Shavuot 2020-When is It? How Did We Arrive at the Date? Do We Still Keep It?

Explanation for this post

As I record and post this installment of TMTO we are on the 4th day of the 3rd Month of the Creator’s Calendar Year according to the observational calendar and the 5th day of the Month Sivan according to the Hillel’s calculated calendar.

And depending which calendar and let’s just say tradition you’ve been led to keep, you’re either slated to keep Shavuot (1) Friday, May 29th (starting sundown on Thursday, May 28th)–Jewish Calendar and tradition; (2) Sunday, May 31st (starting sundown on Sabbath, May 30th)–Observational calendar and Essenic Calendar enthusiasts.  

Our First Shavuot

On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, 3 while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” 7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. 8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD. 9 And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” When Moses told the words of the people to the LORD, 10 the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments 11 and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. (Exo 19:1-11 ESV)

 So we prepared ourselves to receive our Elohim in what is very much akin to a Ketubah or a marriage ceremony. We were being betrothed to our new Master–our New God–having left our former slave masters.

Prior to this historic event, we had agreed to the terms of the marriage covenant which stipulated: (1) our obeying YHVH’s voice (doing as He told us to do) and (2) keeping His covenant (obeying the tenets of the marriage agreement). If we kept the terms of the covenant, Father would (1) make us into a kingdom of priests; (2) make us a set-apart Nation; and (3) covet us as His special people above all the peoples of the world.

 So both parties of this covenant were in agreement and the Creator moved the proceedings forward and set into motion events to come down and speak directly to His bride the words of the covenant agreement and establish a relationship with his set-apart people:16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. 20 The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. (Exo 19:16-20 ESV)

 And from this point, Father proceeds to utter the 10-Words which form the framework of Torah and the Covenant.Unfortunately we as a nation were too fearful to hear directly from the Creator–our new Master–out of fear that we might die. So we interrupted the proceedings for this service announcement: 

“You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. (Exo 20:19-22 ESV) 

How We Are To Determine When Is To Take Place

 Shavuot is the only Feast of YHVH that does NOT have a fixed date in the sacred calendar year, so to speak. For in each of the other 6-feasts Father tied their advent to a specific month and day on the calendar. 

In the case of Shavuot, it’s advent would be determined by simple counting of days of weeks.

We find the instructions for determining when Shavuot is to take place during the sacred year in Leviticus 23:15 & 16: 

15 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD. (Lev 23:15-16 ESV)

We see here in verse 15 that we are to count 7-full weeks from the day after the Sabbath which would have been the day that we brought the sheaf of the wave offering (aka Yom HaBikkurim).

And the instructions for when the Wave Sheaf Offering was to take place is found back in verse 11 of this same chapter:

11 and he (a Levitical Priest) shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Lev 23:11 ESV)

We see here in verse 11 that Father instructs us to bring our sheaf of barley–a handful of of bound barley stalks–in some places referred to as an omer which is about the amount of barley stalks to fill an average man’s hand–the very first pieces of produce from our spring harvest and bring it to the Levitical Priest to be waved before YHVH. 

This was to be done on the day after the Sabbath.

The billion dollar question that must be answered here is: what Sabbath is Father referring to here? And this very verse is the point of confusion that reigns over the question of when we are to begin our 50-day count leading up to Shavuot and when the actual day Shavuot is to fall out in Father’s sacred calendar year. 

Which Sabbath Are We To Begin the Count 

Believe it or not, Faith leaders over the centuries have come up with 3-different interpretations or determinations as to what Sabbath we are to base our counter of the omer:

The most logical interpretation of what Sabbath Father was referring to is of course a “weekly Sabbath.” But this would naturally give birth to another question: which of the 52-annual Sabbaths of the calendar year? From a contextual standpoint, if Father was referring to a specific weekly Sabbath, it would have to be one of the weekly Sabbaths that would take place during the Pesach-Feast of Unleaved Bread week since Father gives the instructions for the Wave Sheaf Offering immediately after the instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Historically speaking, this understanding of the counting being based on a weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread week was taught and kept by the Sadducees of the second Temple period and also Kariate Jews. This understanding appears to be supported by Joshua 5:10, 11 which reads:  10 While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho. 11 And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. (ESV) It seems pretty evident here in this passage that Passover/Pesach fell on a weekly Sabbath the year that Yahoshua and the Nation of Israel took possession of the Land of Israel and the stipulations for consuming the produce were met by the keeping of Yom HaBikkurim on that next day which would have been the first day of the week or on Su-day. Interestingly, the KJV actually translates weeks as sabbaths in verse 15 which reads: 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: (Lev 23:15 KJV) It so happens that Hilary and I subscribe to this understanding of when the Counter of the Omer is to begin which is the first Sunday that hits during the Unleavened Bread week. Consequently, we began our 50-day count towards Shavuot on S-nday, Ap-il 12th. In fact, Firstfruits or Yom HaBikkurim according to understanding always occurs on a S-nday sometime between Aviv 15 and 21 and Shavuot will alway fall out 50-days later on a S-nday of the 3rd month of the sacred calendar year. 

