8
Jun
1. Introduction
Among the most distinctive features of the Yachad community, often associated with the Essenes, are their unique calendrical system and their interpretation of biblical festivals. This paper focuses on their understanding of Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, arguing that this festival held a significance far beyond its agricultural roots. For the Qumran sect, Shavuot was intrinsically linked to the concept of oaths and the annual renewal of the covenant. This reinterpretation underscores the community’s rigorous adherence to their understanding of divine law and their commitment to a disciplined and covenantal life.
28
May
Abstract:
Shavuot, one of the major Torah pilgrimage festivals, is unique in that the Torah does not assign it a specific calendar date. Instead, its observance is determined by counting seven weeks from the offering of the Omer, which marks the beginning of the barley harvest. This paper explores the agricultural foundations of Shavuot and examines how various Jewish sects, including the Pharisees and Sadducees, interpreted its timing. By analyzing historical, textual, and sociological perspectives, we argue that the original practice of determining Shavuot’s date was flexible and closely tied to the agricultural cycle, rather than fixed to a specific day of the week.
