Chag HaKatzir ('Shavuot')

CHAG HAKATZIR (SHAVUOT): THE HOLIDAY OF THE HARVEST  

The holiday currently known as 'Shavuot' is called both Chag HaKatzir and Yom HaBikurim in the Torah. 

Exodus 23:16 [1] says: 

"You are ... to keep the Holiday of the Harvest; the firstfruits of your labours which you sow in the field." 

The word for harvest is 'katzir' [2] and the word for firstfruits is 'bikurim' [3], which comes from the word, 'bakkar' [4] and refers to the 'firstborn' bearing of 'new' fruit. Some modern non-Jewish groups refer to this holiday as the 'Feast of Weeks' [5] and it is called the Pentecost in the New Testament [6]. 

CHAG HAKATZIR AND CHAG HASUCCOT 


Exodus 23:16 suggests there is a relation between Chag HaKatzir and Chag HaSuccot as Chag HaKatzir celebrates the first fruits of the harvest whereas Chag HaSuccot takes place at the end [7] of the year, when the harvest has been gathered. In Exodus 23:16, Chag HaSuccot is referred to as 'Chag HaAsiph [8]. Asiph describes the ingathering of the harvest and comes from the word 'asaph' [9], which means 'to gather' or 'assemble'. 

OBSERVING THE HOLIDAY 

Several passages tell us the rules for observing this holiday. Leviticus 23:2 says we must 'proclaim (tikre'u) [10] this holiday as a holy convocation (mikra'ei kodesh) [11]. Numbers 28:26-30 tell us we can do no servile (avodah) [12] work (melechet) [13] and that we must present several animal, grain and drink offerings [14]. Deuteronomy 16:10 also mentions a freewill offering [15] and Leviticus 23:17 discusses the wave offering [16]. Further regulations are given in Leviticus 23:15-22 [17]. 

WHEN DO WE CELEBRATE CHAG HAKATZIR? 

Unlike other holidays, the Torah does not prescribe an exact date when Chag HaKatzir should take place. Instead, it says in Deuteronomy 16:9 [18] that we are to count seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the grain. In Leviticus 23:16, this is stated as 50 days [19]. Leviticus 23:15 says the counting should start the day after the Sabbath that the sheaf ('omer' [20]) of the wave offering ('tenufah' [21]) is brought. In the absence of a known official determination by the Priests, the date that the counting should begin has been the subject of much debate [22]. 

THE DEBATE ON THE DATE 

The debate about correct date of Chag HaKatzir has stemmed from disagreement about the meaning of the instructions in Leviticus 23:15 [27]. Examining this passage in more depth, we can see that the precise words used in the Torah say:

 "And you shall count for yourselves from 'the day after' ('mimochorat' [28]) the Sabbath, from the day ('miyom' [29]) that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, seven Sabbaths shall be completed". 

If you know Hebrew, you'll notice that the word 'mimochorat' does not come from the usual word for 'day', which is 'yom'. Some have considered 'mimochorat haShabbat' to best translate as 'from the morrow of the Sabbath' [30]. The debate on the meaning of this term is summarised by Nehemiah Gordon, 

"In late Second Temple times ... [the Sadducee Priests, Pharisaic Scholars and Essene scribes] ... [all] ... agreed that the 'morrow of the Sabbath' was associated with the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Chag HaMatzot], although the precise connection led to the festival being observed on different days. The Pharisees argued that Shavuot is to be counted from the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which they designated a 'Sabbath.' According to the Pharisees, 'morrow of the Sabbath' means the 'morrow of the 1st day of Unleavened Bread.' ... The Essenes ... began the 50-day count to Shavuot on a different Sabbath from the Pharisees. In their reckoning, the Omer offering was to be brought on the morrow of the weekly Sabbath, in modern terms: 'Sunday.' The Essenes began their count on the Sunday after the seven-days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread ... [The Sadducees] agreed with the Essenes that Shavuot must be counted from a weekly Sabbath, but disagreed as to which one. The Sadducees believed the 50-day count must begin on the weekly Sabbath that falls out during the seven-days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread ... Karaite Jews have accepted the Sadducee reckoning as the only one to be consistent with the plain meaning of the biblical text" [31]. 

INTERPRETING THE WORD 'MIMOCHORAT' 

When trying to understand complicated passages of the Torah, it is often useful to see where a word (such as 'mimochorat') has been used elsewhere [32], as this provides a context and broader basis for interpretation. 

