Chavouot

Chavouot or Shavouot (in Hebrew: שבועות , weeks ) is a celebrated Jewish Religious holiday the 6 (and 7 for the Juifs alive apart from the Ground of Israel) of the Jewish month of Sivan (April/May).

According to the Biblical account , Chavouot commemorates the memory of the gift of the Torah and the Ten Commands with the Israélites arrived at the Mont the Sinai, seven weeks after having left slavery in Egypt.

With Souccot and Pessa' H, Chavouot is one of the Three Festivals of pilgrimage marking the Jewish year. Chavouot is also the term of a Jubilé, at the end of the calculation 49 days of Omer as from the second evening of Pessa' H.

Denominations and significance of the festival

The name of the festival of Chavouot comes from the Hebrew שבועות which means weeks , because it takes place seven weeks after Pessa' H. It is thus often known under the name of " celebrates semaines" or of “Jewish Pentecost”. Indeed, the term of Greek root, " pentecôte" , corresponds to the 50 days of Pessa' H in Chavouot.

The three festivals of Pessa' H, Chavouot and Souccot are called Atseret (assembled solemn) because they were historically the three annual occasions of pilgrimages to the Temple of Jerusalem at the time of its existence. Pessa' H being symbolically the " celebrates semences" , Chavouot is called " celebrates prémices" , because the first fruits of harvest were then offered to the Temple on this date.

These denominations result from the text of the Hebraic Bible:

the name of חגהקציר - Hag ha-Katsir (festival of harvest) comes from the book of Exodus xxiii. 16;
the name of חגשבעות - Hag Chavouot (festival of the weeks) appears in the books of Exodus xxxiv. 22 and of Deutéronome xvi. 10;
the name of יוםהבכורים - Yom ha-Bikkourim (festival of the first steps) is mentioned in the book of the Nombres xxviii. 26.

The principal significance of the festival remains the celebration of the gift of the Torah to the people of Israel, selected among the people to receive it, according to the tradition.

Relation with the Agriculture

In Old Israel, the harvest of the new grain lasted seven weeks and was one merry period (; ; ). It started with the harvest of the barley during the Passover and finished with that of wheat with Chavouot. This festival thus had the statute of a festival of closing of the harvest of the grain, just like the eighth day of Souccot (Festival of the Huts) closes that of the fruits.
Selon, Chavouot is the second of the three festivals to be celebrated with the sanctuary. The Jews are held to bring there the first steps of the harvest of wheat, the " first steps of your labor which you cultivated in your champ". " It is not a question of offerings prescribed for the community, " but with a tribute of an offering of your hand with complete freedom… you will delight the Lord your God, you and your sons, and your daughter, the Levite who resides in your doors, the foreigner, the orphan and the veuve" (according to).
Dans, it is also mentioned an offering of the first fruits that all the Communauté must bring. Various animal sacrifices are carried out, as well as the offering of two bread round loaves coming from the new harvest. Work is prohibited.

Chavouot in the rabbinical Literature

The festival is known in the Mishna and the Talmud like Atseret , term usually indicating a " assembly solennelle" , indicating the congregation at the time of the festivals of pilgrimage. This term thus refers also to Pessa' H () and Souccot (). It is in the post-talmudic literature, in particular gueonic, that it is indicated by its biblical name of Chavouot .

Chavouot falls the 6 Sivan, and never Tuesday, one Thursday or Saturday. In Diaspora, he is celebrated two days.

" The shortly after Sabbath"

A quarrel opposed the Pharisiens to the Sadducéens and the sect related of the Boethusiens about the biblical command to offer the 'omer " in the morning following the Chabbat " ( ib. , verse 11). For the Pharisees, it was simply about a day of rest, and thus indicated Pessa' H, but for Sadducéens, Shabbat was the day of the shabbat, the seventh day of the Jewish week (corresponding to the Saturday ) This is why they began the calculation of Omer not the shortly after Pessa' H, but the shortly after the first shabbat of Pessa' H , and Chavouot fell always Sunday. The argument of Boethusiens was that " Brace, as a friend of the Jews, wanted to give them one day holy wide, by annexing Pentecost in Chabbat." Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkaï turned then to its pupils, and explained why the Law had voluntarily fixed a 50 days interval in order to explain why the seven weeks necessarily do not start as from Sunday. (Mena' hot 65a-b).
Le Karaïsme continues to follow the rite boethusien nowadays (cf the site karaite korner).

