu who gives to us the festival seasons and has enabled us to reach this Chag Hashavuoth!

CHAG SHAVUOTH SAMEACH!

“And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to יהוה. Bring from your dwellings for a wave offering two loaves of bread, of two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour they are, baked with leaven, first-fruits to יהוה. And besides the bread, you shall bring seven lambs a year old, perfect ones, and one young bull and two rams. They are an ascending offering to יהוה, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet fragrance to יהוה. And you shall offer one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old, as a slaughter of peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them, besides the bread of the first-fruits, as a wave offering before יהוה, besides the two lambs. They are set-apart to יהוה for the priest. And on this same day you shall proclaim a set-apart gathering for yourselves, you do no servile work on it – a law forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.”

“And when the Day of the Festival of Shavuoth had come, they were all with one mind in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from the heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and settled on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Ruach Haqodesh and began to speak with other tongues, as the Ruach gave them to speak. Now in Yerushalayim there were dwelling Yehuḏim, dedicated men from every nation under the heaven. And when this sound came to be, the crowd came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying to each other, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how do we hear, each one in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Ěylamites, and those dwelling in Aram Naharayim, both Yehuḏah and Kappadokia, Pontos and Asia, both Phrygia and Pamphulia, Mitsrayim and the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Yehuḏim and converts, Cretans and Araḇs, we hear them speaking in our own tongues the great deeds of Elohim!”

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