The Beginner's Guide to Shavuot

Taking part in the Creator's set apart time of Shavuot is an option for you, even if it's not something you have ever done before! The Biblical holidays were given to all believers, regardless of ethnicity or nationality, and they are a joy to take part in. I believe that the Creator communicates much to us through these special times, and that our faith will grow by participating in them. Here's how to get started.

What you need to know about Shavuot:

-It is a one day holiday that happens fifty days after First Fruits.

-It is considered a Sabbath and we are not to work on it.

-This holiday is sometimes called Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks.

-The phrase, "counting of the omer," regards the counting of the fifty days leading up to Shavuot after the holiday of First Fruits, which is shortly after Passover.

-Biblically, Shavuot happens at the time of the wheat harvest, and Scripture instructs two loaves of bread to be presented to YHWH as an offering. This is a visual reminder of YHWH's provision for his people.

-It is a time for feasting, rejoicing, worship, and celebration.

Spiritual significance of Shavuot:

-Shavuot is the day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that happened in Acts 2. Believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit on a widescale that day.

-The giving of the Holy Spirit and the giving of the Torah (commandments or instructions of the Bible) - are both celebrated at this time.

-It is directly connected to the Messiah's resurrection, since the counting of the omer leading up to Shavuot starts on First Fruits - the day Yahusha rose from the grave.

-As the fourth Biblical holiday of the year, Shavuot can be viewed as the middle lamp of the menorah - the part connecting Heaven and earth. We see the written Torah and the Holy Spirit as Heaven coming to earth.

-The bringing of two loaves of bread is a reminder of YHWH's physical provision in our lives, as well as spiritual provision through the Holy Spirit. Shavuot reminds us that YHWH is the one who supplies our needs.

How to observe Shavuot:

-Take the day off from work, errands, homework, and household chores, so that you can rest and honor YHWH with your full attention.

-Take joy in worshiping YHWH, and studying the Bible. This is a great opportunity to go over the ten commandments with family, or to host a Bible study. Attend service at a congregation if possible.

-Invite the Holy Spirit into your mind, relationships, home, etc. Ask YHWH for a fresh outpouring and insight into how you can be a clean temple that is fit for his presence. Pray about if you need to change your thinking to be more align with the truth of Scripture, or if you have ungodly habits or addictions that need to be healed. You could also take inventory of your home and make sure the movies, books, decorations, etc. are honoring to the Living God.

-Consider being baptized in water. This can be symbolic of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or you can view it as rededicating yourself to the Messiah and following his ways.

-Have two loaves of bread. Scripture talks about presenting a wave offering of two loaves of bread. A day or two before Shavuot, make or purchase bread as a celebration of the physical and spiritual provision in your life. You could go with a regular loaf or try something intriguing from an artisan bakery. Whatever kind of bread you like is appropriate for this - it could be sourdough, brioche, focaccia, rye, or gluten-free if needed. 

-Enjoy a special meal. It doesn't have to be fancy or a lot of work! Invite friends to join you for a potluck. If you want to stick with the bread theme, a build-your-own sandwich bar or different types of bruschetta would be fabulous. Or slice up that bread and serve cheese board style, with fruits, dips, fresh veggies, and other relishes. Dairy products and honey are traditionally served at Shavuot, as reminders of the "land of milk and honey," and the richness and sweetness of the word of YHWH. Having ice cream sundaes for dinner would be extremely memorable for kids, or try one of these recipes for dessert.

There is some learning curve when you start to observe a new holiday, so give yourself grace about that. It takes time to get used to celebrating the feasts of the Creator and next year it will seem more natural and be even more fun! The Living God is honored by your efforts to take part in his set apart times!

More about the Biblical holiday of Shavuot:

Seven Ways to Celebrate Shavuot
Shavuot Scripture Reading List
Questions and Answers on Shavuot

Shavuot Surprise Gift Exchange Game

At Shavuot we celebrate the giving of both the Torah and instructions for living, and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Giving our own gift to someone else can be a fun way for believers to commemorate these significant gifts from the Creator. Note that giving gifts at any of the holidays is not a commandment; this is strictly optional and meant to be an enjoyable activity to make Shavuot special or memorable. It always brings out the laughs at our congregation!

