SHAVUOT - PENTECOST

Shavuot

In the biblical tradition, the holiday of Shavuot marks the end of the grain harvest and the bringing of the first fruits. Shavuot comes fifty days after Passover and those fifty days, which we mark even today with the ritual of counting the Omer (sheaves), were a time of great trepidation in anticipation of the quality of the harvest.

Following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, the focus of the holiday appears to have shifted to a celebration of the receiving of the Torah. This remains the identity of the holiday to this day. We continue to ritually count those fifty days, now in anticipation of receiving the gift of the Torah. Echoing the holiday's agricultural roots, synagogues, and even the Torah itself, are often decorated in fresh greenery as part of the celebration.

This celebration is uniquely suited to the university environment - its central observance is all-night study of the Torah and other Jewish texts. It is traditional to eat dairy foods on Shavuot, both because of the notion that the laws of keeping kosher were not given until the Torah was received, as well as because the words of the Torah should be sweet in our mouths.

Students who will be on campus should join the Jews at Brandeis: Summer 2011 Facebook Group to be kept up-to-date on holiday observances and other opportunities through the summer.

Pentecost

The Christian community, coming out of Judaism, modeled many of its celebrations on the Jewish calendar. Pentecost, as its name implies, marks the fiftieth day after Easter as Shavuot marks the fiftieth day after Passover. For the church it is celebrated as the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit on the community. It is, in a sense, the "birthday" of the church. In many churches the story of Pentecost is read from the Acts of the Apostles which describes this gift of the Spirit as a moment that unites all peoples. While the early followers of Jesus were from different places around the Mediterranean and spoke different languages and had different cultures, the Spirit made them one people. In many Christian traditions red is the color of the day as it signifies the "fire" and the "power" of the Spirit in our lives. This feast brings to a close the Easter season. The remainder of the year is Ordinary time or Time after Pentecost until Advent (November 27) which begins again the cycle of the Christian calendar.

The Interfaith Chaplaincy
Brandeis University