The Day of Atonement is a serious and significant thing for all of those who come under the Headship of the G-d of Abraham, the G-d of Isaac and the G-d of Jacob.  It was intended to be this way by our Father when He outlined this day in Scripture.  It is the most solemn day of the entire year.  I wrote about Yom Kippur last year here and would like to expand on a few ideas in this years entry.

Yom Kippur (or Yom HaKippurim) literally means Day of Atonements or Day of Covering.  It is commonly known as Judgement Day.

To read further, visit this entry at my main blog here.

There's nothing quite like being a day late and a dollar short. *sigh* Sorry. It has been busy here and I have wanted to write about Thanksgiving but I never got the chance. When I did have time to write, the thoughts in the front of my mind were my husband and my children.

So, let me direct you to a friends blog, Turkey Day or Sukkot the Sequel. What he wrote here is likely close to what I would have written myself here.

I was even asked by a dear friend, "Do you keep Thanksgiving?". I understand her question and I appreciate her feeling comfortable in asking. :) Yes, we LOVE Thanksgiving! I suppose I didn't feel a pressing need to write about it because everyone seems to already know about Thanksgiving and any day set aside to give thanks and praise to HaShem is a good day. :)

We have a lot of work to do today to prepare for Shabbat after we help DH at work today. I'd love to stay and write more but I can't right now. Hopefully soon I'll be able to get back and write a little more. I came across a news article the other day while at the kids' piano lessons that has stirred some thoughts in my mind that I'd like to write about as well.

Blessings to you and your house this Shabbat! May you find His peace and His rest as you wait on Him. Shabbat Shalom!

Here are some pictures of our Succah. We had a little "complex" laid out for two tents and our succah, but the island in the middle of the driveway isn't exactly level and where it was the most level, the fire pit was too close. So we have our succah and one tent up. But there's room for friends with smaller tents (ours are all 8 - 12 person tents).

The festival of Sukkot is upon us now! This certainly is a busy and joyous season! What is Sukkot? In most English Bibles it is called the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths. It is a remembrance of the children of Israel dwelling in tents, or temporary structures, for 40 years as they lived in the desert. It is a remembrance of HaShem dwelling in the Tabernacle. It is a remembrance of Yeshua our Messiah dwelling in a temporary body as He walked the earth. It is a remembrance that our lives here and now are temporary and that we, too, dwell in temporary structures (our bodies). You can read about Sukkot in various places in Scripture, but a good place for all the holy days is always Leviticus 23. It is a command, forever, for the people to build succah's (temporary dwelling structures) and to live in them for a week - eating and sleeping in the succah.

It is thought that this is the time of the Messiah's birth based on the Scripture reference in John 1:14 that says that the Master came and tabernacled among us (the word dwelled is Strongs #4637 meaning tent or to dwell as HaShem did in the Tabernacle). This may seem a small verse, but when you put it together with the timing of Yochanan the Immerser's (John the Baptist's) father's time to serve at the temple and the six months between the births (and conceptions) of Yochanan and Yeshua, what you come up with is the fall holiday season. You add to that the fact that Miriam and Yosef are heading to Beit-Lechem for a census that would have been taken at a festival season when all the men were to be in Yerushalayim (Beit-Lechem is just on the outskirts of Yerushalayim. It means "House of Bread" and it is where the lambs were raised for the Temple sacrifices.) Whenever you see a nativity scene, what you are seeing is Yeshua in a Succah. Whether or not this is the time of His birth doesn't matter very much. He never said to celebrate His birth, only to remember His death and resurrection. But because our culture puts so much weight and emphasis on His birth, it is nice to have an idea of when that actually was so we can celebrate at the right time of the year. As we remember His birth we realize that the Lamb of HaShem was born in the very town that raises the lambs for Temple sacrifice. The Bread of Life was born in the 'House of Bread' where the bread of presence was prepared for the Temple. We read that the future King, the offspring of David, would be born in Beit-Lechem. Oh, there is so much to this... It isn't His birth that we celebrate, it's how His birth fulfilled so very much and what His willingness to come and live as a man then take up our sins means for us. It is a good thing that this season is on the heals of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Perspective is key to everything. This is a good article with a lot of information on this subject.

