http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Shavuot/shavuot.html
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Shavuot/Zion/zion.html
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Meditations/Inward_Parts/inward_parts.html
The following information is taken from First Fruits of Zion:
Parasha: Shavuot
The Giving of the Torah
Shavuot
Torah : Exodus19:1-20:23; Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17;
Haftarah : Ezekiel 1:1-28; 3:12; Habakkuk 2:20-3:19
Gospel : Acts 2
Torah : Exodus19:1-20:23; Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17;
Haftarah : Ezekiel 1:1-28; 3:12; Habakkuk 2:20-3:19
Gospel : Acts 2
Thought for the Week:
Long before Acts 2, the Sages considered Pentecost to be the anniversary of the day God spoke the Torah at Mount Sinai. In Judaism, it is called the festival of the "Giving of the Torah." Before tongues of fire ever fell upon the believers in Jerusalem, there was fire falling on Mount Sinai. As the disciples of the risen Messiah were gathering to celebrate Pentecost in Jerusalem, they were gathering to celebrate the anniversary of the giving of the Torah.
Commentary:
Let's consider the significance of the first Pentecost at Mount Sinai. Exodus 19 and 20 tells the story. God stepped down from the heavens; He stepped onto the top of a mountain. There was wind; there was lighting; there was thunder; there was smoke; there was the very loud sound of a ram's horn trumpet blowing, and there was fire. The entire nation audibly heard the voice of God speaking the Ten Commandments.
According to Jewish legend, when God spoke the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, His voice spoke forth in all the languages of mankind and it took the shape of fiery sparks that encircled the camp of Israel and came to rest on each individual Jew. (Shabbat 88b; Shemot Rabbah 5:9; Midrash Chazit)
Is that how it really happened? It does not matter whether the legends are true. Perhaps God's voice did speak in every language. Perhaps it did not. Perhaps His words came forth as fiery sparks that rested on each individual. Perhaps they did not. It is important, however, to remember that Peter and the disciples and followers of Yeshua were all well aware of the Pentecost legends. They must have known the story of the giving of the Torah on Pentecost. They knew the story of the words of fire resting on each individual. They knew the story of God's voice speaking to all mankind in every language. Therefore, the miracles, signs and wonders that came upon them in Acts chapter two carried deep significance. The tongues of fire and the speaking in every tongue were both direct allusions to the Mount Sinai experience and the receiving of the Torah.
It is as if God drew a line of connection between the giving of His Torah and the giving of His Spirit. We are not to see the one without considering the other. The two events are interconnected. God's Spirit and His Torah are related.
(Excerpt from the forthcoming FFOZ book, Restoration. Returning the Torah of God to the Disciples of Jesus, by D. Thomas Lancaster)
© 2011 First Fruits of Zion, Inc. | All Rights Reserved
http://ffoz.org/resources/edrash/shavuot/the_giving_of_the_torah.php
Parasha: Shavuot
Redemption and Torah
Shavuot - שבועות : "The Feast of Weeks: Pentecost"
Torah : Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17
Haftarah : Habakkuk 2:20-3:19
Gospel : Acts 2
Torah : Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17
Haftarah : Habakkuk 2:20-3:19
Gospel : Acts 2
Thought for the Week:
R. Bechaye writes that when God's presence filled the Tabernacle, He said: "Today I am causing My Presence to rest among you; if you sin, My Presence will leave you. But when Messiah comes, My Presence will remain with you permanently. Now you see the Divine Presence through fire, but with the advent of the Messiah you will see it clearly revealed, as it is written: "For eye to eye shall they see when God returns to Zion." (Tz'enah Ur'enah)
Commentary:
Then God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Exodus 20:1-2)
The Festival of Shavuot (Pentecost) is the anniversary of the giving of the Torah and the giving of the Holy Spirit. As part of the commemoration, the Ten Commandments are read publicly in the Assembly on the Feast of Shavuot.
According to the traditional reckoning, the first commandment is simply, "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Exodus 20:1-2)
The first commandment is to believe in God and to accept His claim of ownership over us. Unless we accept the basic premise of God's existence, no number of commandments will have any authority or meaning for us. The need for such a command demonstrates the incongruity of ascribing to morality without believing in a moral authority. If we accept the premise of objective morality, we must accept that there is a higher authority issuing that objective standard.
We also learn from this that redemption must precede commandments. Before we can receive the Torah, we must already be 'saved.' Israel's salvation from Egypt was not accorded to her on the basis of her obedience to the commandments. She was already redeemed (on no merit of her own) before the laws at Sinai were given to her. Thus the first declaration at Sinai is a reminder of their redeemed status. Only BECAUSE they are already saved are they able to receive the commands of God.
True legalism continually attempts to reverse this process by claiming that one's obedience to certain commandments (or all the commandments) is the mechanism by which salvation is earned. The first of the Ten Commandments directly contradicts this notion. Salvation and relationship with God precedes the Torah.
© 2011 First Fruits of Zion, Inc. | All Rights Reserved
http://ffoz.org/resources/edrash/shavuot/redemption_and_torah.php
