{"id":9435,"date":"2000-12-13T00:01:13","date_gmt":"2000-12-12T22:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=9435"},"modified":"2019-05-15T13:19:27","modified_gmt":"2019-05-15T10:19:27","slug":"12-13-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/12-13-01\/","title":{"rendered":"01. Shavu\u2019ot and Its Relationship with Pesa\u1e25"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are four names for the festival of Shavu\u2019ot:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Shavu\u2019ot, as we read: \u201cThen you shall observe the Festival of Weeks (\u1e24ag Shavu\u2019ot<\/em>) for the Lord your God\u201d (Devarim 16:10).<\/li>\n
  2. The Harvest Festival (\u1e24ag Ha-katzir<\/em>), as we read: \u201cthe Festival of the Harvest, of the first fruits of your work, of what you sow in the field\u201d (Shemot 23:16).<\/li>\n
  3. The Day of the First Fruits (Yom Ha-bikurim<\/em>), as we read: \u201con the day of the first fruits, your Festival of Weeks, when you bring an offering of new grain to the Lord\u201d (Bamidbar 28:26).<\/li>\n
  4. The Gathering (Atzeret<\/em>), the festival\u2019s name in rabbinic literature.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We will begin by explaining its primary name \u2013 Shavu\u2019ot.<\/p>\n

    The timing of Shavu\u2019ot is unique. All other festivals have a defined date \u2013 Pesa\u1e25 starts on the fifteenth of Nisan, Rosh Ha-shana on the first of Tishrei, Yom Kippur on the tenth of Tishrei, and Sukkot on the fifteenth of Tishrei. However, Shavu\u2019ot has no assigned date. Its date is dependent upon Sefirat Ha-omer<\/em>. The omer<\/em> offering was brought on the second day of Pesa\u1e25. From that day, we count seven weeks, for a total of 49 days. The following day (the fiftieth) is celebrated as Shavu\u2019ot. Thus we read: \u201cAnd from the day on which you bring the sheaf (omer<\/em>) of elevation offering \u2013 the day after the Sabbath \u2013 you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count until the day after the seventh week \u2013 fifty days, then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the Lord\u201d (Vayikra 23:15-16). Similarly, we read: \u201cYou shall count off seven weeks; start to count the seven weeks when the sickle is first put to the standing grain. Then you shall observe the Festival of Weeks for the Lord your God\u201d (Devarim 16:9-10). True, nowadays Shavu\u2019ot is always on the sixth of Sivan, but this is because we have a set calendar. In the past, when rabbinic courts were comprised of properly ordained judges (musmakhim<\/em>), they would sanctify the new moon, determining Rosh \u1e24odesh based on testimony as to the moon\u2019s appearance. Under those circumstances, the festival was sometimes celebrated on the fifth or seventh of Sivan.<\/p>\n

    Accordingly, the timing of Shavu\u2019ot depends upon the timing of Pesa\u1e25. The implication is that only by starting with Pesa\u1e25 can we get to Shavu\u2019ot and the giving of the Torah. Two interconnected principles were revealed on Pesa\u1e25 \u2013 the Jewish people\u2019s uniqueness, and simple faith (emuna peshuta<\/em>). When God chose Israel as His special nation, smote the Egyptians, and led His nation to freedom, He demonstrated that there is a Creator Who runs the world. Jews have this simple faith. However, for this faith to reach its full expression and allow us to help the world progress toward redemption, we need the Torah as well, for it contains the values, commandments, and guidance necessary to perfect the world. This is the meaning of what we say in the berakhot <\/em>on the Torah: \u201cWho chose us from among all the nations\u201d refers to Pesa\u1e25, while \u201cand gave us His Torah\u201d refers to Shavu\u2019ot. Without the natural and basic Jewish faith revealed on Pesa\u1e25, it would be impossible to arrive at the deep and complex faith represented by Shavu\u2019ot. Conversely, our natural faith and our uniqueness could not survive without the Torah given on Shavu\u2019ot (see Peninei Halakha<\/em>: Pesa\u1e25<\/em> 1:1 and Zemanim<\/em> 2:1-2).<\/p>\n

    God gave us the festivals of Pesa\u1e25 and Shavu\u2019ot so that we may relive the miraculous events of the Exodus, and to once again remind us of the uniqueness of the Jews and simple faith. These realizations allow us to use the time period of Sefirat Ha-omer<\/em> to gradually ascend to the sacred day on which the Torah was given, when our faith becomes whole and complete. Each year we are able to rise higher and higher. Ultimately, the whole world will be filled with righteousness and justice, mercy and compassion, and the land will be filled with the knowledge of God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    There are four names for the festival of Shavu\u2019ot: Shavu\u2019ot, as we read: \u201cThen you shall observe the Festival of Weeks (\u1e24ag Shavu\u2019ot) for the Lord your God\u201d (Devarim 16:10). The Harvest Festival (\u1e24ag Ha-katzir), as we read: \u201cthe Festival of the Harvest, of the first fruits of your work, of what you sow in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[150],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-12-13"],"yoast_head":"\n01. 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