Shavuot Surprise Gift Exchange Game

This is played similarly to white elephant or Yankee Swap gift exchanges. You can play this with your congregation, Bible study, family, or even coworkers if you'd like! Often gag gifts are given during white elephants. You could go that route if you wanted, but our congregation likes to give inexpensive gifts that are still nice. Set a dollar limit per gift and make sure everyone playing is aware of that. Setting the limit at $5 or $10 has worked well for us - no one expects the gifts to be amazing, and it takes the pressure off having to find something that a specific person will definitely like. The expense is low enough that it's not a financial stress for most people to participate.

Gift ideas:
Chocolate bar
Small plant
Refrigerator magnet with Bible verse
Handmade soap bar
Mug
Ingredients for a recipe
Handmade greeting cards
Framed Bible verse
Dried herbs
Homemade cookies, etc.
Bible book tabs
Kitchen towel
Stickers

To play the game:

Have each person bring their gift wrapped up. Place the wrapped items in the center of your group - on the floor or a table.

Assign numbers to each participant - we opt to draw them out of a hat. There should be the same number of gifts and participants. (If you're hosting, think about having an extra gift or two in case someone forgets or you have an unexpected visitor.)

The person with number one gets to choose one gift to open. The next person can opt to 'steal' that gift from them, or choose a new one to open. If a gift is stolen from player one, then they get to choose another gift to open. Once that round is settled, it's on to player three, and so on. A gift can only be stolen once per round. Once a gift is stolen three times it cannot be stolen again - so strategy is part of the fun!

Once everyone has a gift, player one can opt to steal from someone else or to keep the gift they have. Player one's decision is the final round.

This game would work well at any of the Biblical holidays, and can be easily modified as you see fit!

More on the Shavuot:
Reasons Why Believers Should Keep the Biblical Holidays
Shavuot Provision: Celebrating Enough
DIY Shavuot Basket

Milk and Honey Desserts for Shavuot

At Shavuot we celebrate the giving of the Torah and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This joyous time reminds us to celebrate the incredible provision of YHWH for our needs both spiritually and physically. The combination of milk and honey is traditionally eaten at this time of year and it represents both the Promised Land, as well as the sweetness of Scripture in our lives. I've compiled some delicious desserts that will make your Shavuot celebration very special. A few of them don't contain honey but you could certainly substitute with it as you see fit. I tried to include something for everyone with some vegan options, gluten free recipes, and healthier options.

No Bake Fruit Tart from Half Baked Harvest

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie a La Mode Popsicles from Snixy Kitchen

Bursting Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake from Half Baked Harvest

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Mini Pavlovas from Snixy Kitchen

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake from Making Thyme for Health

Roasted Berry and Honey Yogurt Popsicles from Cookie and Kate

Chocolate Lovers Greek Yogurt Mousse Cake from Half Baked Harvest

Strawberry Rosehip Frozen Yogurt from Half Baked Harvest

No Bake Greek Yogurt Tart from Cookie and Kate

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars from Minimalist Baker

Chai Affogato with Coconut Milk Ice Cream from Cookie and Kate

Strawberry Chamomile Naked Cake from Half Baked Harvest



More ideas for Shavuot: 
DIY Shavuot Cupcake Toppers
Shavuot Surprise Gift Exchange Game
Seven Ways to Celebrate Shavuot

Seven Ways to Celebrate Shavuot

When the omer count finally makes it to fifty it's Shavuot! Then what? Here are a few ways you can celebrate this year.

-Watch the wheat harvest. Shavuot is about the wheat harvest and celebrating the bread of life. Get in touch with a local farm or farmer to see when they will be harvesting their wheat, and if you can visit. Seeing cows and beehives would also be fitting. If nothing else, go for a drive or bike ride to see if you can find a farmer gathering their wheat. Usually the timing is just about right here in the Midwest and farmers harvest the wheat around Shavuot. Or think about taking family pictures in front of a wheat field.

-Give the word to someone. On Shavuot we celebrate the giving of the Torah, why not keep that gift going? Purchase a Bible for someone who doesn't have one or would benefit from a different translation. Or gather Bibles to give to a nonprofit like a soup kitchen or homeless shelter so they can share them with their clients. Children (or adults) could memorize a verse to recite to grandparents or the congregation as a way to share the word with others.

-Have two loaves of bread. Leviticus 23:17 says to bring two loaves of bread as a wave offering to YHWH. Why not try your hand at baking bread or purchase a couple of delicious loafs from a bakery? Maybe a new recipe or trying an unusual kind would make it even more wonderful. Serve them with different spreads and toppings to make a bruschetta bar or do-it-yourself grilled cheese. Seeing not one, but two loafs of bread is a reminder that YHWH takes care of our needs. Thank him for the provision before digging in.

