Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17 | Numbers 28:26-31 | Habakkuk 3:1-19 | Acts 2:1-21

This week's edition of The Set Table contains:

Questions and Commentary on Shabbat Shavuot
Chayyei Yeshua - A Devotional Commentary on the Besora Reading
Looking Ahead

Questions & Commentary on Shabbat Shavuot

1. What are the three general categories of ma‘asarot (tithes) found in the Torah? What is the connection between tithing and Shavuot? 

Rabbi Jason Sobel

There are three general categories of tithes found in the Torah.  The first tithe belongs to the Levites for they have "no portion of inheritance" in the land of Israel (Numbers 18:24). The second tithe was to be brought to Jerusalem at the end of the agricultural year and was to be eaten by its owner there (Deuteronomy 14:22). The third tithe, also known as the poor man's tithe, was meant to be given to the needy and impoverished. It is fitting that we consider the practice of tithing on Shavuot for several reasons.  

First, Shavuot is an agricultural holiday in the Torah on which the first fruits of the wheat harvest were offered to God. This is symbolized by the lechem mishnei, two loaves of wheat bread that were offered in the Temple. This first fruits offering, however, was dependant upon God's provision of rain, favorable weather conditions, and protection from things such as insects and natural disasters. In the same way that God provided for Israel, it was only fitting that they be reminded to freely provide for those in need, in the same way that God provided for them. On Shavuot, as we feast with family and friends, celebrating the gift of God's Torah, we remember that "every good gift comes from above" and our responsibility to share that gift with others.   

Secondly, tithing is a tangible proof that we love God and believe the Torah to be true. After receiving the Torah, our ancestors responded by saying, "All that the LORD has said, we will do, and understand" (Exodus 24:7). Commenting on the deeper meaning of Israel's response the Midrash says,   

Rabbi Simai expounded: "When the People of Israel preceded ‘We will understand' by ‘We will do,' a Heavenly Voice was heard, saying, ‘Who revealed to my children this secret, which only the angels until now knew? as it is written (Psalm 103), ‘Praise the Lord, his Angels, Mighty in Strength, who Obey his Will, then understand God's Word' - first obey, and afterwards, understand.' 

Israel's response demonstrated their wholehearted faith in the Torah for they were willing to obey even those mitzvot that they could not understand logically.   

Tithing is one of many mitzvot that does not seem logical and even goes against our natural inclinations and desires. It seems illogical to give away freely a minimum of a tenth of all we earn when there are bills to pay, retirement to save for, and so many toys to buy. But those who understand the Torah deeply know that the only way to receive more is to give more to God and others in need. Like our ancestors, who cried out na‘ashe venishma, we demonstrate our faith and commitment to Torah and love for God when we cheerfully tithe at least a tenth of all the income we receive.  

Thirdly, it is appropriate to read and study about tithing on Shavuot because it helps to foster love and unity among the Jewish people. Commenting on Exodus 19:1, "And Israel camped there (i.e. before Sinai)," Rashi writes, "they were like one man with one heart." What was the basis of this unity? According to Saadia Gaon it was and is the Torah that unifies the Jewish people. One way the Torah does this is through the mitzva of the ma‘aser.  As Rambam (Maimonides) notes,  

The second tithe was to be spent on food in Jerusalem; in this way the owner was compelled to give part of it away as charity. As we was not able to use it otherwise then by way of eating and drinking, he must have easily been induced to give it away gradually. This rule brought multitudes together in one place and strengthened the bond of love and brotherhood among the children of men.

    Moreh Nevuqim III,39 

Both before and increasingly after the Brit Chadasha was inaugurated on Shavuot, Yeshua's emissaries lived and worshipped in "one accord" (Acts 1:14, 2:1, 2:46, 5:12). One tangible proof and reason for this unity was their high commitment to tsedaqa:  

Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

    Acts 4:34-35 

2. Exodus 19:2 tells us that the children of Israel "encamped in the wilderness" before receiving the revelation from God at Mt. Sinai. What spiritual lessons can we learn from this seemingly extraneous detail? 

Rabbi Jonathan Kaplan

At the beginning of the Torah reading for the first morning of Shavuot, we are told the travelogue of Israel from Egypt to Sinai. In this midst of this record, the Torah relates, "And Israel came to the wilderness of Sinai. They camped in the wilderness. Israel camped there opposite the mountain" The middle sentence of this verse-"They camped in the wilderness"-seems like an extra and unnecessary detail. Why does the Torah add it? What lessons can we learn from its inclusion? 

