Shavuot (First Day)

Home , Aviv, Bikkurim (First-fruits), Boethusians, Counting of the Omer, Eleazar (High Priest), Iyar

Jewish Time Management

Never on Yom Shlishi, Yom Ḥamishi, or Shabbat

Shavuot (First Day)

You can make a blintz on a Sunday or a Monday, whichever one you choose Or you can bake a crepe on a Wednesday or a Friday and I will not refuse …

But never on a Tuesday, a Thursday, a Shabbat … when the first day of Shavuot cannot occur!

Byron Kolitz

10:00 am 15 May 2020

21 Iyar 5780

Congregation B’nai Israel St Petersburg, Florida

Table of Contents

On which days of the week may Shavuot fall? ...... 3 Shavuot – Pop Quiz (questions) ...... 4 Let’s Begin ...... 5 6 ...... בש ו ע ו ת – Shavuot Background ...... 6 Authority for Legislation of the Jewish Calendar ...... 6 Specification of the Set Times ...... 7 What and When ...... 8 Sadducees, Boethusians, Karaites, Ethiopian Jews, Pharisees, & Rabbinites ...... 11 • Sadducees and Boethusians, and later the Karaites: ...... 11 • Book of Jubilees and among Ethiopian Jews: ...... 12 • Pharisees: ...... 12 • Rabbinites ...... 13 Appendices ...... 17 Appendix 1: Karaite Date of Shavuot ...... 17 Appendix 2: Identification of Shavuot with Revelation ...... 25 Appendix 3: Controversies between the Pharisees and Sadducees ...... 27 Appendix 4a: Seder Olam - Joshua ...... 29 Appendix 4b: Seder Olam – Ten Commandments ...... 30 Appendix 5: Date of Shavuot ...... 34 References ...... 36 Shavuot – Pop Quiz (answers) ...... 37

2 On which days of the week may Shavuot fall?

Unlike all the other festivals, Shavuot is not identified in the Torah as occurring on a specific day on the calendar. The time of Shavuot is stated in imprecise language associated with the Omer count of seven weeks begun after the start of Pesach.

In the one camp we have the Sadducees, Boethusians, Karaites, and Ethiopian Jews, and in the other camp we have the Pharisees and Rabbinites.

We are followers of Rabbinic Judaism.

This class will explore Shavuot’s place in our perpetual Jewish calendar.

======

But first – a Pop Quiz

3 Shavuot – Pop Quiz (questions)

1. In the Torah, Shavuot is described as: מז ן ןתמ ות נתר ו ,a. the season of the giving of our Torah גח תרצע ,b. the concluding festival גח צקה י ר ,c. the Feast of the Harvest גח ובש ע תו ,d. the Feast of Weeks םוי םירוכבה ,e. the day of the first fruits f. the time of Confirmation g. the season of dairy foods

2. The Torah, specifically, the Decalogue, was given on: a. Sunday b. Monday c. Friday d. Shabbat

3. Shavuot occurs on: a. 6 Sivan b. 12 Sivan c. 15 Sivan d. date when the first fruits are available e. a variable date

4. Shavuot begins most frequently on: a. Tuesday b. Wednesday c. Thursday d. Shabbat

5. The first observance of eating “new grain” is recorded in: a. Torah b. Judges c. Writings d. Josephus

6. Omer is the name of a dry measure, containing the volume of: a. 18 average olives b. 43.2 average eggs c. 49 average dates d. 30.5 pomegranates

7. Ezekiel’s vision of the restored Temple does not include the observance of: a. Shabbat b. Rosh Chodesh c. Pesach d. Shavuot e. Succot

8. The kohanim were descendants of Tzadok from the time of David until: a. division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah b. destruction of the First Temple c. the Maccabees (Hasmoneans) d. destruction of the Second Temple

9. Boethusians were: a. Greek mathematicians b. wealthy Judean merchants c. kohanim d. ascetics

10. Which group is considered to be not Jewish: a. Samaritans b. Sadducees c. Pharisees d. Rabbinites e. Karaites

4 Let’s Begin

We use the perpetual Jewish calendar formulated by Hillel II (Hillel ben Yehudah) in the year 4119 (358-359 CE) and codified by Maimonides in the period 1170-1180 CE. As a result, the following rules apply:

,(ה) Thursday ,(ג) Tuesday ,(ב) The first day of Rosh Hashanah can only occur on Monday :(ז) or Saturday

אל דא ׳ ׳ ו שאר א א

or ,(ה) Thursday ,(ג) Tuesday ,(א) The first day of Pesach can only occur on Sunday :(ז) Saturday

אל דב ׳ ׳ ו חספ ב א

Consequently, using the Rabbinic method of counting the Omer (from the second day of Pesach), we find that:

,(ד) Wednesday ,(ב) Monday ,(א) The first day of Shavuot can only occur on Sunday .(ו) or Friday

That is, Shavuot can begin only on the evening before Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, or Friday.

The approximate percentage of occurrence:

Sunday 26.3% Monday 12.1% Tuesday 0.0% Wednesday 32.3% Thursday 0.0% Friday 29.3% Shabbat 0.0%

And, since the months of Nisan and Iyar always have the same number of days:

Shavuot always occurs on the 6th of Sivan.

Furthermore, in the Liturgy, not in the Torah, Shavuot is described as

מז ן ןתמ ות נתר ו ת ת ת ןמ

“the season of the giving of our Torah”, ie, the Revelation at Sinai.

5 בש ו ע ו ת – Shavuot

Background

The history of the Jewish calendar may be divided into three periods—the Biblical, the Talmudic, and the post-Talmudic periods:

Biblical period – rested purely on the observation of the sun and the moon (until about the Tannaitic period (10-220 CE)).

Talmudic period – on both observation (agriculture-related events) and reckoning (into the Amoraic period (200-500 CE) - in the year 4119 (358-359 CE), Hillel II published the rules for the computation of the calendar.

Post-Talmudic period entirely on reckoning (principles and rules fully codified by Maimonides in his Mishneh Torah, compiled between 1170-1180 CE).

various historical conditions were considered:

local shrines agricultural differences among the regions centralization of worship hereditary inheritance of the priesthood relative urbanization – sociological differences influence of foreign powers

Authority for Legislation of the Jewish Calendar

Exodus 12:1-2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month the beginning of the months; it shall be the first םכל shall mark for you ( שדחה ה ז ה ) . םכל of the months of the year for you

for you, and deduce from it that the exact , םכל The Rabbis emphasize the word fixation of the Festivals is in the hands of Israel. Rosh Chodesh could be proclaimed only by the rabbinic court (the Calendar Council – Sod Haibbur), on the basis of two witnesses who testified that they observed the reappearance of the moon. The members of such a court had to have semichah, or ordination, that was conferred by teachers upon their students, generation after generation, from the time of Moses. (See Pirke Avot 1: 1 Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, and Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the men of the Great Assembly.)

which was addressed to Moses , םכל This requirement is derived from the word and Aaron, and from which the Sages inferred that those deciding on the new moon must have the same legal status that they had (Rosh Hashanah 22a, 25b).

