Pentecost Shavuot
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This Tuesday and Wednesday is shavuot or the Feast of Weeks. shavuot is one of the three annual pilgrimage festivals where the Torah commands Israel to appear before God at his house in Jerusalem. The other two pilgrimage festivals in the Torah are Passover and Tabernacles. Passover commemorates and reenacts Israel’s redemption from Egypt. Tabernacles commemorates and reenacts the end of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness and the entry into the Promised Land. Unlike Passover and Tabernacles, the Torah nowhere specifies which particular experience shavuot commemorates. For Seventh-day Adventists, the Torah’s silence in this regard is rather puzzling, because we believe Israel’s walk with God models and anticipates God’s plan for saving the world. Without any historical peg, we don’t know what stage of redemption this festival might anticipate.
Jewish tradition on the subject is also sparse. The Mishna, the Tosefta, the Talmud alike have fat tractates on Passover and on the Feast of Tabernacles, but nothing equivalent exists for shavuot.
The fact that Leviticus 23 specifies the children of Israel should count down to shavuot fifty days after Passover indicates shavuot is a sort of extension of Passover. In Jewish Greek shavuot is named πεντηκοστή, which is the Greek word for fifty, so for Greek-speaking Jews the uppermost feature of this festival was the countdown. At Passover the first barley of the year is presented before God (Exodus 9:31); at shavuot the first wheat (Exodus 34:22) is presented before God. In a certain sense then, shavuot completes Passover. The two spring festivals go together.
Our earliest written sources of Jewish tradition, Josephus [Antiquities III.252], Targum Onkelos and Targum Yhonatan [on Numbers 28:26], and the Mishna call the Feast of Weeks atzeret rather than shavuot.
אנשי הר צבועים הביאו בכוריהם קודם לעצרת, ולא קבלו מהם, מפני הכתוב שבתורה, "וחג הקציר בכורי מעשיך אשר תזרע בשדה. “The men of Mt Tzvuim brought their first produce prior to atzeret, and they (the officiating priests) didn’t accept them from them, due to what is written in the Torah, “and the feast of harvest, the first produce of your labors, which you sow in the field” (Exodus 23:16).” [m. Challa 4.10]
atzeret means convocation. For the rabbis the uppermost feature of the festival was apparently the convocation rather than the countdown. The rabbis terminology is slightly confusing, because in the Bible atzeret is the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles; in the Bible atzeret has nothing to do with shavuot. To avoid further confusion the rabbis call that particular atzeret, shmini atzeret. Just to reiterate: what the Bible calls shavuot the rabbis call atzeret and what the Bible calls atzeret the rabbis call shmini atzeret.
The convocation may have been for the purpose of renewing the covenant. The Qumran community apparently renewed the covenant annually. In a solemn ceremony they assembled and pronounced the blessings and the curses in Deuteronomy 27 which ancient Israel pronounced upon themselves at Mt Grizim and Mt Eval. The Qumran community evidently used the occasion to receive new candidates and to disfellowship errant members. They swore ‘em in and they cursed ‘em out. For certain Jews during the 2nd temple period then, shavuot may have been an occasion to renew their oath of loyalty to God’s covenant with Israel. After all, the Hebrew word shavuot, means “oaths” as well as “weeks.” We lack historical evidence, but the linguistic connection is tantalizing. shavuot is perhaps not only the festival of counting weeks; but also the festival of taking oaths.
The earliest unambiguous interpretation of shavuot is preserved for us in the Book of Acts. In the Book of Acts shavuot completes the redemption at Passover. Just as the Hebrew slaves are constituted a kingdom of priests and a holy nation at the foot of Sinai by God’s gift of the Torah, in the Book of Acts God’s gift comes to confirm Jesus’ redemption at Passover and to constitute a new Israel. In the Book of Acts shavuot constitutes the redeemed community. Acts 2:1-11.