This festival is one of the three where the men are required to travel to Yerushalayim. But this festival you eat of your tithe, meaning the tithe you bring to Yerushalayim you do not give to the priests or sacrifice to HaShem, you use it to provide for yourself (and your family if they are with you) a feast and to purchase supplies for the week. Sukkot lasts for 7 days but there is an 8th day as well, the 8th day is a holy Shabbat. When Yeshua comes and reigns from Yerushalayim, all the earth will be expected to keep Sukkot. Find references to this in Zechariah 14:16-21 So when Messiah comes, we will all be keeping the feasts and festivals where Sukkot has special significance. All the fall feasts are shadows of His return just as the spring feasts were shadows of His first coming. Interesting that the number 8, as in the 8th day, signifies eternity and that this is such a significant festival in the Messianic kingdom...

Again, I apologize for not having much time to write in detail about this particular festival but I will include some links to other articles and activities that might be of interest to those who are wanting to learn more.
Fellow blogger, AcceptanceWithJoy and her Tabernacle studies
Tabernacle Model Kit
Sukkot Tabernacle Study from Torah Family
By Way of Sukkot series, a study from Bereans Online
Sukkot for Families (ideas for celebrating Sukkot)
Karaite Korder Sukkot article
Biblical Holidays overview of Sukkot
Bridges for Peace, Lessons from Sukkot
Sukkot and the Birth of the Messiah

As for our family, we will be assembling our wooden succah on Sunday (by the lunar calendar Sukkot starts on Sunday night though the traditional calendar has Sukkot starting tonight) and we will also put up our two large nylon tents. We will eat in our succah every night and sleep in it a few times as well. Our school work will likely be done in the succah as well. We'll decorate it with gourds and corn stalks from the garden as well as apples from the trees. We'll line our roof with branches from trees in the woods but we'll put a clear plastic lining between the branches and the wood used to hold them up so bugs and rain don't interrupt our meals. EEWWW We've invited others from our congregation to come spend a night or two or seven with us here, so we'll see how that goes. I have purchased the Tabernacle model kit that is listed above in the links after reading some of AcceptanceWithJoy's blog and her wonderful descriptions of the Tabernacle. We have also downloaded the Sukkot study guide from Torah Family, also listed above, to do as our family study for the week. We may even break out those "Baby Jesus Is Born" songs and our "Yeshua in a Succah" nativity scenes. This is a time of family and togetherness and celebrating HaShem. It is a festive time, to be sure!

One craft we did last year that I will be doing with the children in our congregation tomorrow is like a gingerbread house. It is a succah made from graham crackers. They make a three sided structure with a roof and hold it together with frosting. They then decorate it with candy Runts to symbolize the fruits/vegetables harvested in this season. I have not yet found anything to put on the top to imitate palm branches, so they'll load the top with candy Runts instead. This will be the project after our teaching time on Sukkot. It should be messy, but taste good. ;-)

Chag Same'ach Sukkot!

I have been asked a question that I thought I'd address here at my blog. The question was:

I would like to ask you about your usage of the local new moon (in WA) instead of using the new moon in Jerusalem. Why are you preferring the local new moon? Or, have you worked this out already?

We've used the moon sightings at home as a default. As we've learned and grown we've gone from the traditional calendar to the lunar cycle and at first we used the sighting of the moon where we are. It wasn't until recently we realized that the moon sighting in Jerusalem could be different than here. So we've started looking for reports regularly in Jerusalem. But having 7 kids at home we still look for it here. How else do you teach them?

Our current practice, in the last month, is now to listen for the reports of the moon in Jerusalem but still watch for it here. It's tough - we don't live in Jerusalem so we rely on someone else which can be okay but the whole point we're trying to teach is that WE need to know the signs of the times and be always waiting and watching, not relying on someone else to tell us when it's time. Messiah will return and find His bride either waiting and watching with oil in her lamp or sitting around waiting for someone else to tell her when to be ready. So at the moment we're working through the issue of being the one anticipating and watching, working and living. Part of that, right now, includes watching for the new moon and counting the days, most importantly during festival times.