Specification of the Set Times

That the formulation of the calendar is in the hands of Israel is found in the specifications of the set times.

Leviticus 23:1-8 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them:

These are My fixed times, the fixed times of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions. On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a sabbath of complete rest, a sacred occasion. You shall do no work; it shall be a sabbath of the Lord throughout your settlements. which you shall [ םתא ] These are the set times of the Lord, the sacred occasions, those proclaim each at its appointed time: In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month ...

םתא The Gemara, Rosh Hashanah 25a, takes note of the spelling of the word those, and indicates for the purposes of exegesis should not be vocalized as “otam” meaning “them”, but as “atem” meaning “you”. The verse is understood as meaning, “These are the festivals which you shall proclaim”. That is, you, even if you are in error, even if you are willfully inaccurate, even if you are misled. By virtue of Torah law, the action of the Bet Din in proclaiming the new moon and in establishing the calendar are endowed with legitimacy regardless of the accuracy or the Bet Din or even its motivation. The power to promulgate a calendar, to ordain Rosh Chodesh and to establish the dates of the festivals is delegated to the Sages to be used at their discretion in order to assure and perpetuate the service of G-d.

Numbers 28:2 .. Be punctilious in presenting to Me at stated times the offerings of food due Me ...

And, specifically for the three pilgrimage Festivals:

Numbers 28:16-17 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, there shall be a passover sacrifice to the Lord, and on the fifteenth day of that month a festival.

Pesach marks the beginning of the barley harvest

Numbers 28:26 On the day of the first fruits, your Feast of Weeks, when you bring an offering of ...

Shavuot marks the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest

7 Numbers 29:12 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, you shall observe a sacred occasion ...

Succot marks the reaping of the summer fruits

In addition to the above citations, the Torah lists the cycle of annual holidays in other places, namely,

Exodus 23:12-19; Exodus 34:18-23; Leviticus 23, and Deuteronomy 16.

Also, Pesach is mentioned in Exodus 13:6-8. [Refer to Joel Roth’s essay “Shabbat and the Holidays” in the Etz Hayim Torah and Commentary for an excellent background and summary.]

What and When

Unlike the other festivals, Shavuot is not identified in the Torah as occurring on a specific day on the calendar. Rather, it takes place (stated time) after the Omer count of seven weeks (the reason why the festival is called shavuot, literally, weeks). And, unlike Pesach and Succot, Shavuot has no distinctive ceremony.

– the three Biblical names for Shavuot:

Exodus 23:14-17 Three times a year you shall hold a festival for Me: You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread-eating unleavened bread for seven days as I have commanded you – at the set time in the month of Aviv, for in it you went forth from Egypt; and none shall appear before Me empty-handed; “and the Feast of the ;of the first fruits* of your work, of what you sow in the field , גח צקה י ר ,Harvest and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in the results of your work from the field. Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Sovereign, the Lord.

,Bikkurim): wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olive oil) כב ו ר י ם * and date honey

of the first fruits of the , גח ובש ע תו ,Exodus 34:22 You shall observe the Feast of Weeks wheat harvest; and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

your Feast of Weeks, when , םוי םירוכבה ,Numbers 28:26 On the day of the first fruits you bring an offering of ...

8 – additional Biblical references for Shavuot:

Leviticus 23:9-12 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest (barley) to the priest. He shall elevate the sheaf before the Lord for acceptance in your behalf; the priest shall elevate it

.( תרחממ תבשה ) on the day after the sabbath

On the day that you elevate the sheaf, you shall offer as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb ...

Leviticus 23:15-16 And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering – the day after the sabbath – you shall count seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count until the day after the seventh week – fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the Lord.

Deuteronomy 16:9-10 You shall count off seven weeks; start to count the seven weeks when the sickle is first put to the standing grain. Then you shall observe the Feast of Weeks for the Lord your G-d, offering your freewill contribution according as the Lord your G-d has blessed you.

Deuteronomy 26:1-2 When you enter the land that the Lord your G-d is giving you as a heritage, and you possess and settle it, you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your G-d is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your G-d will choose to establish His name.

sheaf of your harvest - the Omer: Before any grain produce of the new crop may be eaten, a measure** of ground barley must be brought to the Temple on the second day of Pesach as a meal-offering***, symbolizing that the prosperity of the field – despite the backbreaking labor that is required to wrest it from the soil – is a gift from G-d, and we thank Him for it. This offering is known as the Omer.

omer) is the name of a dry measure, containing the volume of) רמע ** 43.2 average eggs. It is the amount of flour that must be brought, and is also the name by which the offering is known.

omer = 0.1 ephah (Exodus 16:36) [about 4 dry pints US]

הפיא = 432 הציב & רמע = שע י ר י ת אה י הפ ה תיריש

Once the Omer is brought, all grain that had taken root prior to that time may be eaten; later grain must wait until the next year’s Omer is brought. Nowadays, in the absence of the Temple, the new crop may be eaten when the second day of Pesach is over.

9 *** Josephus, Antiquities 3.250-251, in Josephus IV Jewish Antiquities Books I-IV, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1930, pp. 437-439.

On the second day of unleavened bread, that is to say the sixteenth, our people partake of the crops which they have reaped and which have not been touched till then, and esteeming it right first to do homage to God, to whom they owe the abundance of these gifts, they offer to him the first-fruits of the barley in the following way. After parching and crushing the little sheaf of ears and purifying the barley for grinding, they bring to the altar an as’saron [ie, omer] for God, and, having flung a handful thereof on the altar, they leave the rest for the use of the priests. Thereafter all are permitted, publicly or individually, to begin harvest.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The ceremony of the Omer sacrifice consisted of cutting a sheaf of barley at the beginning of the harvest, and its sacrifice as the first fruit. 49 days after this sacrifice was Shavuot; on the festival, two loaves of leavened bread were presented as the first offering of the wheat harvest – the wave-offering.

The ritual of cutting the Omer and its sacrifice are to be performed on the “the day after the sabbath” and Shavuot occurs on the day of “the 7th Sabbath” after the offering of the Omer.

10 Sadducees, Boethusians, Karaites, Ethiopian Jews, Pharisees, & Rabbinites

• Sadducees and Boethusians, and later the Karaites:

“Shabbat” in Leviticus 23:11 and 23:16 means the “weekly Shabbat”, which implies that the Omer is always to be cut on the Saturday night of the Pesach week and sacrificed on Sunday. Accordingly, Shavuot falls on the day after the weekly Shabbat, counting from seven weeks since the day after the first Shabbat during Pesach, which means that Shavuot always occurs on a Sunday. The Karaites interpret Joshua 5:10- 12 as confirmation that Shavuot was observed on Sunday.

Joshua 5: 10. And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and they made the Passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho. 11. And they ate of the grain of the land on the morrow of the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched grain on this very day. 12. And the manna ceased on the morrow when they ate of the grain of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna anymore; and they ate of the produce of the land of Canaan that year.

