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SHAVUOT
Leviticus 23;15-16
And you shall count for youselves 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, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.
Exodus 23; 16
Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field
Exodus 34; 22
Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest
Mishnah Bikkurim, Chapter 1 Mishnah 10 "And these may bring and make the declaration, from Atzeret (the Rabbinic term for Shavuot) until the Holiday (a Rabbinic reference to Succot), from the seven kinds, from the fruit of the hill country, from the dates that are from the valleys, and from the olive-oils "And these may bring and make the declaration, from Atzeret (the Rabbinic term for Shavuot) until the Holiday (a Rabbinic reference to Succot), from the seven kinds, from the fruit of the hill country, from the dates that are from the valleys, and from the olive-oils
Ibid. Ch. 3 Mishnah 1-4 "How do they separate the Bikkurim - first fruit? When a man descends into his field and sees a fig which has begun to ripen early, or a cluster of grapes that has begun to ripen, or a pomegranate that has begun to ripen, he ties it round with reed-grass and says, Behold these are Bikkurim"... How do they take up the Bikkurim? All the smaller towns of the Maamad [county, or region] - people of the guard, assembled in the town of the Maamad and lodged for the night in the street of the town and did not enter the houses ; and early in the morning the leader would say "Rise, and let us go up to Zion to the house of the our God (Jeremiah 31; 5)". Those that were near brought figs and grapes and those that were far away brought dried figs and raisins. An ox went before them with its horns overlaid with gold and a crown of olive leaves on its head. The flutes played before them until they drew near to Jerusalem. When they had arrived near Jerusalem they sent messengers before them, and they adorned their first fruit. The governors, the chiefs and the treasurers went out to meet them. According to the rank of those that came in they used to go forth. And all of the craftsmen of Jerusalem stood before them and greeted them, "Brethren of such-and-such place; be welcome". The flute played before them until they arrived at the Temple Mount. When they reached the Temple Mount, even Agrippa the king would set his basket upon his shoulder and go in until he reached the Temple Court...". "How do they separate the Bikkurim - first fruit? When a man descends into his field and sees a fig which has begun to ripen early, or a cluster of grapes that has begun to ripen, or a pomegranate that has begun to ripen, he ties it round with reed-grass and says, Behold these are Bikkurim"... How do they take up the Bikkurim? All the smaller towns of the Maamad [county, or region] - people of the guard, assembled in the town of the Maamad and lodged for the night in the street of the town and did not enter the houses ; and early in the morning the leader would say "Rise, and let us go up to Zion to the house of the our God (Jeremiah 31; 5)". Those that were near brought figs and grapes and those that were far away brought dried figs and raisins. An ox went before them with its horns overlaid with gold and a crown of olive leaves on its head. The flutes played before them until they drew near to Jerusalem. When they had arrived near Jerusalem they sent messengers before them, and they adorned their first fruit. The governors, the chiefs and the treasurers went out to meet them. According to the rank of those that came in they used to go forth. And all of the craftsmen of Jerusalem stood before them and greeted them, "Brethren of such-and-such place; be welcome". The flute played before them until they arrived at the Temple Mount. When they reached the Temple Mount, even Agrippa the king would set his basket upon his shoulder and go in until he reached the Temple Court...".
Psikta Zutrata, Parashat Emor "On that same day you shall hold" - that day was day 50, which is the day the Jewish people stood before Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. Since our forefathers received the Torah at the conclusion of 50 days from their exodus from Egypt, He gave them the day of the Bikkurim - the First Fruit at the conclusion of 50 days from the first holiday of Pesach. The Jews were, therefore called "the first as grapes in the wilderness I found Israel (Hosea 9:10 quoted with a change in the word order)". And Scripture also says "Like an apple tree among trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the youths. (The Song of Songs 2; 3):- Just as an apple [tree] produces fruit 50 days from the time it blossoms, so too the Jewish people received the Torah 50 days after their departure from Egypt." "On that same day you shall hold" - that day was day 50, which is the day the Jewish people stood before Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. Since our forefathers received the Torah at the conclusion of 50 days from their exodus from Egypt, He gave them the day of the Bikkurim - the First Fruit at the conclusion of 50 days from the first holiday of Pesach. The Jews were, therefore called "the first as grapes in the wilderness I found Israel (Hosea 9:10 quoted with a change in the word order)". And Scripture also says "Like an apple tree among trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the youths. (The Song of Songs 2; 3):- Just as an apple [tree] produces fruit 50 days from the time it blossoms, so too the Jewish people received the Torah 50 days after their departure from Egypt."