-Get immersed. In Acts 2 believers were baptized in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Shavuot. Spend your Shavuot at the lake or on the beach and get immersed. This would be a great opportunity for meditation on that passage of Scripture or a group discussion about it.

-Throw a painting party! Get together a group of friends and render Bible verses to canvas. Paint or handwrite the words to a favorite verse or the fruit of the Spirit or the ten commandments. Even if it doesn't turn out a masterpiece it's still a fun way to focus on Scripture and spend time with others. Provide canvases, brushes, paint, and lots of newspaper to keep things clean. A painted or printed out Scripture would also make a great Shavuot gift for a friend. Another way to give the word.

-Study Scripture. Aren't we celebrating that we received YHWH's word? That could look like having friends over for a late night Bible study, having a picnic near a wheat field to read the book of Ruth, kids acting out a Bible story, or a dramatic reading. Delving into Scripture is a foundational part any feast and it should be a joy!

-Provide for the poor. At the end of the instructions for Shavuot in Leviticus 23:22, we are reminded to not use all of our resources on ourselves but leave some for those in need. Could you donate clothing to a women's shelter at this time of year or non perishables to a food pantry? How about volunteering as a family at a local nonprofit? Putting together action packs for Voice of the Martyrs was a memorable Shavuot activity for our congregation. Donate financially to a missions cause you believe in.

Have a very happy Shavuot!

More ideas for Shavuot:
The Beginner's Guide to Shavuot

Shavuot Scripture Reading List
Celebrating the Fruit of the Spirit at Shavuot

Happy Shavuot Printable

Happy Shavuot! I wanted to share a printable today to help with the festivities at your house. A few years back I shared a milk and honey printable for Shavuot, but this one is a little more home printer friendly. Just print it out and tape it to the fridge or put it in a frame. To me, it's nice to decorate because it helps build the anticipation for the upcoming holiday, and makes it a little bit different from the rest of the year.

Click here to download this Happy Shavuot printable. It is free for your personal use. Have a lovely set apart time!

DIY Shavuot Cupcake Toppers

Here's a simple way to add some Shavuot festivity to your upcoming feast! You can make these at home in just a few minutes. You probably have everything required. Just some tape, wooden skewers or toothpicks, and the printout of these cupcake toppers is all you need. I intentionally made it something that would print out well on a regular home printer using plain paper. Nothing fancy needed at all.

You will need:
Shavuot cupcake printable
Scissors
Double sided tape
Small wooden skewers or toothpicks

What to do:
First you'll need to cut out the hexagons. This shape makes it easy to cut and get nice edges. You will need two per cupcake topper, so print the appropriate number of sheets. One sheet will get you six toppers.

Flip over one hexagon and place a skewer in approximately the middle. Use double sided tape to secure it and then grab another hexagon. Connect the backside of it with the double sided tape. You may want to experiment with different skewer sizes to come up with a height that you prefer. And voila, you have your topper. Repeat as many times as you'd like and you're finished!

Use these to top cupcakes or dessert. Or use as you would toothpicks for snacks or appetizers at your Shavuot celebration.

Looking for a dessert idea to make? Try these milk and honey recipes for Shavuot!

Scratch Off Omer Counter

I'm excited to share with you a new way to count the omer...with scratch offs!

Why count the omer? This is actually something we are instructed to do in Leviticus 23:15-16. The fifty days we are to count link the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Shavuot or Pentecost. This is the time period that the Messiah spent still on earth after being resurrected from the dead. What is an omer? Omer is the Hebrew word for sheaf - which is a bundle of grain. First Fruits during Matzah Week is when part of the barley harvest would be waved to YHWH, and then at Shavuot the same would be done with sheaves of wheat.

This is an easy DIY to put together since it's really just two things, a print and stickers. There is also some flexibility with how you use it. I liked the large size of this, but there's no reason you couldn't print this as an 8" x 11" in a normal printer if you would prefer. If you don't have time to order the scratch off stickers, using regular stickers to cover up the days as they go by would work. Or even just cross them off with a pen. It's up to you!

You will need:
Printable omer calendar
One inch scratch off stickers (I used gold ones from here)

Directions:
Print off the omer calendar. I got an 18" x 24" engineer print at Staples, which at $2.99 was the most cost effective option I found. The paper is thin, so it's not ideal for photographs, but works just fine for our purposes.
I used scotch tape to place my counter on the wall. You could also glue it to a foam board or attach to canvas if you prefer.
Then place your scratch off stickers above the numbers and you are set to go! Each day scratch off another sticker until we get to Shavuot.