[See Appendix 1: Karaite Date of Shavuot.] Ibn Ezra argues against the contention of the Karaites. He claims that as all other holy days have fixed days in the month, it would be unreasonable to suppose that Shavuot depended on a certain day of the week. The original contention of the Sadducees was one of the reasons for fixing the Christian Passover (Easter) on Sunday, in the year 325 CE.

The prevailing opinion now is that the Boethusians were only a variety of the Sadducees, deriving their name from the priest Boethus.

Simon, son of Boethus from Alexandria, or, according to other sources, Boethus himself, was made a high priest about 25 or 24 BCE by Herod the Great, in order that Boethus’ marriage with the latter’s daughter Mariamne might not be regarded as a mésalliance. (Josephus, Ant. xv. 9, § 3; xix. 6, § 2). [This Mariamne II must be distinguished from the first of the Hasmonean Mariamnes.]

The family of Boethus produced the following high priests:

Simon, son of Boethus, or Boethus himself (24-5 BCE)

Joazar, son of Boethus (twice: 4 BCE and before 6 CE), unpopular and an advocate of compliance with the Roman census

Eleazar, son of Boethus (4-3 BCE)

Simon Cantheras, son of Boethus (41-42 CE)

Elioneus, son of Simon Cantheras (43-44 CE)

Joshua, son of Gamala (64 CE), whose wife Martha (Miriam) – one of the richest women in Jerusalem – belonged to the house of Boethus

11 The hatred of the Pharisees toward this high-priestly family is shown by the words of the Tanna Abba Shaul ben Batnit, who lived about the year 40 CE in Jerusalem. It must be especially noticed that “the house of Boethus” heads the list of the wicked and sinful priestly families enumerated by the Tanna Abba Saul ben Batnit.

• Book of Jubilees and among Ethiopian Jews:

[The Book of Jubilees exists only in Ethiopia, which may show the Sadducee roots of Ethiopian Jewry, and a few fragments found in the Qumran caves. It gives biblical chronology only up to the Revelation on Mount Sinai.]

shabbat in Leviticus 23:11 means the last day of Pesach; but in Leviticus 23:16 all agree that it means week.

That the “Sabbath,” according to the general meaning “festival,” signifies the 7th day of Pesach, ie, 21st of Nisan, without regard to the day of the week, is the view of the Ethiopian Jews, the Syriac version of Leviticus 23:11 and 23:15, and the Book of Jubilees. The “day after the Sabbath” is, accordingly, the 22nd of Nisan.

In Jubilees, the Feast of Weeks and Feast of First-Fruits of the Harvest are celebrated on Sivan 15 (Jubilees, xvi. 1, xliv. 4). Reckoning fifty days backward, with an ecclesiastical month of twenty-eight days, one arrives at Nisan 22 as the date when the wave-sheaf was offered.

Nonetheless, the Ethiopian Jews reckon fifty days according to a system of months alternating thirty and twenty-nine days, the Feast of Weeks thus falling on Sivan 12.

• Pharisees:

Contended that “Shabbat” in Leviticus 23:11 means the 1st day of Pesach; Shavuot occurs on the 50th day thereafter.

Considered Shavuot the anniversary of the Revelation on Sinai (see Appendix 2: Identification of Shavuot with Revelation), which implies that the festival always occurred “in the season” of the Revelation and was intended to celebrate that most important event in human history. [Book of Jubilees (c 135 BCE), Philo of Alexandria (Decalogue, The Jewish War), Josephus (Jewish Antiquities), Book of Tobit, and Maccabees II recognize the historical background Shavuot.]

That the “sabbath” means the 1st day of Pesach can be discerned from Joshua (5:10-12), and is the view of the Septuagint (300 BCE), Targum Jonathan, Targum Onkelos, Josephus (“Ant.” iii. 10, § 5), Philo (“De Septenario”, § 20; comp. Hag. ii. 4, Men. vi. 1- 3), and of the later Rabbinic literature. Since, according to this view, the sheaf-offering was waved on the 16th of Nisan, Shavuot, fifty days later, was celebrated on the 6th of Sivan without regard to the day of the week on which that fell.

12 See Appendix 3: Controversies between the Pharisees and Sadducees, for background information about the differences between the Sadducees and the Pharisees.

an aside: priestly sabbatical solar calendar

Qumran scholar Gabriele Boccaccini, has suggested that the 1,290 and 1,335 days of Daniel 12:11-12 point to the observance of Shavuot in a restored Israel, as reckoned by the priestly sabbatical solar calendar - designed to have festivals and Sabbaths fall on the same day of the week every year. These durations are exactly 30 and 45 days longer than the 3½ years mentioned in Daniel 7:25 and 9:27.

The period of 3½ years amounts to 1,260 days in the priestly solar calendar because the equinoxes and solstices count as markers of the seasons rather than monthly days (1 Enoch 74:11, 75:1, 82:4). The blessings expected at the end of the 1,335 days pertain to the resurrection to “everlasting life” mentioned a few verses earlier (12:2), and this is the reward to those who refused to forsake the covenant unto death (Daniel 11:22, 11:28, 11:30, 11:33- 35), while those who forsook the covenant (11:30-32) face “everlasting contempt”.

Boccaccini sees the 3½ years as ending at the spring equinox (equinoxes and solstices were important markers of the seasons in the solar calendar), to be followed by 30 days to complete the 1,290 days (the month of Passover), and an additional 45 days to reach the 15th of Sivan, the purported day of Shavuot. For those who refused to forsake the covenant, this would be the day the covenant would be renewed and the expected blessings would be realized.

• Rabbinites

– Joshua 5:10-12

The first reference to fulfilling the mitzvah of new grains is found in Joshua 5:10-12. Today, the Rabbinites and the Karaites each interpret this text differently.

• ArtScroll translation:

The Children of Israel encamped at Gilgal and performed the Pesach-offering on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, in the plains of Jericho. They ate from the aged grain of the land on the day after the Pesach-offering, matzot and roasted grain, on this very day. The manna was depleted the following day, when they ate from the aged grain of the land; there was no longer any manna for the Children of Israel. They ate from the grain of the Land of Canaan that year.

13 Commentary by Nosson Scherman:

These verses use two different expressions for grain, which we translate according grain. The difference is based on the law of , בת ו הא aged grain, and , בע ו ר :*to Radak the Omer–offering, which came into play only now, when Israel entered its Land (see Leviticus 23:9-14). Accordingly, the people were forbidden to eat grain from the new crop until the sixteenth of Nisan, the second day of Pesach, when they would bring the Omer-offering. Before then they could eat only grain that had been harvested before Pesach.

was a biblical ,(1160-1235) דו ד חמק י Rabbi David Kimchi ,( דר ׳ ׳ ק ) Radak*] commentator, philosopher, and grammarian.]

the day after the Pesach-offering, the people were permitted to , תרחממ חספה ,Thus eat only aged grain, ie, grain from the previous year’s crop. Only the next day would they be permitted to consume the grain of the land of Canaan, ie, the newly harvested crop. This accounts for Scripture’s use of two different terms for grain.