With Jerusalem so far ahead of us it's "not fair" to know when the new moon will be spotted so far ahead of time. It really takes all the anticipation and excitement out of it. It's going to be helpful when the cloudy nights prevent us from seeing anything, and that happens often. But when we CAN look on our own, why should we not?

So as you can see, I'm still torn over this issue. In our congregation many keep the traditional calendar and others keep to the Karaite internet announcements as to when the moon is spotted. I really can't imagine spending evenings not looking and noticing with the kids, and the excitement when someone spots the moon and shares it with everyone else. Even our newest kids are thrilled when they finally spot the tiny sliver of moon. :~) They're starting to get it.

I'm hoping to notice that the new moon will be the same here as in Jerusalem all the time, and when we can't see it we can rely on the "Someone in Jerusalem spotted it and it was confirmed by several others there as well." But knowing what stage of the month we're in by the size and location of the moon is intriguing to us. It's like knowing where we are on His calendar by knowing the signs of our times and how they relate to the indications we've been given in Scripture. It's another practical application with a spiritual lesson and one that I hope the kids all understand and will remember whenever they look up at the moon - "Oh we're this far in the month. I need to be always living and watching for Messiah to return. Come quickly, Master!"

By the traditional calendar, Yom Kippur is on Sunday evening and Monday. By the lunar calendar (watching for the first crescent of the new moon to usher in the new month) Yom Kippur is Tuesday evening through Wednesday. Yom Kippur is 10 days after Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah, whatever name you choose to use. Because the new moon wasn't visible when the traditional calendar said it was Rosh Hashanah, those who count by the moon will observe Yom Kippur on another day than those who keep to the traditional calendar.

But calendars aside, what is Yom Kippur? It is the Day of Atonement, the day that the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies to offer atoning sacrifices for all of Israel (and all those who sojurn with Israel and have been grafted in, or born again - even way back in the "Old Testament"). This is a solemn day. It is a day of afflicting ourselves. Some take that to mean fasting for the entire 24 hours. It is a day to spend on our knees in worship and repentance before our Creator. It isn't that we are required to do this just once a year or only at holiday times, but these are the days that He outlined for us to keep for special purposes.

Yom Kippur is the day that the sins of the people are put on the head of the azazel (scapegoat) and it is sent out of the camp. A scarlet thread would be tied around the horn of the azazel in order to recognize it if it were to re-enter the camp. After a time the decision was made to push the azazel off of a cliff to its death to ensure that it would not return to the camp. The interesting thing is that this thread would be turned to white when they would go investigate to ensure that the goat was indeed dead. Does that sound familiar, something scarlet turning white as snow? It was understood that this was symbolic of the sins being forgiven. What is even more interesting is that it is recorded that roughly 40 years BEFORE the Temple was destroyed (in 70 CE) the scarlet thread no longer turned white at the bottom of the cliff. Something had happened, something had changed. What was it? The atoning sacrifice of Yeshua the Messiah!

This is a solemn day indeed. This is the only day in the year that the High Priest was to enter the Holy of Holies. At some point the priests decided it would be a good idea to tie a rope to the High Priest in the event that he died in the presence of the LORD. After all, who could go in and remove his body if he did die? The High Priest would bring in with him the blood of the other goat (not the azazel) and sprinkle it on the Ark of the Covenant. It sounds bloody and gory if you don't have a clear understanding of what the sacrifices mean and what they represent. That is a topic for another message. The point here is that the Temple veil was torn in half at the death of the Messiah. His resurrection proved not only that He is Messiah but that G-d had accepted Him and His sacrifice. At Shavuot when the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) was given to the believers, it marked yet another fulfillment of a set apart time, a holy day. When the Ruach of Elohim dwells within each believer, we become the Temple of the Ruach, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. To me, that alone is breathtaking!

I do not have time this season to write very much about the deep significance of the Holy Days so I will include some articles that may be of interest. An article from the Karaite Korner website, an article on the fall holidays, and an article from MessianicJewishOnline. And I've mentioned it before but I think it bears repeating, Holidays of God, the Fall Feasts is a PDF from the RBC ministries that puts out the Our Daily Bread devotionals. Their booklet/PDF is a wonderful resource and the booklet has been available for free. There is also Holidays of God, the Spring Feasts.