 For example, in 1 Samuel 5:3 [33], we are told that on the 'mimochorat', the Ashdodites 'arose early in the morning' [34]; suggesting that 'mimochorat' means 'the next day'. Similarly, in relation to the plagues against Egypt in Exodus 9:5-6 [35], we are told that, "Y-hova [36] appointed [37] a set time [38], saying 'tomorrow [39] 

Y-hova will do this in the land [and] so did Y-hova this thing on the 'mimochorat'". 

 As such, in terms of Leviticus 23:15 [40], it seems that the counting should begin the day after the sheaf offering is brought. As discussed, the Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes all thought that the day of the sheaf offering was associated with the Chag HaMatzot (the Feast of Unleavened Bread), however, Leviticus 23:10-11 [41] simply says: 

"When you come into the land which I give to you and reap its harvest, you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave [42] the sheaf before Y-hova so it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after ('mimochorat') the Sabbath". 

This is in fact the first part of Chag HaKatzir and there is no mention of a connection with Chag HaMatzot. Additionally, Deuteronomy 16:9 [43] says, 

"Seven weeks shall you count for yourself from the time you begin to put ('mehachel' [44]) the sickle to the grain". 

 This would again suggest that the calculation of the date is more of a practical measure; depending on how the climate affected the harvest on any given year. As such, it seems it would not be possible to calculate this date except by referring to harvesting periods in the land of Israel.

LISTENING TO THE PRIESTS 

However, it's important to recognise that the Sadducee priests came to a formal decision on the matter. Their decision may well have been based on a historical practice of calculating it from that date, indicating that the decision would have been made in ancient times by the original Priests and Judges, in accordance with the Torah's official procedural rules [45]. As such, there seem to be no grounds for disagreeing with the decision made by the Sadducees on this point [46]. The phrase 'from the time you begin to put' in Deuteronomy 16:9 [47] is encapsulated in the word, 'mehachel' and this word appears only one other time, in 2 Chronicles 31:10 [48], which states, "Since the people began ('mehachel') to bring their offerings into the house of Y-hova, we have had enough to eat and there is plenty left". The Priesthood is the very context of 2 Chronicles 31:10, which states that King Hezekiah had asked the Priests and Levites about the offerings and Chief Priest Azariah had given him that reply. 

INTERESTING CONNECTIONS 

There are several interesting connections between this holiday and the Book of Ruth although time constraints mean I will have to explore these issues later! 

Happy holidays! 

REFERENCES


1. Exodus 23:16: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/23-16.htm. 

2. 'Katsir': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7105.htm. 

3. 'Bikuri': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1061.htm. 

4. 'Bakar': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1069.htm. 

5. This non-Jewish source contains a relatively concise overview of 'fast facts' for this holiday: Jews for Jesus, 'Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks: is it Jewish or Christian or both?': https://jewsforjesus.org/publications/newsletter/newsletter-jun-2005/shavuot-the-feast-of-weeks/. Please note, this source does not always distinguish between Torah commandments for this holiday and customs instituted by the Pharisees, which IsraelAlia does not endorse. It does, however, refer to an interesting 12th Century Aramaic poem known as the Adkamut, which has come to be read in Synagogues on this holiday and I reference it here: https://www.sefaria.org/Akdamut_Milin.1.1ven=Birnbaum_1949&vhe=According_to_the_NLI_Piyyut_database&lang=bi. 

6. See 'Pentekoste': https://biblehub.com/greek/4005.htm. 

7. 'Tzet': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/betzet_3318.htm. 

8. 'Asiph': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/haasif_614.htm. 

9. 'Asaph': https://biblehub.com/nasec/hebrew/622.htm. This, out of interest, is the same word used in Numbers 11:16 where Moses is told to gather 70 elders to help him with the complaints of the Israelites in the desert.

10. 'Tikre'u': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/tikreu_7121.htm. 

11. 'Mikra'ei': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/mikraei_4744.htm. 

12. 'Avodah': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/avodah_5656.htm. 

13. 'Melechet': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/melechet_4399.htm. 

14. See generally, Numbers 28: https://biblehub.com/bsb/numbers/28.htm. 

15. Deuteronomy 16:10: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/deuteronomy/16-10.htm. 

16. Leviticus 23:17: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/leviticus/23-17.htm. 

17. Leviticus 23:15 onwards: https://biblehub.com/bsb/leviticus/23.htm#15. 

18. Deuteronomy 16:19: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/deuteronomy/16-9.htm. 

19. Leviticus 23:16: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/leviticus/23-16.htm. 

20. 'Omer': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/omer_6016.htm. 

21. 'Tenufah': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8573.htm. 