• Jewish Publication Society translation:

Encamped at Gilgal, in the steppes of Jericho, the Israelites offered the passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the month, toward evening. On the day after the passover offering, on that very day*, they ate of the produce of the country, unleavened bread and parched grain. On that very same day**, when they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. The Israelites got no more manna; that year they ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

In this context, it is clear that the new grain was eaten on : תרחממ ה חספ * the morning after the paschal meal. This verse is linked linguistically and legally to Leviticus 23:10-14. Therefore, it would be reasonable to conclude ( תרחממ תבשה ) ”that the idiom in Leviticus “on the day after the shabbat also refers to the day after the paschal meal.

** literally, “on the day after”

Commentary by Michael Fishbane:

In this context, it is clear . תרחממ ה חספ On the day after the passover offering that the eating of the new grain occurs the morning after the paschal meal. According, to David Kimchi, this is to be understood literally; that is, the eating, may, commence with daybreak on the fifteenth day of Nisan. He based his understanding of the idiom “on the day, after the passover” on Numbers 33:3, where it is clear that the Israelites left Egypt on the morning after the feast (so also Malbim*).

14 Since Joshua 5:11 is linguistically and legally linked to Leviticus 23:10-14, it would be reasonable to conclude that the idiom “on the day after the Sabbath ––Leviticus 23:11) also refers to the day after the paschal meal) ”[ תרחממ תבשה ] especially since the ritual is linked to this festival and the term “sabbath” (in biblical, Phoenician, and Mesopotamian sources) can mean the full moon (viz, the fifteenth of the month). Whatever the original sense, by postbiblical times the meaning was subject to great differences and contentions. The Tannaitic Sages (70- 220 CE) regarded “sabbath” as a figurative expression for “holiday,” (yom tov) and regarded the “day, after the passover” to be the day after the first day (ie, the first day of chol ha-mo-ed, the intervening five days of the feast; outside of Israel, it is the second day of the festival itself). The Boethusians argued that the “sabbath” referred to was the first Sabbath day in the festival week, and Qumran sources interpreted the idiom to mean the first Sabbath day after the festival week.

Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel (1809-1879), was an ,( בלמ י ׳ ׳ ם ) Malbim*] Eastern European preacher and biblical commentator.]

• Midrash Seder Olam:

On the 16th of Nisan, Israel sacrificed the Omer.

Seder Olam is the authoritative Rabbinical interpretation of the historical passages of the Bible. It is a composition of Tannaitic material, a companion to the Mishnah. Seder Olam is the basis of the historical world view of the Babylonian Talmud and of our counting of years “from Creation”. See Appendix 4a: Seder Olam – Joshua.

15 – the season of the giving of our Torah

It is difficult to determine whether the controversy as to the date of the celebration of Shavuot was merely a question of the calendar or whether it had its origin in the attempt to assign to the festival a historical motive such as was lacking in the Torah. Just as Pesach and Succot were associated with historical events, so Shavuot was brought together with the day on which the Torah was given on Sinai. That this association had something to do with the calendar controversy would seem to follow from the fact that both Philo and Josephus make no mention of the giving of the Law on that day. Some insight into the origin of this association of Shavuot with the giving of the Law is afforded by the Book of Jubilees.

This interpretation was shared by the second-century BCE author of the Book of Jubilees who was motivated by the priestly sabbatical solar calendar of the third and second centuries BCE, which as mentioned was designed to have festivals and Sabbaths fall on the same day of the week every year. On this calendar (best known from the Book of Luminaries in 1 Enoch), Shavuot fell on the 15th of Sivan, a Sunday. The date was reckoned fifty days from the first Shabbat after Pesach (ie, from the 25th of Nisan).

Refer to Appendix 3 (Controversies between the Pharisees and Sadducees) that highlights Finkelstein’s thesis that priestly material interests contributed to the controversy about the Omer and the date of Shavuot.

Thus, Jubilees 1:1 claims that Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Torah “on the sixteenth day of the third month in the first year of the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt”.

The Book of Jubilees describes the celebration of Shavuot in pre-Mosaic times. In Jubilees 6:15-22 and 44:1-5, the holiday is traced to the appearance of the first rainbow on the 15th of Sivan, the day on which God made His covenant with Noah (the Seven Laws of Noah). The covenant renewal feature of Shavuot is thus attributed to this first covenant. Subsequently, it was observed by Noah until his death but revived again by Abraham (Jubilees 15:1), and after Abraham's death it was forgotten again until Moses restored it once more.

[According to Jubilees, on Shavuot, Isaac was born, Abraham died, Judah was born, and Jacob and Laban bound themselves by mutual vows.] It needed but a step for later times to place the covenant on Sinai also on the same day.

16 The exact day on which the Law was given is, however, in dispute:

The Rabbis say it was the 6th of Sivan; according to R Yose it was the 7th of Sivan.

All agree that the Israelites arrived at the wilderness of Sinai on the new moon (Exodus 19:1), and that the Decalogue was given on the following Saturday.

But the question whether the new-moon day fell on Sunday or Monday is undecided (Shabbat 86b). See Appendix 4b: Seder Olam – Ten Commandments and Appendix 5: Date of Shavuot.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Karaite Date of Shavuot

The total population of Karaite Jews is estimated to be between 35,000 and 50,000.

About 35,000 to 40,000 live in Israel (many having made Aliyah from Egypt and Iraq). Today, the largest Karaite community resides in Ashdod, Israel; smaller communities are in Ramla and Be’er Sheva.

Nearly 2,000 Karaites live in the US; the only Karaite synagogue in North America is in Daly City (south of San Francisco) – Congregation B’nai Israel .

Around 1,200 live in Ukraine/Crimea.

The following pages came from http://www.karaite-korner.org/shavuot.shtml It was last updated on May 22, 2008 and is no longer accessible.

The home page now is https://www.karaite-korner.org

A different selection for Shavuot is now found at https://www.nehemiaswall.com/truth-shavuot

17 Appendix 1: Karaite Date of Shavuot http://www.karaite-korner.org/shavuot.shtml

Shavuot

Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/ Pentecost) is the Biblical harvest-festival celebrated 50 days after the Sunday which falls out during Passover. These ﬁfty days are called the Counting of the Omer. The Rabbis incorrectly celebrate Shavuoth on the 6th of Sivan.

What is Shavuot?

Hag Ha-Shavuot, is the second of the three annual Hagim [Pilgrimage-Festivals] in the Hebrew Calendar and is known in English as the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. Shavuot is also referred to in the Torah as Hag HaKatzir (Feast of Harvest) [Ex 23,16] and Yom HaBikurim (Day of Firstfruits) [Nu 28,26]. In Post-Biblical times Shavuot was believed to be the anniversary of the Revelation at Sinai, but there is no basis for this in the Tanach (Hebrew Bible).1

When is Shavuot?

