Shavu'ot
Machol Dance Ministries
Shavuot
Shavuot is a two day festival falling on Sivan 6th and 7th in the late spring of each year, usually in May or June. Shavuot literally means "weeks". How was Shavuot determined?
The High Priest would count 49 days (or 7 weeks) from the second day of Pesach. The fiftieth day is Shavuot, thus the name for the festival (weeks). 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;
16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days.
21 ... it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Other names for Shavuot include… Feast of Weeks
Pentecost
Hag Ha’Bikkurim – Festival of the First Fruits
Hag Matan Torateinu – Festival of the Giving of our TorahAgriculturally, it was when the first fruits were harvested and brought to the temple.
Themes of Shavuot include… 1. God’s giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai
2. The Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Holy Spirit) was given in the New Testament
3. The birth of the church
The First Shavuot Fifty days after the Jews left Israel, Moses went up on top of Mt Sinai to talk with God, and God gives the Torah.
Exodus 19
4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
5 Now therefore, if ye will obey (sh'ma - hear) my voice indeed, and keep (shamar - guard) my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, an an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
God gives Moses the 10 Commandments.
Exodus 20
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain...
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother...
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
17 Thou shalt not covet...
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from Mt. Sinai, they came to Aaron and requested that he make a golden idol for them to worship.
Exodus 32
19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them...
20 And he took the calf which they had make, and burnt it in the fire...
26 Then Moses stood in the gate on the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me.
28 ...And there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
Because of their sin in worshipping the golden calf, 3000 were killed when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai.
Exodus 34
1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.New Covenant Shavuot 1st Pentecost After Messiah's death and resurrection...
Acts 2
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit game them utterance.
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.Original Covenant New Covenant Torah given
50 days from crossing the Red Sea
Law written on stone tablets
3000 slainHoly Spirit Given
50 days from Messiah's resurrection
Law written on the hearts of men
3000 savedShavuot Customs The book of Ruth is customarily read during the festival. Ruth was a Moabite (a gentile) who after the death of her husband, left her homeland to travel with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to the land of Israel. Ruth told Naomi...
Ruth 1
16 ... Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
Naomi had a kinsmen, Boaz. Ruth reaps in the field of Boaz, finds favor with him, and eventually marries him.
Ruth's words to Naomi and her taking on the covenant of Israel as her own, makes her an excellent role model, especially on Shavuot when we focus on the covenant of Israel with God. Ruth was the great grandmother of King David. Messiah Yeshua was born from that lineage.
In 2006, we did our first Shavuot play. Rather than read the book of Ruth as is customary, we chose to present the story as an impromptu play, directly from the book of Ruth.
(Characters Left to Right)
Naomi, Baby Obed, Ruth, Boaz, City Elder, Woman, Director, Another Kinsman, Field ForemanInterested in a copy of the Shavuot Play? Click HERE
Food It is customary to eat at least one dairy meal during Shavuot as remembrance of God’s promise for a land flowing with milk and honey.
Shavuot is a one-day festival in Israel (Sivan 6) and a two-day festival (Sivan 6 & 7) outside of Israel. C. B. U. Photos from Shavuot Conferences C. B. U. does a Shavuot conference each year in May at the Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
The stage is set for the Festival of the First Harvest. 
Ruth gleans wheat from Boaz's fields.
Melba, Linda, Carolyn, Lynda, Doug and Greg enjoy fellowship before the meeting begins.
Barry watches while Greg blows the shofar.
Yeshua is the Lion of the tribe of Judah!
