A Shavuot "Two-fer"

Everyone loves to get more blessings than what you had expected. We all rush to the store that offers a 2 for 1 sale or as some call it, a "Two-fer". Who doesn't love two dozen eggs for the price of one? How about when a ticket to an event that allows you to bring a friend at no extra cost? Such a deal!

On the Lord's Feast of Shavuot or Pentecost, believers celebrate the best Two-fer that the Almighty chose to bless us with!

The Feast of Shavuot (Hebrew for "weeks") is celebrated on the 50th day at the culmination of the 49-day counting of the Omer which began at Passover. An Omer is an ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure equal to a tenth of an ephah, about 3.5 liters or 3.7 quarts. An Omer is also counted as an offering of a sheaf (also called an omer) of the first harvest of barley to a priest in the Temple on the second day of Passover. The grain is then separated from the chaff, parched, ground to fine flour, combined with other ingredients to be made into dough that is finally baked into the bread that is held up and waved before the presence of Yahweh as an offering. Whew!

What about the "Two-fer"? There are a few:

• Shavuot is a harvest festival which we get to celebrate for not just one, but two days!

• Shavuot is one of three pilgrim Feasts or Sh'loshim Regalim which was not only celebrated by those in Jerusalem but also drew people from the far flung diaspora. Two groups of people: near and far.

• As you can see illustrated above, there are two Challot (singular, Challah) that are not only made for the Sabbath, but also... and especially, for the Feast of Shavuot. These bring to mind the two loaves of barley bread that are held up by the priest as a Wave Offering before the Lord. The two loaves were held together as one loaf which in the Messianic faith illustrates:

1. Jews and non-Jews who follow Messiah Yeshua and are one in Him.

2. The original and renewed Covenants referred to as the Old and New Testament, that are one Word of Yah.

3. The two tablets of the Torah which is our marriage contract (Ketubah) between our Heavenly Bridegroom and us as His Bride making us Echad... ONE! Incidentally, the Ketubah is presented to the Bride by the Friend of the Bridegroom. This is where the idea of a "Best Man" came from. At that time, the Best Man was Moses.

The wonderful thing about Yahweh's Two-fers is that He is so generous with His gifts; especially His wedding gifts to His Bride. You see, the first time that Shavuot occurred was at Mt. Sinai when Yahweh presented the Ketubah to His Bride through Moses, in the form of the Aseret HaDibrot or Ten Commandments. We as a collective Bride accepted and so the betrothal was initiated. But, here's the Two-fer: The second auspicious celebration of Shavuot came, as Yeshua promised, at what is now observed by believers everywhere as Pentecost (Greek for 50)! On that day, our Bridegroom sent His friend (and ours) the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) with the planting of His Word in our hearts and the gift of the baptism of fire! It is interesting (and I'm reminded) that before a bride enters into her future husband's house, she takes Mikveh. She immerses herself in the waters of baptism which not only cleanses her but also prepares her for the intimacy that will be part of their life together. And the two will become one.

On this 50th day, let us understand the duality in those two names for this Feast: the Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost - the Hebrew and Greek understanding and celebrate them as they were intended to be celebrated: the two becoming ONE.

"There is not Yehuḏite nor Greek, there is not slave nor free, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Messiah יהושע." - Galatians 3:28

May the sweetness of this wedding feast carry you happily toward the time when we all - both "Jew and Gentile", are united with our Bridegroom, Lord and King at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Shalom