Unlike all the other Holidays in the Tanach, the Feast of Weeks is not given a ﬁxed calendar date but instead we are commanded to celebrate it at the end of a 50-day period known as "The Counting of the Omer" (Shavuot being the 50th day).2 The commencement of this 50-day period is marked by the bringing

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of the Omer Offering in the Temple as we read, "And you shall count from the morrow after the Sabbath from the day you bring the Omer [Sheaf] of Waving; seven complete Sabbaths shall you count... until the morrow of the seventh Sabbath you will count ﬁfty days... and you shall proclaim on this very day, it shall be a holy convocation for you " (Lev 23,15-16.21). In late Second Temple times a debate arose between the Boethusians and the Pharisees about whether the "morrow after the Sabbath" [Heb. Mimohorat Ha-Shabbat] refers to the Sunday during Hag HaMatzot [Feast of Unleavened Bread] or the second day of Hag HaMatzot (i.e. the 16th of Nissan). Like the Boethusians and Ancient Israelites before them, the Karaites count the 50 days of the Omer from the Sunday during Hag HaMatzot and consequentially always celebrate Shavuot on a Sunday.

The Rabbanites claim that in the phrase "the morrow after the Sabbath" the "Sabbath" referred to is the first day of Hag HaMatzot. They argue that this day is referred to as a Sabbath because work is forbidden on it. However, the fact is that the Tanach never calls this day a Sabbath3 and if we look at the actual commandment in the Torah, this Rabbanite interpretation is untenable. We are commanded in Lev 23,16 "Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall you count fifty days". While the first day of Hag HaMatzot could theoretically be called a Sabbath there is no way the 49th day of the Omer could be called a Sabbath, since (according to the Rabbanite theory) this day is neither a holiday nor a Sabbath. This being so, in the Rabbanite reckoning the 50th day of the Omer (=Shavuot) would NOT be on "the morrow after the seventh Sabbath" as

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commanded in Lev 23,16. Instead it would be on the morrow after the 7th Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday or whatever day it happened to fall out after (see chart). The only way for the 49th day of the Omer to be a Sabbath, thereby making the 50th day "the morrow after the Sabbath" as commanded in Lev 23,16, is if the 1st day of the Omer is on a Sunday.

Another passage, which indicates that the ﬁrst day of the Omer has to be the Sunday during Hag HaMatzot, is Joshua 5,11. This verse reports the events surrounding the cessation of the Manna shortly after the Children of Israel's entered into the Land of Canaan, "And they ate of the produce of the land on the morrow after the Pesach [sacriﬁce], Matzot and parched [barley] on this

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very day. And the Manna ceased on the morrow when they ate of the produce of the land...". As may be recalled, the Children of Israel were forbidden to eat of the new crops until the day of the Omer Offering as we read in Lev 23,14 "And bread and parched [barley] and Carmel you will not eat until this very day until you bring the sacriﬁce of your God; it shall be an eternal statute for your generations in all you habitations." Clearly Josh 5,11, which describes the eating of "Matzot and parched (barley)... on this very day" is a reference to the command in Lev 23,14 "And bread and parched (barley)... you will not eat until this very day." (see diagram).

Thus Joshua 5,11 is reporting that the ﬁrst Omer Offering in the Land of Israel was brought on the "morrow after the Pesach [Sacriﬁce]" after which the Children of Israel were permitted to eat of the produce of the land, which they immediately proceeded to do.

When is the "Morrow after the Pessach"?

Was the "Morrow after the Pessach" in Joshua 5,11? It is important to remember that in the Tanach the term Pessach [Passover] always refers to the Passover Sacrifice while the holiday on which the sacrifice is brought is called Hag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread). So Joshua 5,11 is talking about the morrow after the Passover Sacrifice. But when was this

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"morrow"? On the morning of the 15th (i.e. the following morning) or the morning of the 16th. The term Mimoharat, literally on the morrow, means on the following morning. The expression "Morrow after the Sabbath" refers to Sunday morning, because the Sabbath is a 24-hour event ending on Saturday night and Sunday morning is the morning which follows (see diagram). Similarly, the "Morrow after the Pesach [sacrifice]" must be the morning immediately following the Pesach sacrifice. Remembering that the Pessach Sacrifice was brought on the end of the 14th of Nissan at twilight (cf. Ex 12,18; Dt 16,4), the following morning is the morning of the 15th (see diagram).

This deduction is confirmed by Nu 33,3, which relates "And they traveled from Ramses in the first month on the 15th of the month; on the morrow after the Pesach [sacrifice] the Children of Israel went out with a high hand in the eyes of all Egypt." The above passage describes the day of the Exodus both as the 15th of the first month and as the Morrow after the Pesach Sacrifice. This verse conclusively shows that the "Morrow after the Pesach [sacrifice]" is equivalent to the morning of the 15th of Nissan!

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Returning to Joshua 5,11, we have seen that in the year Israel entered Canaan the Omer Offering was brought on the "Morrow after the Pesach [Sacriﬁce]" which we now have established is the morning of the 15th of Nissan. Apparently in that year the 14th of Nissan fell out on a Sabbath and the 15th of Nissan fell out on a Sunday (since the Wave Sheaf offering is always brought on a Sunday). The Rabbanite theory that the Omer Offering is brought on the 16th of Nissan is clearly refuted by the above passage, for in the year that the Children of Israel entered Canaan the Children of Israel brought the Omer Offering on the 15th of Nissan and not the 16th!

The above also answers another seemingly difficult question, namely, does the Omer count begin with the Sunday during Hag HaMatzot or the Sunday after the Sabbath during Hag HaMatzot. Essentially, the question is what part of the phrase "the morrow after the Sabbath" must fall out during Hag HaMatzot, "the morrow" or "the Sabbath"? The only ramification of this semantic quandary is when the 15th of Nissan falls out on a Sunday. In this instance, is the Omer Offering brought on the 15th of Nissan (morrow is during Hag HaMatzot) or the 22nd (Sabbath is during Hag HaMatzot)? The evidence from Josh 5,11 and Nu 33,3 provide a precedent which clarifies this situation since in the year the Children of Israel entered Canaan the 15th of Nissan actually fell out on a Sunday and the Omer Offering was brought on the 15th of Nissan, not the 22nd!

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Notes:

Note 1: The Revelation at Sinai did occur towards the beginning of the Third Month (Sivan) and Shavuot always falls out towards the beginning of the third month. Like Shavuot, the exact date of the Revelation of Sinai is not speciﬁed,and it is tempting to connect the two. However, it is important to remember that the connection between the two events is never made in the Tanach and as it is written, "You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it, in order that you will keep the commandments of YHWH your God which I command you." (Dt 4,2). Back

Note 2: The name "Counting of the Omer" for the period between the Omer Offering and Feast of Weeks does not appear in the Tanach and is used here by common convention. Back

