There are fifty days of counting from Firstfruits [HaBikiurrim] of the Barley to Pentecost [Shavuot]. It was during these days, in 30 A.D., that all of the post resurrection appearances of Messiah were witnessed.  “Until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen:  To whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me” (Acts 1:2-4).

What an awesome time they had as they spent the first forty days counting the omer with Messiah Yeshua! It was only a ten day wait until the harvest festival of Shavuot, and they all waited together with great anticipation for the fulfillment of Yeshua’s final instructions as He ascended.

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;  Which also said, Ye men [people] of Galilee, [this group includes the women who followed Him from Galilee] why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.  Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey.  And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room…These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” (Acts 1:8-14)

The count for these  fifty days of the omer begins either on the first day after the annual Sabbath of Unleavened Bread, Aviv 16, according to the tradition of the Pharisees. Or it can begin on the day after the weekly Sabbath during the Week of Unleavened Bread, according to the  tradition of the ancient Sadducees. Either way the count is the same, but the days set apart for the celebrations, and therefore the Sabbath of Shauvot will be different.

According to Judaism 101 (at the site: jewfaq.org): “There was, at one time, a dispute as to when the counting should begin. The Pharisees believed that G-d gave Moses an oral Torah along with the written Torah, and according to that oral Torah the word “Shabbat” in Lev. 23:15 referred to the first day of Passover [Sabbath of Unleavened Bread], which is a “Shabbat” in the sense that no work is permitted on the day… In this view, held by most Jews today, the counting begins on the second night of Passover, that is, the day after the non-working day of Passover [first annual Sabbath of Unleavened Bread]. The Tzedukim (Sadducees) rejected the idea of an oral Torah and believed that the word “Shabbat” in Lev. 23:15 referred to the Shabbat of the week when Pesach began, so counting would always begin on a Saturday night during Passover. The Sadducees no longer exist; today, only a small sect call the Karites follow this view.” (The information in brackets was added for clarification.)

In the time of Messiah’s death, burial, resurrection and ascension, the Sadducees controlled the Temple services, so their application is the one that fits the Passion week of Yeshua, as discussed in the previous blog post titled, “Firstfruits and the Resurrection of Messiah Yeshua”.

After the previous blog post, a man challenged my conclusions.  His claim was that the giving of the Torah on Sinai was “exactly” 50 days after Firstfruits. While I greatly value the giving of Torah at Sinai, Jewish teachings do not confirm this as fact. Shavuot is the season for the Revelation of Torah, not the exact date.

According to The Jewish Book of Why, the Sivan 6th date for Shavuot was determined not from the Bible, but from the Talmud. The connection to the Revelation of Torah at Sinai was not incorporated into Judaism until the 3rd century, after the destruction of the Temple. Yes, the giving of Torah occurred in the third month, according to Ex. 19, but the exact date was not designated in the Bible. Shavuot is the season of the Revelation of Sinai, it is not the day of the event.

The Torah tells us that the Sabbaths are connected to the observance of Shavuot. Leviticus 23:15, “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete”. Shavuot is not indicated in Scripture as occurring “exactly 50 days later” than the Exodus from Egypt.

Once again, referring to The Jewish Book of Why, “The Bible in no way associates the holiday of Shavuot with God’s Revelation on Mount Sinai. The Talmud, however, does make an association between the two. Apparently, the connection was established when scholars, following the biblical account, calculated that the dates of the agricultural festival of Shavuot and the events at Mt. Sinai coincided…The Bible does not connect Shavuot with the giving of the Tora on Mount Sinai…The earliest reference to Shavuot as ‘the time of the giving of the Tora [Zeman Mattan Toratenu]‘ is in the Talmud. The third-century C.E. scholar Rabbi Eleazar said that all authorities agree on the necessity of rejoicing with good food an wine on Atzeret (the talmudic name for Shavuot) because on that day the Tora was given to Israel (Pesachaim 68b). Shavuot became increasingly associated with the Revelation at Mount Sinai because, as a purely agricultural holiday, it had lost its significance. The Jews of Palestine had become an urban people, and to keep the holiday alive it became necessary to associate the Shavuot holiday with an historical event. The event chosen was the Revelation because it occurred about the same time of the year that the agricultural festival of Shavuot was celebrated.” [The Jewish Book of Why pages 211-214, 1981 edition].

Perhaps the season of Shauvot is the reason to celebrate and we should not get caught up with being “accurate”. The date is deliberately vague in the Scriptures, and perhaps that is good with our God. The rabbis determined that the dates of the Biblical holidays may not be observed on time in the diaspora, and recommended that those outside of Israel celebrate for more than one day.  Perhaps we, in the dispersion, could consider both Jewish views for the observance of Shavuot.  One would align us with the Pharisees determination, upheld by the rabbis of the nation of Israel, for the Sabbath of Shavuot. The other count, beginning on the first day of the week, would keep us in line with the Sadducees decision of the first century, which was the timing of events that took place at the resurrection  and ascension of Messiah. Maybe it is not an either/or choice. Maybe both choices are worthy of keeping for their own unique reasons.

Scripture tells us, to keep the annual Sabbaths during their times and seasons. If your local congregation has proclaimed a day set aside for rejoicing and gathering together, it would be good to join with them, whatever day they have determined is best. Being in one accord with the local body takes precedence over being “correct”. It is never “right” to avoid assembling  with the local fellowship, we are in community with. Especially, it is not “correct” to elevate ourselves over the rest of the congregation, because we prefer our private interpretation of Scripture over that of the  shepherds who have gathered the flock.

Torah tells us, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.  Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.  These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons” (Lev. 23:2-4). Each local assembly should proclaim they days they are setting aside to celebrate the feast of the LORD, so that everyone can gather in one accord.

It is good to join in unity with our local congregations.  Being in one accord is the reason for the Shavuot season. Joining together for feasting, study, prayer, and worship is what the first century Believers did, and God blessed them with the outpouring of the Ruach/Holy Spirit. Bickering over who is more accurate, or what calender to follow , is not what Firstfruits is about. It is not the Feast of Bickering , but  the Feast of HaBikkurim, a holiday of gathering the sheaves, not scattering them.  Abba wants His children to come together with  an attitude of Hine MaTov. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!   It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard…for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. (Ps. 133:1-3).

If we want the oil of the Ruach to flow, we need to come together in one place. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.   And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting”(Acts 2:1-2).

May this Shavuot season fill you with the power of the Ruach as you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. May His mercy surround you during the counting of the omer as we anticipate the days ahead.