Why do we eat dairy on Shavuout? Because on Pesach we give ourselves eight days of constipation with the eating of matzos. For fifty days we count down from the second night of Pesach so that once our bowels have definitely recovered, we destroy them again on Shavuout.
Shavuout, the Judgement of the Trees & the First Letter, Trumpet & Vial of Revelation
By Will Schumacher
I have been studying the connection between the letters to the 7 churches in the book of revelation and how they connect to the trumpet and vial judgements.
So the first letter to the Ephesian church is connected to the first trumpet and the first vial.
Here is the letter to the church at Ephesus:
Revelation 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Here is the first trumpet:
Revelation 8:7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Here is the first vial:
Revelation 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
The first connection between the first letter and the first trumpet is about trees. The first trumpet burns up 1/3 of the trees. In the first letter the promise Jesus gives is that the overcomer will eat of the tree of life. Jesus also describes Himself as walking in the midst of seven golden lampstands or menorahs. A menorah built like and described like a tree.
A menorah has branches, flowers and fruit like a tree.
Exodus 25: 31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. 32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: 33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. 34 And in the candlesticks shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.
So Jesus walks among the trees/candlesticks and gives the overcomers the tree of life and 1/3 of the trees are burned up.
In the Bible people are likened to trees. We produce fruit. We are either a good tree producing good fruit or a bad tree producing bad fruit.
Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Matthew 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mark 8:23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
The Hebrew word for tree is Strong’s H6086. It is a parent root spelled ayin-tsadi. The word for bones as in the bones of our body is derived from the parent root for tree. It is Strongs H6106 spelled ayin-tsadi-mem. Jeff Benner has an article on this.
So in Hebrew our bones are structurally like trees. Our works are the fruit and flowers. The letter to the Ephesian church emphasizes our works or fruit. Jesus knows their works and tells them to return to their first works.
We should understand the “1/3 of trees burnt up” as referring to people. The 3rd letter of the Hebrew alphabet is the letter gimel. It means “reward” and “recompence”. One third is a fraction based on the number 3. We should understand that 1/3 means “partial reward or recompense” or “partial judgement”. The trumpets are the church age. The church age is about separating those that are His and those that are not and sanctification. The Father is lovingly calling His bride and correcting and guiding us to become like Him. We are sanctified through the work of the Holy Spirit and the tribulation of this world.
The second connection between the first letter and the first trumpet is the phrase “thou hast left thy first love”.
God Himself says He is married to Israel. Israel’s first love was God.
Jeremiah 3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
God married Israel at Sinai in a blood covenant.
Exodus 24: 6-8 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.
The people said “I do” and Moses cast blood on the people as the “blood of the covenant”.
We have been covered/sprinkled in the blood covenant of Jesus.
Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
At the first trumpet blood is cast on the earth/land, hearkening back to the marriage covenant at Sinai which is repeated in the marriage covenant of Christ. It is mingled with hail and fire signaling a Father’s correction to their children for forgetting their first love.
Trumpets were used in the old testament to call to war or danger, to assemble, and call to repentance.
When God marries Israel at Sinai and sprinkles the blood of the covenant on them and He then shows Himself to the leaders of Israel and they eat and drink together.
Exodus 24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words. 9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: 10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. 11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
It is almost like a return to the Garden of Eden. God fellowships/walks with His people face to face again as He did with Adam. The reference to the tree of life in the letter to the Ephesian church should make us think about the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is the first story of trees (the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) and of marriage.
You could also say Adam and Eve’s first love was God and they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and left their first love.
Marriage between the man and woman was introduced in the garden of Eden. The book of Ephesians lets us know that we are spiritually in a covenant of marriage with Christ. Marriage between man and woman here on earth is symbolic of the marriage between Christ and His bride.
Ephesians as 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
We ultimately return to Garden of Eden and the church as the woman marries the man Christ.
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
The first trumpet and first vial affects the earth or land. In the Jewish mindset the land represents Israel/God’s people while the seas represent the nations. This makes sense since only Israel/church are married to Him.
God married Israel at Sinai on Shavuout/Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came to dwell in the bride in the new testament on Shavuout/Pentecost.
Shavuout is also known as the day of the judgement of the trees. It therefore makes sense that the first letter and trumpet refer to marriage and trees, since shavuout is related to both.
Strong’s H7620 = shavuout.
The first verse in the NT with a gematria of 7620 is verse number 23215. (I don’t fully see a connection to shavuout in the verse other than maybe it’s the first use of temple in the NT?).
Matthew 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
But if you were to add 7620 verses to the above verse you get the first trumpet judgement of the trees. SO there is some connection.
Revelation 8:7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Further John the Baptist refers to this judgement of the trees.
Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
The verse jump from Matthew 3:10 to and the judgement of the trees to Revelation 8:7 is 7632.
There is one verse in the old testament with a gematria of 7632:
Judges 1:15 And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.
This is about Caleb and his daughter Achsah. Notice the three prior verses of what Caleb just did.
Judges 1:11 And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher:
12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.
13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.
14 And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?
Caleb promised Debir which is also called Kirjathsepher and his daughter to whoever took it. Othniel takes it. Othniel is the Lion, Jesus who takes Kirjathsepher=”city of the books” and marries Achsah. This is portrayed in Revelation 5 where Jesus takes the book of life/city of books and thus His bride. Debir also means “word”. As in “word of God”.
Here is the first and only verse in the old testament with a gematria of 7620 matching shavuout. Again it is about Debir.
Joshua 10:39 And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.
Shavuout is about the marriage covenant. Debir/Kirjathsepher is the book of life/the bride.
Matthew 3:10 has a gematria of 7852.
Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
If you were to add 7852 inclusive verses to Matthew 3:10 you find all the people/trees not written in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
UPenn refuses to reschedule commencement ceremony scheduled on Shavuot
UPenn refuses to reschedule commencement ceremony scheduled on Shavuot
“The details and logistics of executing an event of this scale have been set for well over a year, and it is not feasible to move the ceremony,” said administrators via email.
(April 5, 2021 / JNS) The University of Pennsylvania said it will not move the date of its commencement ceremony, which is set to take place during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, despite a petition to reschedule the event…
For the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, Esther’s Place staff and volunteers felt inspired to highlight our fantastic trays, baskets, and mah-jongg cheese spreaders—perfect for serving blintzes, bagels, and other creamy treats.
Thank you to Shop volunteer Stephany for putting together the display.
Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah and begins Sundown on Saturday, June 8, 2019.
Shavuous is tonight! Bring on the cheesecake and blintzes. :) [It's traditional to eat dairy on Shavuous...I don't know why.]
My family is having two girls from Stern staying with us. Apparently, they're coming as part of a program called Torah Tours where students from YU/Stern travel around the country and go to different congregations.
Guess who's also coming to our community on Torah Tours?
ONE OF THE MACCABEATS.
In case you haven't heard of them, the Maccabeats are YU's all-male Jewish acapella group. They're most well known for their Chanukah-themed version of "Dynamite", called "Candlelight".
As my sister said, "This is the most exciting thing that's happened since that family of con artists stayed with us!" [Long story.]
Anyway, a freilichin Shavuous [or do you only say that for Chanukah?]/a gut yontif. See you all in around three days.