Note 3: It is worth noting that Yom Kippur is the only other day besides the weekly Sabbath, which is also referred to as a Sabbath. The weekly Sabbath is referred to as YHWH's Sabbath ["Today is a Sabbath of YHWH" (Ex 16,25); "Keep My Sabbaths" (Lev 19,3)] while Yom Kippur is referred to as Israel's Sabbath ["It shall be a Sabbath of restfulness for you" (Lev 16,31; 23,32)]. The Sabbatical Year (Shemitah) is also called the Sabbath of YHWH (Lev 24,4-5). It is also worth noting the term Shabbaton, which is used to describe some of the Holy Days. It should be emphasized that the term Shabbaton is not the exact equivalent of Sabbath [Shabbat] nor is it ever used interchangeably with it. Indeed, the term Shabbaton is derived from the same root as Sabbath although its exact connotation is unclear. Shabbaton seems to be the adjective form of the word Sabbath and means something like "Restfulness" or "rest-period". Thus the weekly Sabbath is described as a Shabbat Shabbaton, meaning a "Sabbath of Restfulness". Similarly, the 7th year is called a Shenat Shabbaton, meaning a "Year of Restfulness" (usually translated "Sabbatical Year"). The term Shabbaton is also applied to Yom Teruah (Lev 23,24), the ﬁrst day of Sukkot (Lev 23,39), and Shemini Atseret (8th Day of Sukkot) (Lev 23,39). The terms Sabbath and Shabbaton are never used to describe any of the days of Hag HaMatzot nor are ANY of the Holy Days ever called a Sabbath other than the weekly Sabbath itself. The only exception is Yom Kippur which is the holiest day of the year on which even eating is forbidden. In contrast, on the Holy Days of Hag HaMatzot (1st and 7th days) it is permissible to cook and have ﬁre (Exodus 12,16). Back

See also:

Karaite Korner on Shavuot Glossary of Terms

Have a question about Karaism? Look for the answer in our Karaite FAQ

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Appendix 2: Identification of Shavuot with Revelation

Exodus 19:1 On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai. Having journeyed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and encamped in the wilderness. Israel encamped there in front of the mountain, and Moses went up to G-d. The Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me. Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine, but you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Exodus 19:7 Moses came and summoned the elders of the people and put before them all the words that the Lord had commanded him. “All the people answered as one, saying, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the people’s words to the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.” Then Moses reported the people’s words to the Lord, and the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and warn them to stay pure today and tomorrow. Let them wash their clothes. Let them be ready for the third day; for on the third day the Lord will come down, in the sight of all the people, on Mount Sinai. You shall set bounds for the people round about, saying, ‘Beware of going up the mountain or touching the border of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death: no hand shall touch him, but he shall be either stoned or shot; beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn -sounds a long blast,- they may go up on the mountain.”

Exodus 19:14 Moses came down from the mountain to the people and warned the people to stay pure, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day: do not go near a woman.”

Exodus 19:16 On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn; and all the people who were in the camp trembled. Moses led the people out of the camp toward G-d, and they took their places at the foot of the mountain.

Exodus 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for the Lord had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The blare of the horn grew louder and louder. As Moses spoke, G-d answered him in thunder. The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain and Moses went

25 up. The Lord said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people not to break through to the Lord to gaze, lest many of them perish. The priests also, who come near the Lord, must purify themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.” But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and sanctify it.” So the Lord said to him, “Go down, and come back together with Aaron; but let not the priests or the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” And Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

Exodus 20:1 G-d spoke all these words, saying: I the Lord am your G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: You shall have no other gods beside Me.

Exodus 20:18 You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with anything leavened; and the fat of My festal offering shall not be left lying until morning.

Exodus 20:19 The choice first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the Lord your G-d.

Appendix 3: Controversies between the Pharisees and Sadducees

Louis Finkelstein, The Pharisees Volumes I and II, Third Edition, The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, 1962

• Both the Pharisaic and Sadducean systems were inherited by the Temple High Priests and the Pharisees of the Second Commonwealth from earlier ages. The issues became bitter, and sectarian under the Hasmoneans. Finkelstein identifies 24 controversies, organized into six categories - pages 639-640:

A. Ritual and Juristic Issues, in which Sadducism Contravened the Word of Scripture 1. The Controversy Regarding the Omer and the Date of Shavuot 2. The Incense on the Day of Atonement 3. The Use of Fire on the Sabbath 4. The Controversy Concerning the Red Heifer 5. The Meal-Offerings and Libations Accompanying Animal Sacrifice 6. The Impurity of Metals 7. The Law of Inheritance 8. The Law of False Witnesses 9. The Responsibility of Master for Damages Committed by His Slaves 10. Ransom in Lieu of Capital Punishment

B. Issues where Sadducism Opposed the Spirit of Biblical Law, Not Any Specific Statement 11. The Water-Libations on Succot 12. Judicial Leniency in Punishment

C. Issues where Scripture is Inexplicit 13. Equal Participation of All Jews in Daily Sacrifices 14. The Nizzok

D. Institutions Described by the Pharisees as Post-Biblical 15. Hand-Washing 16. The Eruv

E. Priestly Traditions Opposed by Some Pharisaic Scholars, and Denounced by Them as Sadducean 17. The Priestly Interpretation of the Lex Talionis 18. The Priestly Tradition Regarding Death by Burning 19. The Impurity of a Mother after Childbirth 20. Proof of Virginity by a Bride under Suspicion 21. The Ceremony of Halizah

F. Theological Controversies 22. The Doctrines of the Resurrection and of the Immortality of the Soul 23. The Doctrine of Personal Angels

27 • According to Finkelstein, the controversy regarding the Omer and the date of Shavuot was deeply rooted in material interests, which derived from the system of priestly service in vogue at the Temple - pages 643-644:

The Aaronid priesthood consisted of 24 clans, each gathered to perform the Temple service for one complete week (including Shabbat) in winter and for another in the summer. On the three pilgrimages all priests assembled to look after the vastly increased numbers of sacrifices, when the priestly portions of the offerings sufficed to attract virtually all of them to the capital.

Chronicles 24, from Aaron’s son Eleazar, sixteen 1 - ד ְב ֵרי־ ַהיָּ ִמים א According to descendants were selected to head priestly orders, and from Ithamar, eight descendants were chosen.

For the priests gathered in the Temple during the long festivals, Pesach and Succot, the opportunities for service and the ecclesiastical emoluments associated with these major pilgrimages justified the journey to Jerusalem even from distant parts. When the festivals occurred during the week, the clan then officiating at the Temple found its term of service and income curtailed. Yet the loss was more than offset through the sacrifices brought the hosts of pilgrims.

Not so on Shavuot.

This was a one-day festival, bringing a comparatively small number of pilgrims to the Temple. In Ezekiel, Shavuot is not even mentioned as a pilgrimage (cf Ezekiel 45:18 ff). When Shavuot occurred in the middle of the week, the priestly clan then in charge of the Temple service lost very little. True, it had to share the Temple emoluments of the festival with other priests who came for the pilgrimage. But the loss was presumably less than the gain provided by the festival emoluments.

Nonetheless, the clans in charge of the service during the preceding and the following weeks were aggrieved. Those whose terms had expired on the previous Shabbat had to choose between losing the festival emoluments by going home, or finding food and lodging in Jerusalem outside the Temple for the few days preceding the festival. Similarly, the clan about to begin its term of service on the Shabbat following Shavuot would either lose its portion of the festival, or its members would have to fend for themselves during the few days separating the festival from the following Shabbat.

These difficulties were obviated when Shavuot occurred on Sunday.

The priests ministering on the preceding week had but to remain in Jerusalem one day to share in the festival income. The clan entering on its service on the Shabbat preceding Shavuot joined the other priests in the celebration of the pilgrimage, receiving part of the additional emoluments of the festival, besides the regular ones from sacrifices which would be offered also on weekdays.

