Vol. 30, No. 5 -- May 2010
CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE DEAF
9545 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910
CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE DEAF
9545 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Our Jewish Roots
The Old Testament book of Leviticus contains a lot of rules and rituals for the nation of Israel in ancient times. When we read Leviticus, we are tempted to speed through it so we can get to the more interesting stories. But when we rush through Leviticus, we may miss a real treasure hiding in chapter 23. This chapter lists six important holidays in the Jewish calendar.
Spring holidays:
Passover (Pesach)
First Fruits (Hag ha Bikkurim; Lag b'Omer)
The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)
Fall holidays:
The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)
The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
The Feast of Booths (Succoth)
Passover (Pesach)
First Fruits (Hag ha Bikkurim; Lag b'Omer)
The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)
Fall holidays:
The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)
The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
The Feast of Booths (Succoth)
These were Israel's original religious holidays. Since then, other holidays like Hanukkah and Purim have also been added to the Jewish calendar.
In our periodic study of our Jewish roots, we have already learned about five of these holidays (see the Mustard Seed archive at christdeaf.org). The sixth one, the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, will be celebrated this year on May 27.
The original purpose of Shavuot was to offer two kinds of sacrifices to God. One was a bread and grain offering in thanksgiving for the spring harvest. The other was an animal sacrifice in repentance for sin. Shavuot is called "the Feast of Weeks" because God instructed Israel to offer these sacrifices "seven full weeks" after the First Fruits offering.
Because Israel no longer has the temple and the altar of sacrifice, the Feast of Weeks now has a different emphasis. Now Shavuot commemorates God's giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, based on the assumption that it took seven weeks for the people of Israel to travel in their Passover Exodus from Egypt to Mt. Sinai. So Shavuot is also called Hag Matan Torateinu -- the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah.
Shavuot is a day of rest; work is not permitted. Shavuot begins with an all-night Torah study session with friends. (Torah means "Law" or it also means the first five books of the Bible.) Then in the morning they gather for worship, reading the Ten Commandments, and telling the story of Ruth. Why Ruth? Because the final verse in the instructions for the Feast of Weeks commands farmers: "When you harvest your crops on your land, do not harvest all the way to the corners of your field. If grain falls onto the ground, don’t gather it up. Leave it for poor people and foreigners in your country." (Leviticus 23.22) Ruth was a poor foreigner who survived because a godly farmer (and Ruth's future husband) obeyed this law.
As with many Jewish holidays, Shavuot is celebrated with special foods, primarily dairy products -- milk and cheese.
Just as the Jewish holidays of Passover and First Fruits have great significance for Christians, so does Shavuot. Because Shavuot is the 50th day after Passover, Shavuot is also called "Pentecost," a Greek word meaning "fiftieth." It was on Shavuot -- seven weeks after Jesus' resurrection -- when He sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples (Acts 2). Since then, while Jews commemorate God giving His Law and the birth of Israel as a nation under God's covenant, Christians celebrate the "birthday" of the Church and God filling His people with His Holy Spirit. (For further insight, please read Jeremiah 31.31-34; John 1.17; and Romans 8.3-4)
~~Pastor Ron