“When in the accomplishment of the fifty days all of them were together in one place, it transpired suddenly there was a sound from heaven like a strong, driven wind and the entire house where they were sitting was filled. And there appeared to them divided tongues like fire, and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak other tongues as the Spirit gave them to declare. Now there were Jews dwelling in Jerusalem, devote men from every Gentile under heaven. When this voice occurred, the multitude came together and was confused, because each one heard them speaking his own language. Then they were amazed and marveled, saying, ‘Are not these who are speaking all Galilean? How do we hear each his own language in which we were born?’ Parthean and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadokia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamfulia, Egypt and the region of Libia adjoining Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs — ‘we heard them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.’”
The imagery of the shavuot event described in Acts chapter 2 actually draws on two separate events in the Torah. One event is the revelation at Sinai. This is where the sound that fills the house and the fire come from. The other event is the resting of Moshe’s spirit on the seventy elders. This is where the resting of the spirit on Jesus’ disciples comes from. Let’s read the description in Numbers 11:24-29.
“And Moshe went out and told the people the words of HaShem. He gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and stationed them around the tent. Then HaShem came down in a cloud and spoke with him and took from the spirit which was on him and put on the seventy men, the elders. Now it happened when the spirit rested on them, they engaged in prophetic ecstasy, but did not continue. Two men remained in the camp. The name of the one was Eldad and the name of the second was Medad and the spirit rested on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the tent. They engaged in prophetic ecstasy within the camp. The young man ran and told Moshe. He said, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying within the camp!’ And Yhoshua beNun, Moshe’ attendant, one of his chosen, answered. He said, ‘Master Moshe, restrain them!’ But Moshe said to him, ‘Are you zealous on my account? Would that all the people of HaShem were prophets!; would that HaShem put his spirit on them!”
The miracle of shavuot in Acts 2 combines Moshe’s spirit resting on the seventy elders with the gift of the Torah. Acts chapter 2 is our earliest Jewish document which unambiguously connects shavuot with the gift of the Torah.
The connection isn’t all that difficult to make. The children of Israel left Egypt on Passover, which was the 15th day of the 1st month (Exodus 12:18). Exodus 19:1 tells us that the children of Israel arrived at Mt Sinai in the third month to the day after leaving Egypt. Doing the arithmetic, the 1st of the third month would have been 46 or 47 days later, depending on how many days long a month is. Allowing for three days preparation, as God instructs Moshe (Exodus 19:11), the giving of the Torah comes 49 or 50 days after Passover. Pretty close to shavuot! Perhaps the unaccounted day is when Moshe goes up to God, hears God’s offer, relays it to the elders and the people, gets their answer, and brings it back to God (Exodus 19:3-8). To me that sounds like a full days’ activity. That could account for the extra day needed. Simple arithmetic puts the gift of the Torah on or very near shavuot. By the time of the Talmud there are some Jews on record making this calculation (b. Pesachim 68b). But interestingly, no early Jewish document says shavuot commemorates the gift of the Torah. The familiar Jewish designation for shavuot: zman matan toratenu “season our Torah was given” dates from the Middle Ages!
Later rabbinic tradition describes Israel’s reception of the Torah at Sinai in a manner remarkably like shavuot in Acts chapter 2. The Tanchuma emphasizes fire.
את מוצא כשנתן הקב"ה את התורה הכל היה של אש. שנאמר, מימינו אש דת למו. אר"ל התורה של אש עורותיה של אש כתבה של אש חייטא של אש. שנאמר, מימינו אש דת למו והסרסור נעשו פניו של אש. שנאמר, וייראו מגשת אליו, והמלאכי' שירדו עמו של אש. שנאמר, עושה מלאכיו רוחות וגו'. וההר בוער באש. ונתנה מן האש אוכלת אש. שנאמר, כי ה' אלהיך אש אוכלת ועל וארץ הראך את אשו הגדולה. ואף הדבור יצא מתוך האש. כיון שראו הלפידים וכל אותן אשות אמר להם הקב"ה לא תהיו סבורין שהן רשויות הרבה לכך פתח באנכי לא יהיה לך וג'. “You find that when the Holy One, blessed be he gave the Torah that everything was of fire. As it says, ‘from his right hand was the fire of law for them’ (Deuteronomy 33:2). Resh Laqish said, ‘The Torah was of fire, its skins were of fire, its writing was of fire, its stiching was of fire. As it says, ‘from his right hand was the fire of law for them.’ And the intercessor’s face became fire. As it says, ‘The skin of his face shone and they were afraid to approach him’ (Exodus 34:30). And the angels who came down with him were of fire. As it says, ‘Who makes his angels spirits; his servants fire flaming’ (Psalm 104:4). ‘And the mountain was burning with fire’ (Deuteronomy 4:11). And it was given within fire consuming fire. As it says, ‘For HaShem your God is a consuming fire’ (Deuteronomy 4:24), ‘and on the earth he showed you his great fire’ (Deuteronomy 4:36). Even the utterance went forth ‘from among the fire’ (Deuteronomy 4:12). When ‘they saw…the torches’ (Exodus 20:15) and all these fires, the Holy One blessed be he said to them, ‘Don’t imagine that they’re multiple authorities.’ Hence he began with, ‘I am HaShem your God… For you there shall be no other gods before my face’ (Exodus 20:2-3).” [Tanchuma, yitro 16]
The Talmud describes divided tongues like fire at Sinai in a manner very reminiscent of Acts chapter 2.
