(kriss;51578)
Shavua is week in Hebrew, and Shavu’ot means 7 weeks
Shavua is week, however shavu'ot is weeks. It is used of the "Feast of Weeks", however shavu'ot itself does not mean seven weeks. Seven weeks would be sheva` shavu'ot. In Leviticus 23 it is sheva` shabatot or seven shabats.(kriss)
on the eve of the last day would be the beginning to the 50th day, from the second day of Passover “Pessah”
This is representative of the thought processes of one school of thought. I see two problems with this school of thought in that it directly ties Shavu'ot to Unleavened which is not supported in Leviticus 23. Further, it uses/defines the first day of the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" as a 'shabat'. In Leviticus 23, the first day of the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" is never defined as a 'shabat'.If I may, let's take a brief look at Leviticus 23:_______________________________________________________________In Leviticus 23 we have each of the miqra'ey_qodesh [sacred/holy assemblies/meetings/convocations] laid out for us.I will briefly outline the terms used of each of these days from Leviticus 23 here so that they may be clear for all to see:Lev. 23:3 The weekly shabat: shabat shabaton; miqra'_qodeshLev. 23:7 First day of Unleavened Bread: miqra'_qodesh; mele'ket `avodah [(no) regular/labor/service work/occupation/business]Lev. 23:8 Last day of Unleavened Bread: miqra'_qodesh; mele'ket `avodahLev. 23:21 Pentecost: miqra'_qodesh; mele'ket `avodahLev. 23:24 Feast of Trumpets: shabaton; miqra'_qodeshLev. 23:27-32 Yom Kippurim [Day of Atonement(s)]: miqra'_qodesh; mela'kah lo'; shabat shabatonLev. 23:35 First day of the Feast of Tabernacles: miqra'_qodesh; mele'ket `avodahLev. 23:36 Last day of the Feast of Tabernacles: miqra'_qodesh; mele'ket `avodah_______________________________________________________________If we read Leviticus 23, we see no direct tie between the "Feast of Weeks" and the "Feast of Unleavened Bread". In the above, we can clearly see that the first day of the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" is not refered unto as a "shabat" nor as a "shabaton".OTOH: Yom Kippurim, while it does not generally fall upon the weekly 'shabat', is refered unto as a 'shabat shabaton'. To continue: To use the "miqra'_qodesh; mele'ket `avodah" of the first day of Unleavened Bread as the 'shabat' from which the seven weeks are counted places "Pentecost" as falling upon various days of the week in different years. This to me is contrary to Leviticus 23 in which it is written "`ad mi-makharat ha-shabat ha-shebi`it" or "until from the day after the shabat the seventh".Further: Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread may fall anywhere from the last week of March to the third week of April. That is quite a difference in time. The general time of harvest in Israel for barley is mid April with wheat occurring mid May. Those are harvest times. Another fact we should consider in this is the length of time each of these grains take to go from boot/head emergence until full maturity. Regrettably, I have long forgotten that information or I would include it here.(kriss)
The second day of the Feast of Pessah was the Feast of First Fruits, on the Jewish calendar called “Omer”.
Another point in which there is a lot of confusion, is the number of the days, or length of the "Feast of Pessah", however I will not go into that here. Basically the day of the wave offering of the sheaf is being spoken of. Yet again, if we read Leviticus 23, it is a day after shabat.(kriss)
The day our Messiah rose from the grave, it was the day of the Resurrection.
According to Leviticus, before any grain was to be harvested and/or eaten/partaken of, the sheaf was to be waved. Here we reach another place which of difficulty. However, we may find some clues to this within the text of John chapter 12.Further, based upon what is being presented here, it would seem to allude to a Friday crucifixion with a Sunday ressurection. This alone leaves us with many problems and unable to fully reconcile things in full accord with Torah [instruction/law].(kriss)
It is also worth noting that the number fifty is the number for the Holy Spirit. So Yeshua said He would send the Holy Spirit, and He did it on the 50th day after His resurrection.
Here again, if we closely examine the timing from Pentecost in Acts and work backward, we may arrive with a different conclusion. Perhaps at some point this may be more closely examined.(kriss)
It was when the ingathering of barley crop ended and the season of wheat harvest began. But Yom Ha-Kikkurim (Day of First Fruits or Shavu’ot in the Jewish World, and Pentecost in the Christian World)
If we look back to Exodus, we might glean a few clues in this regard as well. When the Israelites were leaving Egypt, what crops had been destroyed by the plagues and which crops remained. And yes, the timing of the crops differs between Egyptian and Palestinian lands. Exodus 34:22 leaves us with further insight when we consider it in relation to the crops remaining in Egypt after the plagues.I am not interested in proving "I am right", my only intention is to stir the thoughts and study of others in which perhaps we might all discover or reach a deeper level of knowledge and understanding.FWIW,Richard