May your Yom Kippur be a blessed and holy day, a day that HaShem moves deeply in your heart to reveal more of Himself to you. May you know the solemnity of this High Holy day that the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob set forth for His people and clearly stated that these were days to be kept forever, even in the new kingdom where Messiah reigns from Jerusalem.

Shabbat Shalom!

Yom Teruah, or the Feast of Trumpets, is the day that is marked on most calendars as Rosh Hashanah. Yom Teruah means "Day of Shouting" and can refer to the shout of a trumpet or a voice. Either way, it's a day of remembrance and shouting, or Zicharon Teruah meaning remembrance shouting. It is a day to hear the sound of the shofar or a trumpet, it is a day to make a joyful noise unto the L-RD - all the lands! For if we don't praise Him the very rocks will cry out in our place. The cries of the trumpet or shofar on Yom Teruah serve as a warning cry for us to wake up and repent, to be prepared for YHVH. Yom Teruah is the first day of the seventh month, so it takes place on Rosh Chodesh Tishri - the new moon - the beginning of the month of Tishri. This is the first celebration of the fall festivals. 10 days later is Yom Kippur and 5 days after that is Sukkot.

In Scripture you can find references to Yom Teruah in these locations: Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 10:1-2, 10:10, 29:1-6, Nehemiah 8:2-3, 8:8-12.

The month before Yom Teruah is a season of repentance, spiritual awakening and preparation for the fall festivals. Yom Teruah begins a traditional 10 day period between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement. These days are called the Days of Awe. Then we have the highest holy day of the year - the day the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for all of Israel. This is a solemn time to be sure. Then Sukkot is the time that it is expected that Yeshua the Messiah was born. It is a time to remember living in temporary dwellings on the road from Egypt to Israel, it is a time to remember that the G-d of Heaven came to tabernacle among us. It is a time to remember that our earthly tabernacles are temporary and that He is preparing for us heavenly bodies to last us for all of eternity. The fall festival season is powerful!

Back to Yom Teruah. This is a day that is referred to as a day that no man knows because it is Rosh Chodesh and it means we must be watchful of the signs. Today we have computers and programs that will tell us when the new moon will be visible. Way back when they knew too because they watched the skies. But have you ever noticed that some nights there seems to be no moon at all, for a night or two? No man knew if this month would have a one night or a two night "no moon" or how long it would take to actually be able to see the moon. Once the new moon is spotted it signals a new month. Yom Teruah being on Rosh Chodesh has special significance in this way. We are to wait with anticipation for this day to be revealed, just like we wait for the Messiah to return. There is much tradition that says that this is the time that the Messiah is expected to return.

Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah is celebrated in many homes as the New Year. While it is not the start of the Biblical New Year (it is the 7th month), it is the start of the civil year. It will be the year 5767 according to the traditional calendar when Rosh Hashanah comes this Friday night. This holiday will be celebrated with sweet breads, other sweet foods, apples and honey, and wishes that you be inscribed in the book of life. This year Yom Teruah falls on Shabbat, making it a doubly special Shabbat.

Because I have not had much time to compile an entry here and I am writing off the top of my head, I am going to list a few links to several articles I found this week. Yom Teruah - The Day of the Awakening Blast, Yom Teruah is a holiday on the 1st day of the Seventh month (Tishrei), Yom Teruah: Day Of The Shofar Blast , Yom Teruah are all articles that might be of interest to those who would like to read further.

May you all have a sweet and wonderful Yom Teruah and may your spirit be stirred as you wait for Him. May you make a joyful noise unto Him in praise and worship and may your time with family and friends be blessed. Shabbat Shalom!!

The new moon - what does that mean? Have you ever read that in Scripture and wondered what it was all about? To most of us reading about the new moon in Scripture sounds rather foreign and confusing. It brings to mind things like horoscopes and astrology. But the new moon festival is far from what tends to come to our minds at first.

