“On the Day of Firstfruits, when you offer to Adonai a new grain offering during the Feast of Weeks, you
are to have a sacred assembly. You are to do no laborious work.”
- Numbers 28:26
The Day of First Fruits (Yom HaBikkurim), or the Feast of Weeks (Feast of Shavuot), is the last of the holy
days in the spring season. It is anticipated by a commanded period of counting. GOD commands us to
count seven complete Shabbatot, or seven weeks, after the first day of the omer. On the fiftieth day, the
latter first fruits are to be presented as a freewill offering to GOD. Pentecost, the Greek word for “fifty,”
similarly pertains to the prefatory counting, and it is often the name referred to by many Greek-speaking
Jews and non-Jewish Christians.
We gratefully celebrate and search out the wonderful provisions that GOD gave and continues to give to
His people during Shavuot. This is a time of hopefulness and thanksgiving to the faithful GOD that we
serve! Our congregation recognizes the provisions of GOD revealed on this day, which includes the harvest, the giving of the Torah (Exodus 19), the outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh (Acts 2), the role of GOD’s people as first fruits (Jacob 1:18), and so much more!
days in the spring season. It is anticipated by a commanded period of counting. GOD commands us to
count seven complete Shabbatot, or seven weeks, after the first day of the omer. On the fiftieth day, the
latter first fruits are to be presented as a freewill offering to GOD. Pentecost, the Greek word for “fifty,”
similarly pertains to the prefatory counting, and it is often the name referred to by many Greek-speaking
Jews and non-Jewish Christians.
We gratefully celebrate and search out the wonderful provisions that GOD gave and continues to give to
His people during Shavuot. This is a time of hopefulness and thanksgiving to the faithful GOD that we
serve! Our congregation recognizes the provisions of GOD revealed on this day, which includes the harvest, the giving of the Torah (Exodus 19), the outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh (Acts 2), the role of GOD’s people as first fruits (Jacob 1:18), and so much more!
Biblical References
“Three times in the year you are to celebrate a festival for Me. You are to observe the Feast of Matzot.
For seven days you will eat matzot as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Aviv, for
that is when you came out from Egypt. No one is to appear before Me empty-handed. Also you are to
observe the Feast of Harvest, the first fruits of your labors that you sow in the field, as well as the Feast
of the Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your crops from the field. Three times in the
year all your men are to appear before Adonai Elohim.” Exodus 23:14-17 TLV
“You are to observe the Feast of Shavuot, which is the first fruits of the wheat harvest, as well as the
Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. Three times during the year all your males are to appear
before Adonai Elohim, God of Israel.” Exodus 34:22-23 TLV
“Then you are to count from the morrow after the Shabbat, from the day that you brought the omer of
the wave offering, seven complete Shabbatot. Until the morrow after the seventh Shabbat you are to
count fifty days, and then present a new grain offering to Adonai. You are to bring out of your houses
two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour. They are to be
baked with hametz as first fruits to Adonai...You are to make a proclamation on the same day that there
is to be a holy convocation, and you should do no regular work. This is a statute forever in all your
dwellings throughout your generations.” Leviticus 23:15-17, 21 TLV
“On the Day of First fruits, when you offer to Adonai a new grain offering during the Feast of Weeks, you
are to have a sacred assembly. You are to do no laborious work.” Numbers 28:26 TLV
“Seven weeks you are to count for yourself—from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing
grain you will begin to count seven weeks. Then you will keep the Feast of Shavuot to Adonai your God
with a measure of a freewill offering from your hand, which you are to give according to how Adonai
your God blesses you. So you will rejoice before Adonai your God in the place Adonai your God chooses
to make His Name dwell—you, your son and daughter, slave and maid, Levite and outsider, orphan and
widow in your midst. You will remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you are to take care and do
these statutes...Three times a year all your males are to appear before Adonai your God in the place He
chooses—at the Feast of Matzot, the Feast of Shavuot, and the Feast of Sukkot. No one should appear
before Adonai empty-handed—the gift of each man’s hand according to the blessing Adonai your God
has given you.” Deuteronomy 16:9-12, 16-17 TLV
“When the day of Shavuot had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came from
heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And
tongues like fire spreading out appeared to them and settled on each one of them. They were all filled
with the Ruach ha-Kodesh and began to speak in other tongues as the Ruach enabled them to speak
out.” Acts 2:14 TLV
“For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he might not spend much time in Asia, because he
was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Shavuot.” Acts 20:16 TLV
For seven days you will eat matzot as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Aviv, for
that is when you came out from Egypt. No one is to appear before Me empty-handed. Also you are to
observe the Feast of Harvest, the first fruits of your labors that you sow in the field, as well as the Feast
of the Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your crops from the field. Three times in the
year all your men are to appear before Adonai Elohim.” Exodus 23:14-17 TLV
“You are to observe the Feast of Shavuot, which is the first fruits of the wheat harvest, as well as the
Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. Three times during the year all your males are to appear
before Adonai Elohim, God of Israel.” Exodus 34:22-23 TLV
“Then you are to count from the morrow after the Shabbat, from the day that you brought the omer of
the wave offering, seven complete Shabbatot. Until the morrow after the seventh Shabbat you are to
count fifty days, and then present a new grain offering to Adonai. You are to bring out of your houses
two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour. They are to be
baked with hametz as first fruits to Adonai...You are to make a proclamation on the same day that there
is to be a holy convocation, and you should do no regular work. This is a statute forever in all your
dwellings throughout your generations.” Leviticus 23:15-17, 21 TLV
“On the Day of First fruits, when you offer to Adonai a new grain offering during the Feast of Weeks, you
are to have a sacred assembly. You are to do no laborious work.” Numbers 28:26 TLV
“Seven weeks you are to count for yourself—from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing
grain you will begin to count seven weeks. Then you will keep the Feast of Shavuot to Adonai your God
with a measure of a freewill offering from your hand, which you are to give according to how Adonai
your God blesses you. So you will rejoice before Adonai your God in the place Adonai your God chooses
to make His Name dwell—you, your son and daughter, slave and maid, Levite and outsider, orphan and
widow in your midst. You will remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you are to take care and do
these statutes...Three times a year all your males are to appear before Adonai your God in the place He
chooses—at the Feast of Matzot, the Feast of Shavuot, and the Feast of Sukkot. No one should appear
before Adonai empty-handed—the gift of each man’s hand according to the blessing Adonai your God
has given you.” Deuteronomy 16:9-12, 16-17 TLV
“When the day of Shavuot had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came from
heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And
tongues like fire spreading out appeared to them and settled on each one of them. They were all filled
with the Ruach ha-Kodesh and began to speak in other tongues as the Ruach enabled them to speak
out.” Acts 2:14 TLV
“For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he might not spend much time in Asia, because he
was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Shavuot.” Acts 20:16 TLV