So convenient as this arrangement, that the priests must naturally have wondered why it could not become regular.

28 Appendix 4a: Seder Olam - Joshua

The Rabbinic View of Biblical Chronology translated and with commentary by Henrich W Guggenheimer Jason Aronson Inc, Northvale NJ & Jerusalem, 1998

Pages 112-113:

(Joshua 5:2) “At that time, the Eternal said to Joshua,” on the eleventh of Nisan (v. 3) “Joshua made flint-stone swords and circumcised the Children of Israel on the hill of foreskins.” On the fourteenth of Nisan, Israel slaughtered their Passover sacrifices as it is said (Joshua 5:10): “The children of Israel encamped at Gilgal and made Passover . . . . “ On the sixteenth of Nisan, Israel sacrificed the Omer as it is said (Joshua 5:11): “They ate from the yield of the Land . . . .” After Passover, on the 22nd of Nisan, (Joshua 6:3) “You shall walk around the city . . .”, (v. 15) “it was on the Seventh day . . .”; R Yose says, is was a Sabbath.

The battles for Jericho, Ai, and Gibeon, were all within three months. On the third of Tammuz, (Joshua 10:12-13) “he said before the Children of Israel:

Sun stand still over Gibeon, And Moon over valley of Ayalon! So the Sun was still And the Moon stood Until the people from its enemies vengeance took!

R. Yose said: this was the day of the summer solstice. It follows that, in that year the first of Nisan was the spring equinox.

Appendix 4b: Seder Olam – Ten Commandments

The Rabbinic View of Biblical Chronology translated and with commentary by Henrich W Guggenheimer Jason Aronson Inc, Northvale NJ & Jerusalem, 1998

Pages 67-71:

From Marah they traveled to Elim as it is said (Numbers 33:9): “They traveled from Marah and arrived at Elim; in Elim there were 12 water springs and 70 date palms.” Hence1, we learn that Israel only encamped near water. From Elim they traveled to Alush2 as it is said (Exodus 16:1): “They traveled from Elim and the entire congregation of the Children of Israel arrived at the Wilderness of Sin” (that is Alush) “on the 15th day of the second month after the Exodus,” which was on a Sabbath. Hence3, the First of Iyar fell on a Sabbath, and in addition we infer4 that Israel ate from the cakes that they had taken out of Egypt 30 whole days; on that day it was finished, in the evening they ate quail, and early next morning they collected Manna. In Alush they were given the Sabbath and there Israel kept the first Sabbath as it is said (Exodus 16:30): “The people observed the Sabbath on the Seventh Day.” On Sunday5, the 23rd of Iyar, they traveled from Alush and came to Rephidim. There the Well was given to them6, they fought with Amaleq and observed there the second Sabbath7. They traveled from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai and found its top in clouds of glory. For the next five days8 Moses ascended the mountain, descended, told the people the words of the Omnipresent, and returned their answer to the Omnipresent. In the Third month, on the Sixth of the month, the Ten Commandments were given to them on a Sabbath day [2448 (1313 BCE)].

1. This statement is ascribed to R Yehoshua in Mekhilta dR Ismael, p. 159.

2. The resting place before Rephidim is called “Wilderness of Sin” in Exodus but “Alush” in the list of camping places in Numbers 33.

3. Ibn Ezra, in his commentary on Exodus 16:1, points out that all that is clear in the Biblical text is that the Manna started to fall on a Sunday but that the length of the stay at the wilderness of Sin is undetermined. He objects to R Saadia Gaon’s Arabic translation. without mentioning that R Saadia Gaon follows strictly the interpretation of Seder Olam.

4. This is given as “alternative explanation” in Mekhilta dR. Ismael p. 159 (and not noted by the editors).

5. The date of the departure from Alush is not noted in any parallel source. It seems that it is another application of the overriding principle that “Scripture does not come to hide but to explain” that their departure happened immediately after the last happening mentioned at Alush, ie, immediately after the Sabbath.

6. We find in the Pentateuch that they had trouble with water at Rephidim just after the Exodus and again in the Wilderness of Zin in the 40th year of their wandering (Numbers 20:1-11) after the death of Miriam. The generally accepted implication is that the well taken out of the rock at Rephidim (Exodus 17:1-7) was given them by the merit of Miriam and accompanied them at all the wanderings through the desert for 39 years.

7. According to everybody’s opinion, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai at the beginning of the week of preparation for the theophany, and they all had received full instructions on the laws of Sabbath.

8. The details of Moses’ activities in these five days, as given here, is discussed in great detail in the Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 86b-88a.

Commentary

According to everybody, the assertion that Israel arrived “in the third month, on that day” means that they arrived on the First of the month. In addition, since it is said once (Exodus 34:4) that Moses went up to the mountain at dawn, and other places do not mention any time for his ascent of the mountain, it follows that Moses always ascended the mountain at dawn. This proves two assertions of Seder Olam and shows that they are generally accepted: Moses did not climb the mountain on the first day, since they arrived after dawn, and he never climbed the mountain more than once in any given day since the second ascent then could not have been at dawn. So in Chapter 19, v. 1 describes the First of Sivan, and v. 3 the Second of Sivan when Moses ascended to receive the declaration of Israel as the Select People.

31 Moses returned the people’s answer on the Third (v. 9) and received orders to sanctify the people and to prepare them for G-d’s Revelation “on the Third Day” (v. 11). That would put Revelation on the Sixth of Sivan.

However, when Moses instructs the people (v. 15), he tells them to prepare for three days when they are not supposed to touch a woman. This would put the Revelation on the Seventh of Sivan.

In addition, after the recital of the Ten Commandments and the civil laws appended to them, it says (Exodus 24:16) that the Cloud covered the mountain for six days and on the seventh Moses was called to ascend the mountain. The Talmud (Yoma 4b) explains that according to R Aqiba (and R Yose bar Halaphta) that Seventh Day is the day of the Theophany and all of Chapter 24 happened before that day. According to R Yose the Galilean and most other rabbis, the “seventh day” mentioned there is the seventh day after the Theophany and all of Chapter 24 happened after the giving of the Ten Commandments.

It follows that the entire discussion of the present chapter of Seder Olam follows another Rebbi Yose, viz, Rebbi Yose the Galilean, one of the students of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai at Yavne during and after the Jewish war of 68/71 CE. Now, the disagreement about the length of the enforced abstinence from sex before the Revelation on Sinai has a legal background. It is spelled out in Leviticus (15:16-17) that semen makes men, , כש תב ז ר צ ,women, and garments ritually unclean. The particular language used “layer of seed,” is taken to imply that semen is a source of ritual impurity only as long as it preserves its fertilizing power. Hence, the question arises, how long does semen have to stay in the womb of a women that, were it expelled after that, it would not make the woman nor her clothing ritually impure? The answer is given in Mishnah (Miqwabt 8:3) and Talmud (Shabbat, Babylonian Talmud 86b, Jerusalem Talmud 9:3, fol. 12a). The best version of the text seems to be that of Sephardic authorities (Maimonides and Ben Adrat) that R Aqiba requires 5 periods of 12 hours to pass by but the collective of Sages, who determine actual practice, require 3 full ‘onot, where an ‘onah is the time either from 6 pm to 6 am or from 6 am to 6 pm.