HaShem created the greater light (the sun) and the lesser light (the moon) on the fourth day (and He created light on the first...). He said in Genesis 1:14 that they were created to govern the day and night and for counting days, months, seasons, and years. He intended for us to pay attention to them as we pay attention to our clocks and calendars today. A look at a concordance under “new moon” will reveal how people in Bible times understood Rosh Chodesh and how they celebrated it. It was like a Shabbat, it was considered a holy day (set apart) and a day of family festivities and feasting. Have you ever read some of these scriptures and wondered why the people were celebrating the moon and why He was okay with it? Wasn’t HaShem clear about not getting involved in witch craft and astrology and worshiping anything other than YHVH?

Rosh Chodesh is not a celebration of the moon or a form of moon worship. It is a recognition of the beginning of a new month. Rosh Chodesh literally means “head of the month”. When HaShem gave His Biblical calendar to His people there wasn’t a fixed calendar in place. The people did in fact use the heavens to determine their calendar - their days, weeks and months, seasons and years. One could look up at the moon in the evening and know just where they were in the month. They could look up at the stars and see what season it was or navigate based on the constellations. The sighting of the new moon signaled the new month to begin and it was a time for a festive family celebration. It wasn’t until the fourth century CE (aka AD) that Hillel II established a fixed calendar for the Jews in the diaspora. Because the Jews had been dispersed from their land and were living among the nations, they needed to have a fixed calendar in order to keep HaShem’s holy days. Hillel II established this calendar based on mathematical calculations and it was accepted by the Sanhedrian. This is what today is referred to as the Jewish calendar.

The time spent waiting and looking for the new moon is a vivid and practical reminder that we need to be always watching and waiting for the Messiah to return. Messiah Yeshua will return when the time is right and He was clear that His followers need to understand the signs of the times, as he said in Matthew 16:3, even though the hour and day of His return are unknown to everyone except YHVH, as explained in Mattew 24. So while we wait and watch, straining to see the first glimmer of the new moon we remember Matthew 24, that we are to be ever watchful and waiting for Messiah Yeshua to return. When He returns it will usher in a new time of rejoicing and we’ll all feast together as a family at a glorious wedding feast, together at one table. In Isaiah 66:23 we read of a time when “all flesh” will come to bow in worship of Him from Rosh Chodesh to Rosh Chodesh and from Shabbat to Shabbat. In the new kingdom we will certainly be recognizing Rosh Chodesh and Shabbat, as well as Sukkot. We know this because it says so in the Isaiah 66 passage and in Zechariah 14:16-19.

This is a subject that we are just starting to try to wrap our brains around so I thought I’d share what information I have for anyone interested. I’d appreciate anyone else with information that you wish to pass along (or correct me) to feel free to post a comment or e-mail me. Ask Moses has a good introductory article about Rosh Chodesh. This is another page with information, it is like an encyclopedia entry. In my sidebar are links to First Fruits of Zion (aka FFOZ) and to Torah Resource where one could find more information on Rosh Chodesh as well.

The new month of Elul is upon us and the traditional calendar says it will start on Friday, meaning that the new moon is expected to be spotted on Thursday night (tonight). We will be out with our telescope and looking for any sign of the new moon (even though it’s cloudy and one does not need a telescope to spot the new moon). I wrote a little about Elul in another entry this week. In that entry I listed some links for resources to study the fall holy days that are coming and there is a link called “Elul Resources” which our family will be working through together this month. The month of Elul is a time of preparation for the fall feasts. Just like every Shabbat has a preparation period and there are preparation periods for Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (Pentecost), there is a solemn preparation period before Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah). Elul might just begin tonight! This is an exciting time and a joyous time of anticipation and preparation. Not to mention the solemnity of it all.

Just a note about the controversy concerning the calendar, because of course there is one. The calendar that is traditionally accepted is known to be “off” when it doesn’t seem to line up correctly with the seasons. If I remember right, it is known to be missing between 200 and 250 years as well. This will give a little insight into the issue as well as this giving an alternative view on the calendar and its rendering.

This is the time to begin studying the fall festivals. They begin in late September. Spending early September studying them is a good idea - one that we've not fully been able to do well in the past ourselves. *sigh* It is a good time to learn about the Shofar (ram's horn, often translated "trumpet" or "bugle" in standard English versions) and it's significance and meaning. It's a good time to learn about the significance of the Holy of Holies in the Temple and to realize that WE are the Temple of the Ruach HaKodesh. Try to wrap your brain around all that means! It's a good time to learn about how the Messiah came to tabernacle among us and about our own tabernacles - our temporary dwellings that we will exchange some day for our glorified permanent dwellings (or bodies). For those of us who do not keep christmas, this is the time when we recognize the birth of our Messiah. It is expected that He was conceived at Hanukkah time and born in the fall festival season.

