Need an Excuse to Eat Cheesecake?

Well, I've got a good one! This Friday marks Shavuot on the Hebrew calendar, the holy day known to most of us as Pentecost. Yes, the day the Holy Spirit arrived! (Isnt' it interesting how so many key events in the New Testament perfectly align with the Hebrew calendar? The Lord must be trying to tell us something.)

Shavuot is celebrated 7 weeks + 1 day after the Feast of First Fruits, which coincidentally (or not) is the day that Yeshua was raised from the dead. Within the Judaic tradition, Shavuot marks the anniversary of the time Israel received the Torah from the Lord, so it is quite fitting that the Holy Spirit would be given at the time of this feast.

As for specifics regarding how the feast is celebrated, I don't really know yet! This will be my first one! Although, here's the few key feasting facts that I do know:

Firstly, Shavuot is a Shabbat. According to Hebraic thought, the new day starts at evening rather than morning. This is why the feasts are celebrated the evening before you might see them noted on the calendar in your kitchen or office. Devin and I will be celebrating the Feast on Thursday night, then resting on Friday. Oh - and work on Thursday is a half day!

Next, Shavuot is celebrated by reading the book of Ruth. This is because Shavuot is to be celebrated with "the strangers, orphans and widows" in the midst of Israel. The strangers, orphans, and widows were given privileges by the Lord to glean the corners of the fields during the time of harvest, the season of which Shavuot occurs. Ruth is both poor, and a foreigner who spends a great deal of time gleaning Boaz's field, so her story is well fitting.

Lastly, during the feast, we will be eating dairy products-particularly cheesecake! Oh the joy! The eating of dairy products is not a biblical command, but rather a tradition that has been passed down through the generations, but its definitely one worth keeping!

Join us for Shavuot this Thursday evening. Go out for cheesecake, buy one and take it home, or bake one yourself. As you eat, praise the Lord for His law and His Spirit; and take in all the treasures found in the book of Ruth!

If you decide to celebrate, please let me know how it goes!

callie m.




Resources:
For Bible passages mentioning Shavuot (also known as the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost)
see:
Exodus 34:21-23
Numbers 28:25-27
Deuteronomy 16
2 Chronicles 8:12-14
Acts 2

Related Posts:
Celebrating the Resurrection in Israel

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