Shavuot-Pentecost

By: Rabbi Jonathan Matt

The classical Jewish holiday following Passover is Shavuot (also known as Pentecost). The term Pentecost originated from the Greek, based on its falling "50 days" after Passover (Lev. 23:16). Shavuot means "weeks" and refers to the seven weeks between the two holidays:

"You 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 Feast of Weeks for the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 16:9-10, NJPS Translation). In Exodus 23:16, the holiday is referred to as "the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your work..."

The Mishnah (compiled about 220 C.E. [A.D.]) described the ancient celebration of the first fruits:

"And at the rise of morning an official says: 'Rise and let us go up to Zion, to the House of the Lord our God!' An ox walked before them, its horns covered with gold, and with an olive-crown on its head. The flute was played before them till they reached the vicinity of Jerusalem. Upon coming close to Jerusalem, they sent word ahead ... and all the tradesmen in Jerusalem stood before them and greeted them: 'Our brothers, the men of such and such a place, you have come in peace!'" (Mishnah Bikurim 3:2-3). The name Bikurim given to this tractate means 'first fruits,' and is also an alternate name for the Shavuot holiday.

What exaltation! What camaraderie! Although Passover and Sukkot (Tabernacles) were also pilgrimage festivals when Jews came up to celebrate at the Temple in Jerusalem, the Mishnah offers no comparable description of the preparations, the challenging ascent to Jerusalem and the moving welcome by the year-round inhabitants. Together they all expressed gratitude to God for the gifts of nature and prayed that the "first fruits" of the harvest would portend continued sustenance through the year.

KIBBUTZ CELEBRATIONS
While Shavuot was always celebrated by Jews living in the Diaspora, the Shavuot Bikurim celebration was renewed by the first kibbutzim (collective farms) early this century and is celebrated to this day. The first fruits of the produce of each kibbutz are presented to the community and to the Jewish people in a festive ceremony. During the first generations of their existence, the kibbutzim were agricultural settlements, dedicated to achieving the self-sufficiency of the new Jewish State. Today, each kibbutz has its unique crop, from the ancient wheat, whose botanic origin was the Holy Land, to modern transplants such as bananas and kiwi fruit. As kibbutzim followed the trend of industrialization of modern Israel, the produce of the factory found its place of honor among the first fruits.

As the highlight of the presentation, the parents of the year's 'crop' of infant babies also come forward, proudly displaying their new-born children to the community!

THE TORAH GIVEN
As with the other ancient holidays, Judaism went beyond consciousness of God's role in nature to celebrate God's role in history. This aspect is reflected in a third Hebrew name for the holiday. In addition to Shavuot (weeks) and Bikurim (first fruits), the holiday is called Hag Matan Torah - the Festival of the Gift of Torah. The source of this tradition is Exodus 19:1, which indicates that the Israelites reached the wilderness of Sinai in the third month after the Exodus.

The redemption from slavery in Egypt was an essential part of God's plan for Israel. The freedom to choose how to lead one's life is the basis of humanity, but freedom is not a sufficient condition for religious humanity. Seven weeks (Shavuot) after the Exodus, Israel experienced a revelation of God at Mt. Sinai, offering a glimpse of the God in whose image all human beings are created. The revelation at Sinai had content, and called for commitment and action. According to Exodus 19-20 (and Deuteronomy 5), we heard the Ten Commandments at Sinai, and more than 3000 years later, it is still a high standard for righteous society.

Every Shabbat and holiday a portion of the Torah is read in synagogues all over the world. The portion read on Shavuot morning is Exodus 19-20. The traditional custom is for the community to study Torah together all night long. Every hour there is a new teacher and a new topic, and the night passes like a dream. The morning prayers are recited at first light, followed by the chant-ing of the Ten Commandments. With some inspiration, one feels like an Israelite at Sinai some 3200 years ago.

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