Shavuot is the Hebrew word for "weeks". Pentecost is a Greek word which literally means "fiftieth day". (Leviticus 23:15-17, Exodus 23:16-19) When the children of Israel left Egypt after the first Passover G-d led them to Mount Sinai. Seven weeks later He gave them a set of laws to live by that would govern their relationship with Him and with each other. Christ died at Passover time to deliver us from the condemnation of those laws. Fifty days later, on the day of Pentecost, G-d gave the first church the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1).

The day of Pentecost found his disciples assembled at Jerusalem, like the Israelites before Sinai, waiting for "the promise of the Father". Again did G-d descend from heaven in fire, to pour forth his Holy Spirit which gives the spiritual discernment of His law. Just as the appearance of G-d on Sinai was the birthday of the Jewish nation, so was Pentecost the birthday of the Christian Church.

Shavuot came to be recognized as a memorial of the revelation of the Torah, G-d's gift of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. Pentecost remembers G-d's message of Law. "All that the L-rd has spoken we will do!" (Exodus 19:8) Rabbis have said there is no liberty without divine law and self-discipline. A train needs rails. A river must have banks. Yeshua didn't say, "Go and do what feels good". He said, "Go ... and make disciples ... teaching them to observe all that I commanded you". (Matthew 28:19,20). We are free "from" in order that we may be free "to".

It is the custom to stay up the entire night of Shavuot, studying and discussing G-d's Word. It is a time for personal preparation, and traditionally involves studying a small section from every book of the Torah, signifying that it is all important. (Psalm 119:148, 2Tim. 3:16,17) During the celebration it is traditional to read the book of Ruth. The story takes place in Bethlehem at harvest time and is therefore an appropriate Bible passage for the harvest celebration. We can trace the ancestry of Yeshua and His birth in Bethlehem to this story.

The Talmud tells how the first fruits were to be gathered: "When a man comes down to his field and sees a ripe fig, or a perfect cluster of grapes or a beautiful pomegranate, he ties each with a red thread, saying, 'These are the first fruits for the Festival'". Many families camped on the hills around the city the night before the gifts were offered. Symbolic meals were eaten. On the day of the celebration carefully prepared presents were taken to the Temple. If you lived far away from Jerusalem, your offering would be your best dried fruits, olives, dates aand raisins. Those who lived nearby gathered fresh food from their harvest. Each family brought two loaves of their finest bread.