In the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael, the earliest rabbinic commentary on the Exodus, the editor gives us a number of reasons why the Torah includes this seemingly extraneous sentence: "They camped in the wilderness." Two in particular are particularly pertinent as we consider the message of Shavuot. 

The anonymous opinion of the darshan (the rabbinic interpreter) is that this verse serves to remind the reader that the Torah was given to Israel not at a secret meeting with her God but in a place typified by its openness and accessibility to any who would journey there.  

The Torah was given in public, openly in a free place. For had the Torah been given in the land of Israel, the Israelites could have said to the nations of the world, "You have no share in it." But now that it was given in the wilderness publicly and openly in a place that is free for all, everyone wishing to accept it could come and accept it.

    Mekhilta deRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Bachodesh 1 (Lauterbach II.198) 

The giving of the Torah serves to highlight that the Torah has universal implications. For the rabbis writing this interpretation, its accessibility meant that whoever might wish to take the yoke of the Torah upon them and become Jews could do so through the act of conversion. While this is still the case for a limited number of called individuals, Messianic Jews can also appreciate the giving of the Torah in an open place as a sign that Torah serves as a beacon to the whole world through the living Torah, Messiah Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit. This openness serves to welcome all from among the nations as they gather around Israel and her Messiah to join in worship and service to God. 

R. Jose offers another interpretation that also highlights the accessibility of the Torah. God did not disclose it in an unknown place or in darkness but during the day in the known place of the wilderness. The Torah is not obscure but rather is attainable by all who would come and study it. 

R. Jose says, "Behold it says, ‘I have not spoken in secret," etc. (Isaiah 45:19). When I gave the Torah from the very start, I gave it not in the place of a land of darkness, not in an obscure place."

    Mekhilta deRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Bachodesh 1 (Lauterbach II.199) 

Taken together these affirmations of the openness and accessibility invite us to consider the giving of Torah at Sinai as an event not only for the sake of Israel but ultimately an event that seeks to call the whole world into the light of God's presence.

Acts 2:1-21 “Mercy Trumps Judgment”

Jen Rosner

Acts 2:1 tells us that the gift of the Ruach occurs on Shavuot, or Pentecost, when Jews from all over had made pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the day upon which the rescued Israelites accepted the yoke of the commandments at Sinai. Pentecost becomes an equally defining moment for the early community of Yeshua-followers.

Following the Exodus, the twelve tribes confirm the covenant made at Sinai with the words na‘aseh venishma "we will do and we will understand"(Exodus 24:7). Centuries later, "God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven" are gathered in Jerusalem to commemorate Sinai, an event at which they themselves, according to Jewish tradition, were somehow mysteriously present. Yet at this particular celebration, something unexpected happens. "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them" (Acts 2:2-3). Filled with the Spirit of God, the apostles began speaking in tongues. Hearing their own languages being spoken, the Jews from all the surrounding territories stood in awe and bewilderment.  

Peter, seemingly unsurprised by these strange happenings, addresses the crowd and explains this peculiar and awesome event by quoting the prophet Joel. "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams"(Joel 2:28). Peter immediately recognizes that what is happening is a fulfillment of ancient prophecy and he is quick to declare to his fellow Jews that God is bringing about what he promised long ago. 

The gift of the Ruach becomes the defining characteristic of the early Yeshua-believing community, just as the mitzvot had come to define the Jewish people. Before Yeshua departed, he promised the disciples that he would send the Spirit to them. He declared that the Spirit would testify about him, and that the disciples must also testify about him. While the prophet Joel ends his prophecy with a word of judgment on the nations, God's plan in Yeshua is to reach out and show mercy to the nations. Pentecost, the day commemorating the gift of God's Spirit, is the permanent reminder that mercy triumphs over judgment.  

While the mitzvot set the Israelites apart from all other nations, the Ruach becomes the bridge between Israel and the nations. In Acts 10, after a dream and a visit with Cornelius, Peter declares, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right" (Acts 10:34-35). 

NEXT WEEK'S READINGS - PARASHAT SHAVUOT

Numbers 4:21-7:89
Judges 13:2-25
Mark 14:1-11