אמר רבי יוחנן: מאי דכתיב "אדני יתן אמר המבשרות צבא רב" — כל דיבור ודיבור שיצא מפי הגבירה נחלק לשבעים לשונות. תני דבי רבי ישמעאל: "וכפטיש יפצץ סלע" מה פטיש זה נחלק לכמה ניצוצות אף כל דיבור ודיבור שיצא מפי הקדוש ברוך הוא נחלק לשבעים לשונות. “Said Rabbi Yochanan, ‘What is the meaning where it is written, “Adonai gives speech, a great army those who announce good news?” (Psalm 68:12) — Each and every utterance which went forth from the mouth of Power was divided into seventy tongues.’ The school of Rabbi Yishmael passed down the tradition: “Is not my word thus like fire, oracle of HaShem, and like a hammer splitting rock?” (Jeremiah 23:29) Just as that hammer is shattered into many sparks, so each and every utterance which went forth from the mouth of the Holy One blessed be he divided into seventy tongues.” [b. Shabbat 88b]
Other Jewish traditions place the Torah in seventy languages at Mt Grizim and Mt Eval, rather than at Mt Sinai.
ברכות וקללות כיצד? כיוון שעברו ישראל את הירדן ובאו אל הר גרזים ואל הר עיבל שבשומרון...ששה שבטים עלו לראש הר גרזים, וששה שבטים עלו לראש הר עיבל, והכהנים והלוים והארון עומדים למטה באמצע...הפכו פניהם כלפי הר גרזים ופתחו בברכה: ברוך האיש אשר לא יעשה פסל ומסכה, ואלו ואלו עונין ואמן. הפכו פניהם כלפי הר עיבל ופתחו בקללה: ארור האיש אשר יעשה פסל ומסכה, ואלו ואלו עונין אמן, עד שגומרים ברכות וקללות. ואחר כך הביאו את האבנים ובנו את המזבח וסדוהו בסיד, וכתבו עליו את כל דברי התורה בשבעים לשון, שנאנר: באר היטב. “The blessings and the curses — what was the procedure? Seeing that Israel had crossed the Jordan and arrived at Mt Grizim and at Mt Eval which are in Samaria…six tribes climbed the summit of Mt Grizim, and six tribes climbed the summit of Mt Eval. The priests, the Levites, and the ark remained below between them…They turned their faces toward Mt Grizim and opened in blessing: “Blessed be the man who does not fashion sculpture or a cast image.” Both these and those answered, ‘Amen!’ They turned their faces toward Mt Eval and opened in imprecation: ‘Cursed be the man who fashions a sculpture or a cast image’ (Deuteronomy 27:15). Both these and those answered, ‘Amen!’ (27:15) until they finished the blessings and the curses. Afterwards they brought stones and built the altar, and whitewashed it with lime, and wrote on it the Torah in seventy languages, as it is written, ‘Explain it well.’ (Deuteronomy 27:8)” [m. Sota 7.5]
Neither Acts chapter 2 nor rabbinic tradition mention non-Jews being present, but the point of the Torah in seventy languages and the miracle of hearing the good news in the languages of the Diaspora is that God’s gift to Israel is for the benefit of his other children too. What follows in the Book of Acts bears this out: From Zion the Torah goes forth and the word of the L-rd from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3). The remnant of Israel repents, God then gives repentance also to the Gentiles and they’re gathered into God’s family. Israel is revived and reconstituted around King Mashaich. Jesus’ resurrection turns out to be Israel’s resurrection.