From the Amidah prayer for Shavuot
"And You, Our God, gave us, with love, appointed festivals for gladness, festivals and times for joy, this day of the Festival of Shavuot, the time of the giving of the Torah"
A guide to Shavuoth, Dr Chaim Pearl
It is noteworthy that Shavuot is called "The time of giving of the Torah and not the time of the receiving of the Torah. It is because the giving of the Torah took place on one day only, but the receiving of the Torah takes place every day.
Midrash
The Torah was given to Israel publicly in a place which belonged to no-one [The desert]. If it had been given in the land of Israel, Israel might have said to the peoples of the earth: "You have no share in the Torah". And for this reason it was given publically and in a place which belonged to no-one.
Bernard L. Bamberger in 'Wither thou Goest', a Shavuot Manual
There is much in the individual commandments that is new and unparalleled; yet it is the Decalogue as a whole that is in the highest sense unique. For the Bible itself makes plain that this was the most important part of the Torah, the basis of the Covenant - that is, the agreement between G-d and the people of Israel. Elsewhere in the Torah, there are many rules of ritual and ceremony, including the system of sacrifices. In other ancient religions, sacrifice was the central concern, the one indispensable requirement for maintaining the relation between the god and his followers. But, in the Torah, such details are postponed until after the fundamental issues have been settled. The agreement between G-d and man is based on the Ten Words, as the Ten Commandments are called - Ten Words which require exclusive loyalty to the G-d of freedom and justice, and decent, humane treatment of His creatures. The declaration that moral values, not sacrifice and ritual, are the essential requirement of religion had never been heard until the Torah proclaimed it.
Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer, 41 "And Moses went forth and came to the camp of the Israelites, and he aroused the Israelites from their sleep, saying to them: "Arise ye from your sleep, for behold, the bridegroom has arrived and wants to bring the bride under the canopy and is waiting for her in order to give them the Torah". The bridesman came and took the bride out, as a person does for his friend [during his wedding], as it says, "Moses led the people out of the camp (Exodus 19; 17)". And the bridegroom was going out toward the bride to give them the Torah as it says, "O God, when You went at the head of Your army (Psalms 68; 8)" "And Moses went forth and came to the camp of the Israelites, and he aroused the Israelites from their sleep, saying to them: "Arise ye from your sleep, for behold, the bridegroom has arrived and wants to bring the bride under the canopy and is waiting for her in order to give them the Torah". The bridesman came and took the bride out, as a person does for his friend [during his wedding], as it says, "Moses led the people out of the camp (Exodus 19; 17)". And the bridegroom was going out toward the bride to give them the Torah as it says, "O God, when You went at the head of Your army (Psalms 68; 8)"
R. Abraham Abele Gombiner, (17th century Polish commentary on the Shulchan Aruch, commonly known as "Magen Avraham")
"It is written in the Zohar (the monumental 14th century Kabbalistic work) that the early Chassidim would stay awake the entire night and study Torah. The matter has already become customary among the students. A simple explanation for this may be the fact that the Jews [at Mount Sinai] were asleep all night and God had to awaken them.., therefore we must rectify that".
Sara Raab in 'Whither Thou Goest', A Shavuot Manual
The Midrash tells the tale that on the great day that the Ten Commandments were qiven on Mt. Sinai, the children of Israel overslept. Whatever the reason may be, they slept past the time they were to approach the mountain to hear the commandments proclaimed for mankind. Naturally, the people have since atoned for this inertia. The Jews have initiated the custom of staying awake all night during the eve of Shavuot and learning the Torah. Some merely review from an anthology different selections of the books of the Bible and books of the Mishhah, Gemorrah and Midrash. Others, more capable, study more intricate parts of the Talmud and other traditional Jewish literature.
A guide to Shavuoth, Dr Chaim Pearl
Floral Decorations Most synagogues today are decorated with flowers and other plants in honour of the festival....Several reasons are suggested for this practice and we can note the following. The decorations are simply indicative of the main summer harvest; they remind us of Mount Sinai, which was covered with vegetation in honour of the great event of the Revelation; judgment day for fruit trees is thought to be on Shavuot; they are symbolic of the beautifully decorated Bikkurim [first-fruit] offerings brought in Temple days. The Synagogue was not the only place honoured in this way. In an earlier generation, in a period when ghetto life was restrictcd, urbanised and very far from the fresh atmosphere of the countryside, the Jew would make a special effort to decorate his home for Shavuoth in the customary manner. Often, it could amount to no more than fresh grass strewn on the floor, but it was sufficient to bring its fragrant and joyous message to the household. Dairy Food For a home-loving and family-centred people like the Jews and with a religion which is so largely lived in the home, it is not at all surprising to find that the festivals have left their impression upon the dietary traditions of the Jewish household. What, however, is especially worth noting in this connection is that the special foods prominent at each festive occasion have their place of distinction, very often, as a result of some religious symbolism. This is certainly the case with Shavuoth foods. The characteristic food for Shavuoth is dairy food. If we wish to be very matter of fact about this we can say simply that the reason is, because Shavuoth is a summer festival and in hot dimates light dairy dishes would in any case be usual at that time of the year. But less prosaic reasons have often been suggested. The connection has been made with the milk and honey, symbolic of the Torah which is as nourishing as milk, as sweet as honey, and which finds poetic reference in the Song of Songs in the words, ‘Honey and milk are under thy tongue.’ The land of Israel is also biblically described as ‘a land flowing with milk and honey’ so that on the festival of the summer harvest of crops it would be fittingly symbolic to partake of such food.