22. See for instance, Nehemiah's Wall, 'The Truth About Shavuot': https://www.nehemiaswall.com/truth-shavuot. 

23. Exodus 23:14: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/23-14.htm. 

24. 'Tahog': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/tachog_2287.htm. 

25. 'Chagag': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2287.htm. 

26. 'Chag': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2282.htm. 

27. Leviticus 23:15: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/leviticus/23-15.htm. 

28. 'Mimochorat': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/mimochorat_4283.htm. 

29. 'Miyom': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/miyom_3117.htm. 

30. For a list of different translations for this verse, see: https://biblehub.com/leviticus/23-15.htm. 

31. See the end of this post for a more detailed summary of this debate. 

32. 'Mimochorat': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/mimochorat_4283.htm. 

33. 1 Samuel 5:3: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_samuel/5-3.htm. 

34. 'Vaiyashkimu': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/vaiyashkimu_7925.htm. 

35. Exodus 9:5: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/9-5.htm. 

36. For why I write the name of Y-hova as I do, see: https://www.israelalia.com/g-ds-name/. 

37. 'Yasem': https://biblehub.com/nasec/hebrew/7760.htm. 

38. 'Moed': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/moed_4150.htm; 

39. 'Machar': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/machar_4279.htm. 

40. Leviticus 23:15: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/leviticus/23-15.htm. 

41. Leviticus 23:10 onwards: https://biblehub.com/bsb/leviticus/23.htm#10. 

42. 'Henif': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/vehenif_5130.htm. 

43. Deuteronomy 16:9: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/deuteronomy/16-9.htm. 

44. 'Mehachel': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/mehachel_2490.htm. 

45. See IsraelAlia Summary (We've Forgotten the Torah's Procedural Laws): https://www.israelalia.com/summary/. 

46. For a Karaite calculation of the correct date for 2022, see Nehemiah's Wall, 'Counting the Omer': https://www.nehemiaswall.com/counting-omer. This calculation concludes that the correct date is 12th June 2022 (as opposed to 4th - 6th June 2022, as currently observed). 

47. Deuteronomy 16:9: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/deuteronomy/16-9.htm. 

48. 2 Chronicles 31:10: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/2_chronicles/31-10.htm. The Date Debate in More Detail: "In late Second Temple times ... [the Sadducee Priests, Pharisaic Scholars and Essene scribes] ... [all] ... agreed that the "morrow of the Sabbath" was associated with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, although the precise connection led to the festival being observed on different days. The seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread runs from the 15th day to the 21st day of the First Hebrew Month (Nissan) and marks the Exodus from Egypt, as well as the beginning of the barley harvest in Israel ... The Pharisees argued that Shavuot is to be counted from the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which they designated a "Sabbath." According to the Pharisees, "morrow of the Sabbath" means the "morrow of the 1st day of Unleavened Bread." The ancient Pharisees ... begin the 50-day count to Shavuot on the second day of Unleavened Bread, which is always the 16th day of the First Hebrew Month. As a result, the Pharisee Shavuot always fell out in ancient times from the 5th to the 7th day of the Third Hebrew Month (Sivan) ... In 359 CE, the Pharisee leader Hillel II established a pre-calculated calendar and ever since the Pharisee Shavuot has always been observed on the 6th of Sivan. The Essenes ... began the 50-day count to Shavuot on a different Sabbath from the Pharisees. In their reckoning, the Omer offering was to be brought on the morrow of the weekly Sabbath, in modern terms: "Sunday." The Essenes began their count on the Sunday after the seven-days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As a result, they always began their count on the 26th day of the First Hebrew Month. The Essenes had a 364-day solar calendar, which began every year on a Wednesday and had fixed lengths for each month. Based on the Essene calendar, Shavuot always fell out on the 15th day of the Third Hebrew Month ... [The Sadducees] agreed with the Essenes that Shavuot must be counted from a weekly Sabbath, but disagreed as to which one. The Sadducees believed the 50-day count must begin on the weekly Sabbath that falls out during the seven-days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. According to their reckoning, the counting towards Shavuot could begin anywhere from the 15th to the 21st day of the month, depending on what day of the week the Feast of Unleavened Bread began. If Unleavened Bread began on a Sunday, the count would begin on the 15th day of the month. If Unleavened Bread began on a Saturday, the count would begin on the 16th day of the month, and so on. Based on this counting, Shavuot could fall out from the 4th to the 12th of the Third Hebrew Month. Karaite Jews have accepted the Sadducee reckoning as the only one to be consistent with the plain meaning of the biblical text".