Suggestions for Celebrating Feast of Weeks
(also called Pentecost or Shavuot)

The fact that The Feast of Weeks is also identified as the Feast of Harvest gives us some spiritual insight concerning the harvest of souls that God desires to be reaped from the earth. The Bible teaches that Jesus was the Son of man who came to sow good seed—the Word of God (Luke 8:5-11). The church is the reaper sent forth for harvesting (John 4:38; Matt. 9:38). Through Spirit-filled witnessing, the harvest of earth will be reaped. It is for this reason that Jesus made the declaration “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me...unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:9-8). The people of God can never be effective and productive in this harvest without an abundant anointing or baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Feast ofweeks symbolizes anointing for the harvest. A yearly observance of this biblical memorial day by the church serves to remind us of our total dependence upon the Holy Spirit to give us the guidance and anointing we must have for this spiritual harvest of earth. The apostle Peter referred to it as a “time of refreshing” (Somerville 1996).

Each year, Shavuot is the precious time for us to reawaken and strengthen our special relationship with God. We can do so by rededicating ourselves to the study of the Torah. We can declare our thanksgiving to God and belief on Him by celebrating the Feast of Weeks as fulfilled in Jesus.

Decorate Your Home

Decorate your home with flowers and greens. This is a great job for the children. This time of year there are beautiful wild flowers available. Send the children to gather them and put containers of wild flowers all over the house.

Light the Candles

Before sunset, the first day of Feast of Weeks, the woman of the home says a blessing and lights the two candles as for other Sabbaths.

Bake Two Wave Loaves

Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD (Lev. 23:17).

Do No Work

The Feast of Weeks is a high Sabbath day; therefore, no work (business) is performed, although it is permissible for us to bake, to cook, to put away, to kindle a light, and to prepare and do on the Festival all that is necessary for the Sabbath.

Eat Dairy

It is customary to eat a dairy meal at least once during Feast of Weeks. There are several different opinions as to how this custom started. Some say it is a reminder of the promise regarding the land of Israel, a land flowing with “milk and honey.” We like to set out candy dishes full of Bit-O-Honey candy. This is a family tradition our children really look forward to. Cheese (not hard cheese) dishes are usually served such as cheese blintzes, hot, with sour cream or applesauce. Cheesecake with cherry or another fruit topping can be a special treat.

Bless Your Children

Say a prayer over each of your children praying specifically for their needs, gifts, and talents.

Plant a Fruit Tree

Martha Zimmerman writes, in her book Celebrate the Feasts, about her family’s special memory of planting a tree on the Feast of weeks:

Several years ago we all went to a nursery, chose a cherry tree ($5) and planted it on Shavuot. Richard dug the hole. After placing it and straightening it, we prayed and dedicated our little tree to the Lord. The next year on the afternoon of Shavuot we tied a red yarn around a branch that held our first green cherry. This year several branches had clusters of fruit and we chose the best one for the red ribbon. The children are expecting a bushel next year! They are also asking if we can plant an apple tree.

Stay Up All Night

It is customary to stay up the entire first night of Shavuot and study the Bible, then pray as early as possible in the morning. If you choose to stay up all night you may want your children to just stay up very late—this will be a special memory for them. Let the children stay up until a late hour, 1:00 or 2:00 a.m., playing Bible games, working in this book, watching Bible videos, etc. The Ten Commandments would be a good choice. If you read the story before seeing the video you can point out the difference between God’s Word and the Hollywood version.

Parents and older children may try staying up all night studying the Bible. Serve snacks and assign Bible portions from each book. Read aloud the Bible portions and discuss them. Take a few minutes each hour to walk around or do a few exercises to keep everyone awake.

Study the Bible

You may not choose to stay up all night, but don’t miss this excellent opportunity to go through a brief review of the books of the Bible and study short portions. You might try learning or finding at least one favorite verse or passage from each book, for example, Hebrews 3:17-19 or Zephaniah 3:17-20.
Include the story of the giving of the Commandments in the verses below, or from the Bible, or from a storybook.

And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount;
and Moses went up. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.

And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.

So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.
And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of thetrumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off (Exod. 19:20-20:18).

Memorize the Ten Commandments

God’s Word commands us to teach the commandments to our children.
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up (Deut. 6:1, 2, 5-7).
If you haven’t done so, memorize the commandments. Discuss each one with your children and answer any questions they may have.
1.) You shall have no other gods before Me.
2.) Do not make graven images.
3.) Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4.) Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.
5.) Honor your father and mother.
6.) Do not murder.
7.) Do not commit adultery.
8.) Do not steal.
9.) Do not bear false witness.
10.) Do not covet.

Read the Book of Ruth

Ruth is the classic model of one who converted to Judaism out of love and responsibility. The book of Ruth is also the story of the community’s care for the poor and the deprived, such as the orphan and the widow. Ruth’s commitment to the people and the faith of Naomi constitutes a timely lesson for Shavuot, which itself commemorates Israel’s acceptance of the Torah. David, who was descended from Ruth, has traditional associations with the festival (Encyclopedia of Judaism).