The month before the festivals begin is generally a time to search yourself and your life for things that need to be made right. It is a time to seek forgiveness (if you find yourself at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you...) and repent, or do teshuvah - return. Elul is the month preceding the festivals and a month of preparation, internal investigation and searching, and forgiveness. It is a time to drive a stake in the ground and return to Him in whatever area(s) we have slipped or fallen or never knew existed to begin with and are now ready and willing to be obedient to Him. It is a good month.

Fall Festivals for Kids from Torah Family Magazine has several PDF files that are helpful in learning and applying various aspects of the fall festivals. They also have some Elul resources available. Biblical Holidays has some good information as well and is always worth looking into. There are many more resources to find in learning about the fall festivals and holy days. If anyone has some favorites they'd like to share, please do so!

Preparing a Succah is done in this time as well, particularly for those of us who do not have a Succah ready to assemble. I have a PDF file has instructions that anyone could follow for building a Succah. If anyone is interested, please send me an e-mail and I'll send you the PDF. I forget where I got it from and I can't seem to find a web address on the PDF itself. In previous years we have set up the tent in the basement and have done our studies in there as a family and often eaten in it. But this year we will have a REAL Succah! And after watching Ushpizin I have tons of ideas for decorating and using it. I'm rather excited!!

I'm wondering if anyone else will be spending the month of Elul focusing on the festivals that are ahead and on teshuvah. If so, please feel free to comment and let me know what you do in your home. I'd be interested to know!

Today is the 9th day of the month of Av, which is called Tishah B'Av. It is a day of repentance for our own sin and mourning the destruction of the Holy Temple. The Babylonians destroyed the Temple on the very same date that the Romans did, 586 BCE and 70 CE. So both Temples were destroyed on this date. This is one of the fast days that is mentioned in Zecheriah 8:18-19l when it says "Then the word of HaShem of hosts came to me, saying, "Thus says HaShem of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.'" This is the end of a three week period of mourning and reflection that I wrote about here. Someday this will be a time of joy and gladness! But for now, it's a time of mourning and reflection.

The Mishna records that five events took place on the day at the end of this period (9 Av):

- The bad report of the spies sent to spy out the Land - and the subsequent punishment of wandering for forty years was decreed (from this week's parasha).

- The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE. 100,000 Jews were killed and most of the rest exiled to Babylon.

- The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Over two million Jews were killed and one million exiled.

- The Temple Mount is plowed under and salted in 71 CE.

- The second revolt was ended when the Roman Emperor Hadrian captured city of Betar, the last stand for the Jews with over 100,000 killed in 135 CE. m.Ta'anit 26b

9 Av (Tisha b'Av) has been a significant date in "recent" history as well:

· In 1095, the First Crusade begins by decree of Pope Urban II. In the first month, over 10,000 Jews were killed.

· In 1290, expulsion was ordered for all Jews in England.

· In 1492, the Spanish Inquisition begins - with the decree by King Ferdinand that after midnight not a single Jew was to remain on Spanish soil. Christopher Columbus, boarded his ships that night to set sail in the morning. He, and some of his sailors were Jewish.

· In 1914, the First World War begins on this date.

There are quite a few resources that are available to help learn about and study today and it's meaning. If anyone is interested in these, please send me an e-mail and I'll send you links to the materials I have. I'd list them here but I don't have a lot of time at the moment and I'm not sure if anyone is interested for me to spend my time putting them together here. :)

If you choose to fast, may your fast be an easy fast and may your time of reflection and repentance be deep and meaningful.

In my last post I talked about the counting of the Omer being a time of anticipation and looking toward Shavuot(Pentecost). What are we looking forward to? What is so special about Shavuot? How does Psalm 119 fit into the Omer and Shavuot? :~) I'm glad you asked. LOL I'll do my best to explain and give you some links to learn further.