According to everybody, the theophany presupposed that all of Israel was ritually pure. For the Sages, this could happen on Sabbath, but for Rebbi Aqiba and his students, including R Yose bar Halaphta, it could not happen before Sunday. We note that the editor of Seder Olam was careful to exclude interpretations that went against current halakha, even if it meant to go against a statement of R Yose bar Halaphta. It could also be that at the time of final compilation of Seder Olam, Christian missionaries were enough of a problem to eliminate any hint of an opinion that the theophany on Sinai could have happened on Sunday.

There is another textual problem. We have seen that in the opinion of the Sages as represented in Seder Olam, the Ten Commandments were given on the sixth of Sivan, a Sabbath. That implies that the first of Sivan was a Monday. In our calendar, the preceding month, Iyar, always has 29 days (see Table 1).

32 Table 1. Months & Number of Their Days

Month Number of Days in the Month

Nisan 30 Iyar 29 Sivan 30 Tammuz 29 Av 30 Elul 29 Tishrei 30 Marcheshvan variable (29 or 30) Kislev variable (29 or 30) Tevet 29 Shevat 30 Adar 29

This fixes the first of Iyar on Sunday, as asserted in Seder Olam, and also all the weekday dates mentioned in Seder Olam. The problem is the verse (Exodus 16:22): “On the Sixth Day, they collected a double portion [of Manna],” the sixth day of collection of Manna. That would imply that they arrived at Alush on the Sabbath and, hence, did not receive instructions about the Sabbath at Marah. In fact, Ashkenazic manuscripts read “Sabbath” instead of “Sunday” for the date of rest at Alush. This is the Galilean reading supported by both Mekhiltot on Exodus 15:1 (R. Ismael, p. 159, R Shimon bar Yohay p. 241).

[We noted already that Yerushalmi sources do not take notice of Seder Olam.] The Babylonian Talmud (Shabbat 87b) notes that “it is possible that they arrived at Alush on the Sabbath if we assume that they made Iyar of that year 30 days long.” This is a typical note in the style of the Babylonian Talmud to show that a certain conclusion is not logically necessary, but it does not carry much weight. In addition, it certainly contradicts the basic statement of Seder Olam “that Scripture does not come to hide but to explain.” Hence, it is better to accept the reading of the editio princeps and Oriental sources against European manuscripts.

Appendix 5: Date of Shavuot

[commentary from various sources]

On the morrow of the rest day, ie, the morrow of the first day of Pesach, which is called a rest day because ordinary work is forbidden on it. Although the word shabbat ordinarily refers to the Sabbath, this cannot be the case here, because the verse does not specify which of the fifty-two Sabbaths is meant (Rashi; Sifra). This term became one of the major points of controversy between the Sages and the heretical Boethusians. They interpreted the term literally, as referring to the Sabbath, thus claiming that the Omer had to be brought on a Sunday, the morrow of the Sabbath (Menachot 65a).

Today, this count begins on the second day of Pesach, when the first of the new crop is harvested to gather barley for the Omer-offering. The festival is indicated as the fiftieth day after the Omer-offering. This is in accordance with the Pharisees - Shavuot occurs on the fiftieth day after the first day of Pesach. According to the Sadducees, Shavuot occurs on the seventh Sunday after Pesach week. These differences affect both when the Omer offering is first offered and the observance of Shavuot - not a trivial controversy. Pharisees gave Shavuot a fixed day because they said it commemorated the Sinaitic theophany which occurred on the fiftieth day after the Exodus. Sadducees denied Shavuot had any historical allusion.

At the beginning of the barley harvest - barley ripens two or three weeks before wheat - the first sheaf was presented at the Sanctuary (see Deuteronomy 26:2)

On the morrow after the sabbath. Better, on the morrow after the day of rest.

The interpretation of this phrase was the subject of heated controversy in early Rabbinic times between the Pharisees and Sadducees. The latter took the work ‘sabbath’ in its usual sense, and maintained that the Omer was to be brought on the morrow of the first Saturday in Pesach. The Pharisees argued that ‘sabbath’ here means, ‘the day of cessation from work’; and the context shows that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is intended: therefore, the Omer was to be brought on the 16th of Nisan. This is supported by the Septuagint, which renders ‘on the morrow of the first day’, and by Josephus. “The offerings of the sheaf took place on the 16th, the first busy work-day of the harvest, in relation to which the preceding day might well be called a Sabbath or rest-day, though not all labor was prohibited.” This is alone compatible with the context, and is free from the objections to which all the other opinions are open (Kalisch).

One of the three agricultural festivals, the feast of the first harvest, yom habicurim. Jewish tradition, however, connects it with the covenant on Mount Sinai, and speaks of the festival as ‘the Season of Giving of our Torah’. The Israelites arrived at Sinai on the New Moon. On the second of the month, Moses ascended the mountain; on the third, he received the people’s reply; on the fourth, he made the second ascent and was commanded to institute three days of preparation, at the conclusion of which the Revelation took place. Hence its association with the Feast of Weeks, which became the Festival of Revelation.

From this addition, the Rabbis deduce that each Israelite had the duty of counting for himself; hence the ‘counting of the days of the Omer’ even after the Omer itself was no longer brought to the Temple. The season between Pesach and Shavuot is known as sefirah (period of counting). It is a period of semi-mourning, because of repeatedly dire calamities befell the Jewish people at this time. seven weeks literally ‘seven sabbaths’ It is evident that here and in Leviticus 25:8 the Hebrew shabbat signifies ‘week’. Hence the most common name for the Festival, chag hashavuot, the Feast of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:10).

35 References

Finkelstein, Louis, The Pharisees, Volumes I and II, Third Edition, The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, 1962

Fishbane, Michael, Haftarot, The JPS Bible Commentary, Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 2002

Gaster, Theodor H, Festivals of the Jewish Year, Commentary Classic, 1953

Guggenheimer, Heinrich W, Seder Olam, The Rabbinic View of Biblical Chronology, a translation with commentary, Jason Aronson Inc, Northvale NJ and Jerusalem, 1998

Hertz, J H, The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Second Edition, Soncino Press, London, 1967

JewishEncyclopedia.com, “Pentecost”, original 1901-1906, Joseph Jacobs & Cyrus Adler

The Karaite Korner, http://www.karaite-korner.org/ note: articles change over time

Roth, Joel, Shabbat and the Holidays, pp 1455-1459, Etz Hayim, Torah and Commentary, The Rabbinical Assembly, New York City, Jewish Publication Society, 2000

Scherman, Nosson, Ed, The Chumash, The ArtScroll Series, Stone Edition, Mesorah Publications, Brooklyn, 1994

Scherman, Nosson, Ed, The Prophets, The ArtScroll Series, Rubin Edition, Mesorah Publications, Brooklyn, 2000 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavuot

36 Shavuot – Pop Quiz (answers)