The Feast of Pentecost, also known as Shavuot, marks the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai to Moses. Shavuot celebrates God giving His 10 commandments to Moses after leading His people out of slavery and into the desert. One of the Jewish Pilgrimmage Feasts, Shavuot originally celebrated the first fruits of the harvest, while eventually, it marked the day when Yeshua’s disciples received the Holy Spirit, and people who were gathered heard the disciples speaking in tongues.

It is marked as fifty days after the weekly Sabbath following Yeshua’s crucifixion and the finishing of the Counting of Omer. This counting of Omer is an expression of anticipation for receiving the Torah from God. He freed the Israelites from Pharaoh on Passover and on Shavuot, they accepted His Law to become a nation dedicated to serving God.

The Harvest

Also known as the Festival of Week or the Festival of First Fruits, Shavuot comes at the time of the wheat harvest in ancient Israel. The grain harvest season lasted seven weeks in ancient times and it was a period of gladness. The harvest began at Passover with barely and eventually ended at Shavuot with the wheat harvest. On Shavuot, a bread offering was made to God in the Jewish Temple. Shavuot was also the time of the First Fruits, where produce was first being offered in the Temple.

Because it celebrates the giving of the Torah, the modern Reform movement gave it new meaning in the Diaspora by making this the occasion for celebrating the Confirmation of young people. Christians celebrate this feast day as Pentecost because it occurs fifty days after Passover, Pentecost meaning "fifty" days after the Christian holiday of Easter. 

Shavuot Today

Unlike the other Biblical feasts, Shavuot is uniquely different in that there is no commanded observance of the feast in Scriptures, only those established by tradition and customs. Dairy products are traditionally served on Shavuot, stemming from the belief that the Israelites had not yet received the dietary laws in the Torah and the foods they ate before the law was given were not in accordance with it, so they chose to eat just dairy to honor the feast. In remembrance of receiving the Torah, all-night Torah studies are held on Shavuot, dating back to 1533 when Rabbi Joseph Caro held an evening Bible study and was commanded by God to go and live in Israel.

The Book of Ruth is read on Shavuot because of its description of the grain and barley harvest and Ruth’s strong desire to be a part of the Jewish community and her acceptance of the orah. Above and beyond that, King David was Ruth’s great-grandson, and David was born and died on Shavuot.