Update: A friend told me she is going to take hers to an office supply store to get it laminated. Her plan is to mark the days with dry erase markers and use it each year!

The past couple of years of counting have brought me more than a few days where I'm not sure if I already did my omer count or not. I remember doing it, but maybe that was yesterday? Anyone else with me? So I decided to put seven days in each row to make it easier to double check. Just make note of what day you started counting on and things will add up. You could also make a habit of counting at a certain time each day or even saying the traditional blessing of, "Blessed are You, YHWH Eloheinu, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the omer."

If you look closely in the photos you may notice something is amiss. Funny story about assembling my counter: I expected to be left with one of my fifty stickers when I got done, but there were strangely two left. How could this be? Every row has seven numbers...with the exception of the second row which somehow has only six. Upon closer inspection of the photos I discovered that I had inadvertently left off day 13! I have no idea how that happened, but it is corrected in the downloadable version. Ha! 

Other ideas for counting the omer:
DIY Flair Calendar
Making a paper chain
Printable Cards from Torah Sisters Magazine
Kids Counter
Kosher on A Budget's Omer Counter
Writing the count in your planner

DIY Guide to Keeping Shavuot

Between the three feasts of YHWH that happen in the springtime, and the three that occur in the fall, stands Shavuot. While lots of attention is given to Passover and Sukkot, the Feast of Weeks can feel a bit neglected to me. This is too bad, since, like the center of the menorah, this is not less significant because it stands slightly further apart than the others. On the contrary, celebrating the giving of the Torah and the Ruach Hakodesh should be a rich time for us all.

How do we make it a special time when there is so little help from the outside world? Some items for Passover make their way into grocery stores, and the fall feasts have many traditions in themselves. But search 'Shavuot' in a Judaica shopping site, and nary a return will you get. I don't get that, because this is a set apart time. So I'm sharing with you a few ideas to make your Shavuot celebration special this year. Here are a few things to try:

Chamomile Honeycomb Ice Cream from Snixy Kitchen
 Have you ever made candy honeycomb? There is nothing like it!

Rose and Pink Peppercorn Chevre with Honey from The House That Lars Built
"Like honey and milk the Torah lies under your tongue." This passage in Song of Songs is largely the reason we associate Shavuot with dairy treats and honey.

Bake Challah Bread from Smitten Kitchen
Shavuot requires two loaves of bread in Scripture. Find a good bread recipe or two to try ahead of time to serve on Shavuot. Challah is traditional but you can try any kind.

Fig and Cheddar Grilled Cheese from A House in the Hills
Shavuot is a no work day so choose foods that you can prepare ahead of time or are extremely simple to make like grilled cheese. 

Frozen Yogurt Bon Bons from Sugar & Cloth
This would be easy to make healthy by using natural food coloring and using chopped dried fruit instead of sprinkles.

10 Commandments Cupcake Toppers from Chai and Home
ALL THE HEART EYES for this idea!

Honeycomb Cookies from A Beautiful Mess

Milk and Honey Printable from Land of Honey
Use this free download to decorate your space.

DIY Color Wrapped Wheat from Inspired By Charm
Since Shavuot is correlated with the first fruits of the wheat harvest, incorporating wheat into your decorations would be very fitting.

Honeycomb Wall Decal from Idle Hands Awake
This super simple project is just washing tape shaped to look like a beehive. A great reminder of the sweetness of the Living Word given to us by YHWH.

DIY Stylish Tzedekah Boxes from Chai and Home
In Scripture giving was a time of joyous celebration, not a begrudged obligation. Making a pretty tzedekah box can help restore that joy.

Pasta Crown from Dana Israeli
A much more glamorous version of a macaroni necklace.

Homemade 10 Commandments Memory Game from The Climbing Tree
The ten commandments (along with the rest of the Torah) were given at Shavuot so this would be a perfect way to teach children YHWH's word. I'm sure the adults would benefit too!

Host a Torah Study
We talked last week about having an all-night Torah study. We need to believe and act like the Word of YHWH is the point. It is limitlessly valuable and worth celebrating in and of itself.

Get Immersed 
Since the Ruach HaKodesh fell baptizing the believers, getting mikvahed or immersed in living water would be a very appropriate Shavuot activity.

Chag sameach! I'm still interested in what you're doing to celebrate and I hope you'll share pictures with me over on Instagram!