Torah (i.e " the time our Law was given"), when Israel became has constitutional body and " has distinguished people, " remained the plate celebration after the Exiles. The Shavuot prayers cuts refer to this and particularly to the precepts deduced from the Torah. Kabbalists (adherent off Jewish mysticism) arranged has off special service for the Eve Shavuot, consisting off excerpts from the beginning and end off every book off the Bible and Mishnah, which abridgment they considered tantamount to the reading off the supplements works, and accepted ace the approval off the Law.

Tikkun Lel Shavuot

The reading occupies the pious till morning; others finish it At midnight. The collection is called Tikkun Lel Shavuot (" Preparation for Shavuot Eve"). The Pentateuch reading contains three to seven pour from the beginning and the end off every parashah (gold will sidra ). Summon the off important sections are read in full, ace follows: the days off Creation (Gen. I. 1-ii. 3); the Exodus and the song At the Red Sea (e.g. xiv. 1-xv. 27); the giving off the Decalog one Mount the Sinai (ib. xviii. 1-xx. 26, xxiv. 1-18, xxxiv. 27-35; Deut. v. 1-vi. 9); the historical review and share off Shema (ib. X. 12-xi. 25). The same method is used with the excerpts from the Prophets: the important CH. I. off Ezekiel (the Merkabah ) is read in full. The Minor Prophets are considered ace one book: the excerpts are from Hos. i.1-3, Hab. II. 20-iii. 19, and Badly. III. 22-24 (A.V. iv. 4-6). Ruth is read in full; and off the Psalms, PS. I., xix., lxviii., cxix., Cl. The order off the twenty-furnace books off the different Scriptures is from the accepted one: probably it is year ancient order, ace follows: (Torah) Five Books off Moses; (Prophets) Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel; (Minor Prophets) Ruth, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song off Solomon, Lamentations, Daniel, Esther, Chronicles, Ezra: all from the 24 books. Next, the excerpts from mishnayyot are read, the beginning and end off every treatise, in all sixty-three, with important nap chapters in extenso; next, the Sefer Yeẓirah ; the 613 precepts ace enumerated by Maimonides (see Commandments, The 613). Later, excerpts from the Zohar bearing one the subject were added, with opening and concluding prayers. The whole reading is divided into thirteen shares, after each off which has Ḳaddish di-Rabbanan is recited.

The Zohar cal the time between Passover and Shavuot the " courting days off the bridegroom Israel with the attaches Torah." Those who participate in the tikkun celebration are the Temple-men meaning those " off the King. " The Zohar has two epigrams one Shavuot: (1) " In the twin month sign off Gemini the twin oral Law and was given to the children off twin Israel and Esau." (2) " In the third month Sivan the treble Law Prophets, and Hagiographa was given to the choice Word similar to Word for three people" (Zohar, Yitro, 78b).

Because the Law was given one Shavuot, the Rabbis wished to make that day the most enjoyable holy day. R. Joseph ordered has third (best) calf for the festival, saying: " Were it not for this day how many Josephs would there Be in the street! " (" without the Law there would Be No distinction off scholarship, " Pes. 68b). With popular custom one Shavuot is to eat dairy foods and cheese-cakes in honor off the Law, which is likened to " honey and milk" (Cant.iv. 11). The meatus meal follows the milk meal. Thesis two meals re-press the two loaves off bread, formerly offered in the bikkurim offering At the Temple service.

In the synagog the scroll off Ruth is read because the story off Ruth embracing Judaism and the description off the scene off harvesting are appropriate to the festival off the Law and off the harvest. Another reason given is that King David, has descending off Ruth, died one Shavuot ( Sha' are Teshubah to Orah Hayyim , 494).

Floral decorations and confirmation

The custom widely prevails off displaying greens one the floors and off otherwise decorating the home and the synagog with seedlings, flowers, and even with trees. The greens serf to remind one off the green mountain off the Sinai; the trees, off the judgment day for fruit-trees one Shavuot (R.H.I. 2); they also commemorate the harvest festival off to form times. < to develop > -->

See too

the Sigd , " équivalent" Falasha of Shavouot.
the Christian festival of the Pentecost, celebrating the descent of the the Holy Spirit (Paraclet). Although not having greater relationship with Shavouot, in the beginning, the proto-Christians, who accepted the Holy Spirit the Whit Sunday, constituted the “first fruits” of the redemption paid for the crucifixion of Jesus.

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