When a person tells you, I have made an effort and I have succeeded, believe him!" When we put effort and enthusiasm into the study of Torah we are guaranteed to succeed. If a person tells you, I didn't make any effort and I have succeeded, do not believe him. The Talmudic sage Rabbi Yitzchak says, "If a person tells you, I have made an effort in the study of Torah, but I have not succeeded, do not believe him. One has to dedicate themselves to the study of Torah. Q.How does one succeed in the study of Torah?Ī.Our sages say that Torah is mastered only through effort. Every Jew has the same right and responsibility to study Torah. G-d therefore gave the Torah while Jews were still in the desert to teach us that the Torah belongs to every Jew equally. It would then seem that the tribe on whose land G-d chose to give the Torah, has more rights to it than the others. If G-d would give the Torah in Israel it would have to be on the land of one of the tribes. Why did G-d give the Torah in the desert? Why didn’t He wait to give them the Torah in Israel?Ī.Our sages explain it as follows: The Land of Israel was divided among the 12 tribes of Israel. G-d in turn vowed that He will not exchange them for anyone. The Jewish people swore that they will follow the Torah and will not exchange G-d for any other Gods. At the Giving of the Torah, G-d and the Jewish people exchanged vows. Shavuot also comes from the word " Shvua" - " swearing". For this reason it is called Shavuot – weeks.” Shavuot is the only holiday which is not identified by a specific date of the month, only as being seven weeks after beginning to count the Omer. All other Biblical holidays have a set date in the Torah. Shavuot is celebrated on the 50 th day, after counting the Omer (from the second day Pesach) for a period of seven weeks. Q.What is the reason that this holiday is called Shavuot?Ī." Shavuot" in Hebrew means " weeks". In Israel, as with other holidays, except Rosh Hashana, Shavuot is celebrated only one day – Saturday night & Sunday. Shavuot will begin Saturday night, June 11, through Sunday (June 12) and Monday (June 13). The next Jewish holiday will be Shavuot – the holiday in which we celebrate the most important event in Jewish history, when G-d gave the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, in the Sinai desert. Now I’ll have seven children reminding me.Monday, I/ (37 th day of the Omer) Hakhel year However, some days we just forgot to do it! That’s why I decided to do candy this year. Last year, we did a sticker chart, gluing little pieces of barley on each spot. (On Day 50, we’ll have Big Gifts.)įinally, we hung the chart on the wall with thumb tacks. We see and hear the Commandment to count the OMER and it is set out for us in the following two passages: Leviticus 23:15-16 From the day after the day of rest. □įinally, I put a lid on each cup, then numbered the cups from 1-49. Then I wrapped little pieces of candy in tissue paper, so the kids wouldn’t be able to see what kinds were in each cup. We folded the little verse papers and put them into each cup. Next I printed out some verses that we can read each day when we do our “counting.” ( You can download the print-out I made by clicking here.) I used Elmer’s Glue to attach the cups, but I’m probably going to have to do them all over again, because the cups have been popping off over the last 24 hours. I had many curious helpers stopping by to help me! It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to tell my kids about God when we do the “craft projects” included in His Word. Then I started gluing the cups onto the chart. I very lightly marked squares (2 1/2-inches by 2 1/2 inches) onto the poster board, 7 rows by 7 days in each row. An “omer” is a Hebrew measurement used for barley, and it refers to the offerings brought to God in thankfulness for the harvest He had provided. I bought some plastic mini cups with lids, plus a 50-cent piece of poster board. I got the idea on Pinterest to make a “Counting the Omer” chart. I am still learning all the ways this feast is significant, but since the Scriptures say to “count,” well then, count we will! Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to YHWH” (Leviticus 23:15-16). “From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Today is the Feast of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:9-13), which also means that today we start counting up to Pentecost, or Shavuot, the “Feast of Weeks.” It’s called that because there are seven weeks (50 days) between these two feasts.
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