The interesting question here is which came first, shavuot which commemorates God’s gift of his Torah, or shavuot which commemorates God’s gift of his Spirit? We Christians like to claim that Israel’s festivals point forward to greater events on a grander scale. But in this instance, the commemoration of the gift of the Spirit is historically earlier. The shavuot which commemorates the giving of the Torah apparently developed in response to the shavuot commemorating the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this instance Judaism is reacting to Christianity.
For the remainder of my remarks I’d like us to consider the twin gifts of shavuot together. I think Seventh-day Adventists can make a real contribution here. Unlike many of our Jewish and Christian friends, Seventh-day Adventists have never viewed the Holy Spirit and the Torah as competitors; we’ve never opposed Spirit and letter or taught that either replaces the other. We’ve understood that the gift of the Torah can only be internalized by the action of the Spirit. We’ve even privatized and individualized Ezekiel’s promise to the Judean exiles making it a principle of spiritual life. Ezekiel 36:25-27.
“And I will throw clean water on you and cleanse you from all your filth, and from your dung balls I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. My Spirit I will put within you, and I will arrange that in my statutes you will walk, and my judgments you will keep and perform.”
Seventh-day Adventists have correctly grasped that apart from God’s Spirit, Torah remains a lifeless theory, an external instrument of coercion, or an internal device of self-justification. And from the flipside, apart from the Torah, the Spirit is disembodied. Apart from the Torah, the Spirit creates anarchy rather than community. Seventh-day Adventists have grasped that neither of God’s shavuot gifts properly functions without the other. The Torah without the Spirit isn’t really God’s Torah and the Spirit without Torah is some other spirit, certainly not the Spirit of God. God doesn’t give one gift without the other.
Another reason for keeping the shavuot gifts together is that Torah can only be properly expanded by those endowed with God’s Spirit. Because Seventh-day Adventists are biblicists, when we speak of Torah we generally think of the bare-bones written document, not the history of its practice or its interpretation. This is like thinking of a judicial system as a statute book. But a statute book is only one aspect of a judicial system. Doing justice requires law enforcement, courts of law, as well as fresh legislation. Because Torah accompanies God’s people on their journey, Torah requires innovation and updating. Torah grows with God’s people to meet new challenges.
In the Book of Acts, after the outpouring of God’s Spirit on shavuot, we see Torah being innovated. In Acts 15 Mashiach’s body is challenged by God’s acceptance of non-Jews. There’s a dispute whether non-Jews who confess Jesus and have received his Spirit should now become Jews or whether they should remain who God created them to be and retain their current ethnic identity. The apostles and elders meet to discuss the issue. Reports are made. Arguments pro and con are heard. Finally, James the brother of Jesus hands down a psach halacha, an authoritative Torah ruling: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to trouble you with anything beyond the following requirements” (Acts 15:28). In other words, the Holy Spirit has created a fresh piece of legislation! The Book of Acts presents the committee’s innovation as the work of the Holy Spirit. Torah is not only the written code, but the decisions of compassionate men and women, who are Spirit-led to develop new applications, to extend God’s kingship over new communities.
I believe this work of the Holy Spirit has enormous ramifications for our Jewish/Adventist mission. We’re meeting challenges which neither the church nor the synagogue has really ever faced up to. While past precedents of both church and synagogue are helpful, we’re entering new territory. Answers to questions no longer being asked, behaviors institutionalized to demarcate old boundaries, doctrines predicated on the assumptions of former cultures, are all badly in need of renewal. A dead letter won’t do. At Beth Shalom Seventh-day Adventist we’re in need of both shavuot gifts: the Holy Spirit and the Torah. chag samech; happy holiday.