The second interpretation is one that was held by the Pharisees of Yeshua’s day (who were the forerunners of modern day Rabbis of Orthodox Judaism) and that is the Sabbath referred to in this passage is the First Day of Unleavened Bread. How so you ask? The Rabbis saw the non-working, holy convocational Feast Days as Sabbaths. And thus, the first day of Unleavened Bread (the 15th day of Nisan) to the Rabbis was the Sabbath that the Creator was referring to in verse 15 of Leviticus 23 and the Wave Sheaf Offering and the counting of the omer was to begin the very next day which is the 16th. Consequently, orthodox Judaism and most Messianic/Hebrew Roots/Netzari sects that follow the Jewish calculated calendar adhere to this understanding and begin their 50-day count to Shavuot on Nisan 16. This year they began their count on Fr-day, Ap-il 10th. There are a few problems with this interpretation of the Sabbath as referred to in verse 15: (1)  the only Feast Day that Hebrews actually called a Sabbath or High Sabbath is Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. So calling the Rabbis referring to the first day of Unleavened Bread a Sabbath is not consistent with tanach practices. (2) Shavuot will always fall out on the 6th of Sivan by virtue of the fact that the 50-day count will always occur on the 16th day of Nisan. (3) This understanding stands in conflict with Joshua 15:11. 

The third interpretation is one that was held by the Essenes of the Dead Sea Scrolls fame. As many of you may or may not be aware, the Essenes kept a slightly different calendar than their Pharisee and Sadducee counterparts. We won’t get into the Essennic Calendar here today, but suffice to say that the Essennic understanding of the Sabbath as referred to in verse 15 of the 23rd chapter of Leviticus is the first weekly Sabbath that falls out after the last day of Unleavened Bread on the 21st Day of Aviv/Nisan. I only mention this understanding because more and more brethren in our Faith Community are being drawn to keeping the Essene, Solar-Lunar Calendar. Now, as far as I can tell from my limited understanding of their calendar, Shavuot for these folks should pretty much fall out (with just an exception or two) the Su-day after the weekly Sabbath understanding folks. For instance, this year, Shavuot for them should take place S-nday, J-ne 7th. Now, let me be clear: this is just estimations on my part and it should be understood that there are some variation among some Essene Calendar enthusiasts as to when the month begins and ends and how the Feast Days fall out on their calendar. 

As an aside, Catholicism and her children sects and religions observe Pentecost on the 7th Sunday after Easter. I find this to be interesting only from the vantage point that the so-called Church acknowledges Shavuot taking place on a S-nday each year and that it is determined from the standpoint of when Easter hits on their pagan calendar each year. 

I trust that you can now appreciate why there is so much confusion as to when Shavuot is supposed to fall out each sacred calendar year and why even within our set-apart Netzari Community, we are not all on the same page as to when to keep Shavuot. 

We Still Got to Keep It

 Regardless the confusion that still seems to reign within and without our Faith Community as it relates to when Shavuot falls out each sacred calendar year, we as obedient Torah Observant Disciples of Yeshua HaMashiyach are compelled to keep it. 

We see in two of Paul’s Epistles where he insisted on keeping Pentecost (aka Shavuot): 

For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. (Act 20:16 ESV) 

 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. (1Co 16:7-9 ESV)

 Clearly the great apostle to the Gentiles scheduled His evangelical schedule around the Feasts of YHVH. In particular in these two passages, it was Pentecost. 

We also recognize that Shavuot was the launching pad for Yah’s Kehila and the New Covenant. For it was on this amazing day, as recorded in Acts 2 that Father poured out His Holy Spirit upon the 120-disciples on Shavuot, 50-days after our Master overcame death and offered Himself to His Father and our Father as the firstfruits of many sons and daughters to come into the Family of YHVH. 

So just because we may be at odds with the timing of Shavuot in our Faith Community doesn’t mean that we pass on our keeping of Shavuot. We must make every effort to keep this Feast to the best of our knowledge and understanding, being led by the Holy Spirit in our keeping it.

How do we keep Shavuot as Torah Observant Disciples:

• We do not work
• We participate in holy convocations
• We study Yah’s Torah and the Teachings of Yahoshua
• We spend time with like-minded family members, maybe sharing a meal
• We freely give of our substance (i.e., freewill offerings and donations) to those ministries that spiritually feed us. Granted we cannot keep Shavuot the way our forefathers did during the time of the Tent of Meeting and the Mishkan/Temple, but we can certainly keep the Spirit of the Truth that was rendered by them.
• We take the time to examine ourselves to see if we are of the mature harvest of souls that is acceptable to our Heavenly Father. So it would behoove us to spend some time assessing where we’ve come in our Walk with Messiah; where we are today; and how far we still need to go. 
• And as always, produce some excellent fruit that will not only bless and glorify our Heavenly Father, but also bless others who Father has placed in our path.

 Have a blessed and meaningful Shavuot this coming weekend, regardless which day you are led to keep it.