Sefer Ha-Chinnuch, Mitvah 273 "At the root of the precept, by way of the plain meaning, lies the reason that the main element of the life of the Jewish people is the Torah. On account of the Torah, heaven and earth were created... It is because of this principle and for this reason that the Jews were redeemed from Egypt- so that they should receive the Torah and fulfill it... this is a greater matter for them more than the freedom from slavery... Now, for this reason- because it is the core of the life of the Jews and for its sake they were were redeemed and rose to their exalted status, we were commanded to count from the day after Pesach until the day the Torah was given, to show, with our very souls, the great yearning for that distinguished day, for that which heart longs as a servant eagerly longs for the shadow, and constantly counts when his longed-for time will come when he will become free. For counting reflects a person's desire and anticipation to reach that particular time." "At the root of the precept, by way of the plain meaning, lies the reason that the main element of the life of the Jewish people is the Torah. On account of the Torah, heaven and earth were created... It is because of this principle and for this reason that the Jews were redeemed from Egypt- so that they should receive the Torah and fulfill it... this is a greater matter for them more than the freedom from slavery... Now, for this reason- because it is the core of the life of the Jews and for its sake they were were redeemed and rose to their exalted status, we were commanded to count from the day after Pesach until the day the Torah was given, to show, with our very souls, the great yearning for that distinguished day, for that which heart longs as a servant eagerly longs for the shadow, and constantly counts when his longed-for time will come when he will become free. For counting reflects a person's desire and anticipation to reach that particular time."
The Story of the Writings, Joseph Resner
The Book of Ruth is about the crossing of lines, lines of folk, of religion, of age. It tells us all that anyone has to know about loyalty and tolerance, about conscience and courage. They are related themes. Loyalty is the ability to stick with something or someone you believe in; tolerance is the ability to respectsomething or someone the other fellow believes in. Conscience helps us know that we believe, and courage enables us to live it, despite the fads about us. Ruth shows all these qualities. Ask yourself: Have most people on whom you counted very much really proved worthy of your trust? We live in a world where special honor is supposed to be given to those who stand fast for what they believe. Of course, in many cases this honor will come to them only after they are dead. Socrates, Thoreau, and Gandhi, to name a few, were imprisoned for their beliefs. But at our best, we respect the man who isn’t always realistic, who’s enough of an idealist to disturb our complacency, to prod us to become better people. Something in us admires the man who sticks all the way with a friend or an idea that he believes in.... Some scholars believe that the Book of Ruth was written shortly after the time of Nehemiah. Perhaps it was written as a kind of reproof against those who judged the alien harshly merely because he wasnot exactly the same as we are. But whatever the reason, it is an unmistakable plea for tolerance. It does not raise its voice to make its point. Its tone is quiet, as if very sure of the truth of what it has to tell us. What the Book of Ruth is arguing against, then, is the assumption that you have to born a Jew if you are to be considered an acceptable member of the Jewish people. This ageless tale makes the point that belief is an important as birth. Because Ruth believes what Jews believe, because she wants to live as a Jew, because she stakes her life on it, she is welcomed, no matter what her origin. It is not what she was but what she has become that counts. And that point is driven home by giving her a personal share in King David, and, by implication, the Messiah, who shall be a descendant of his family. Back to Jewish Calendar Sources Index Also on the WUJS site:
Shavuot Activities.
The very basics on the Feast of Weeks.
This year's dates for Shavuot can be found in our Jewish Calendar.
Shavuot Torah Portion - Dvar Torah. Why not check out our Guide to Jewish Texts? Elsewhere on the web:
Resources and Activities on Shavuot from the Jewish Agency - Pedagogic Center
Background on Shavuot from the Jewish Agency - Pedagogic Center |
