Beth HaDerech; Messianic Jewish Teachings Online

Countdown from the Omer to Shavuot

Countdown from the Omer to Shavuot The presentation of the omer initiates a countdown of seven weeks, culminating in Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost) immediately after the 49th day. “And you shall count to you from the morning after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven weeks shall be complete: Even to the morrow after the seventh week shall you number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meal-offering to HaShem. You shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth-parts: they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, and they are the first-fruits to HaShem” (Leviticus 23:15-17). At this second offering of first-fruits, the grain is not presented in its natural state, but has been thrashed and winnowed, so that only the useful portion is retained. The “fine flower” produced in [...]