First of all, let's talk about the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. Bear with me and you will see the relevance. It is at this time, Exodus 19 to 20, that the betrothal takes place. Betrothal is similar to our understanding of engagement, but it is so much more. There is a contract, the ketubah, that is drawn up for both parties. This drash/devotional link will give a wonderful introduction to this concept and how Moshe plays a key role in the betrothal. John the Baptist makes reference to himself fulfilling the same role in John 3:27-30. At any rate, the betrothal takes place when G*d gives His commands from Mt. Sinai and the people respond in agreement, that they would keep His mitzvot.

So, we have a betrothed couple - G*d and Israel. Does that sound like Messiah and the church? It should! The giving of the Torah is significant. The Torah is the very Word of G*D (btw - Who is the Word made flesh, also known as the Torah made flesh?). The Torah contains the outline for how His people are to live, how they are to be a separate people, being holy because He is holy. It is significant indeed. The Torah not only gives these outlines but it reveals His heart so His bride can know Him. The Torah is the ketubah, or contract, that binds G*d to His people and His people to Him. He asks Israel to enter into a relationship with Him, it is as if He is on bended knee asking for her hand in marriage. She agrees to be His special and intimate people. It really is a beautiful thing. It is a thing to celebrate.

It is suspected that it was at Shavuot that this took place. Scripture says "In the third month" and that seems odd to us, after all it is the end of April now and Shavuot isn't until June. But this is the first month of the Biblical calendar, Passover is on the 14th day of the first month. The day Israel left Egypt was Passover. So if we count 7 weeks and a few days from that time we come to the third month, and in the first few days of the third month is Shavuot. Shavuot Basic is a nice article that gives the general basics of the holiday. This article also gives good information about Shavuot. If Shavuot is not the exact day that the Torah was given and the ketubah was agreed to, it certainly is in that time frame.

Understanding the history of Shavuot is thrilling. But there's more. Understand that the book of Ezekiel is read in the synagogue at Shavuot and that in Acts 2 the men in Jerusalem for the festival would have just heard Ezekiel read and would be meditating on it when the Spirit was given to the believers and Kefa (Peter) preached to them. Not only did the men coming from the Temple and synagogues have the Ezekiel passages in mind but so did the believers in the upper room with Kefa. When the rushing wind and the tongues of fire fell, they understood something new.

It was not some vague day that the Spirit was sent. It was ordained over a thousand years before. Before Yeshua ascended to heaven He instructed the believers to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Comforter. They were to wait with great anticipation, and I believe they did. Not only had they spent the past 40 days with the Master being taught and having their minds and hearts opened to the Scriptures, but He had something more to give them. Exciting anticipation indeed!

On that Shavuot with Kefa, there are great similarities to another Shavuot with Moshe. The commandments were given to Israel and the Spirit was given to the believers. It was 50 days after crossing the Sea of Suf (Red Sea) and it was 50 days after the resurrection of the Messiah. The law was written on stone and then it was written on our hearts (which has not yet been fully fulfilled, we are living in the midst of that time). Three thousand were slain (golden calf, another topic for another day) and three thousand received salvation.

So what do we anticipate today? First of all, we remember. Remembering is what all the festivals are about. These are object lessons, teaching unit studies set aside by G*d Himself in Scripture, and He instructs us to teach them diligently to our children. But what do we look forward to, what do we anticipate? Colossians tells us that the appointed times, the Biblical festivals, are a shadow of things to come. Remember who is telling us this. Rabbi Shaul (Paul, which is his Gentile name, not a new name) is telling us this. He tells us a lot in those few verses but we'll only discuss the holidays right now. And the writer of Hebrews states that the law is a shadow of good things to come as well. If Shavuot has been fulfilled as we understand it to be both at Mt. Sinai and in Jerusalem, what more could be in store? *gasp* Can you imagine?!?!

So as you learn about counting the Omer, today is day 7, and you consider reading Psalm 119 and Psalm 67 daily to meditate on and reflect on, remember and anticipate. Remember what He has done at both the first Shavuot and at the Shavuot just after His ascention. Anticipate what more there could be to this special day and this special season that joyfully celebrates the resurrection of our Master, Yeshua the Messiah! I promise you that He will do something special for you in this time, He is faithful. This has been my experience every year.