Khaj ha-Shâvu•otꞋ

OꞋmër

Tor•âhꞋ instructs that, beginning the day after the special Sha•bâtꞋ of PësꞋakh, Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ is to count shëvꞋa shâvu•otꞋ = 49 days. Then, the next day is Khaj ha-Shâvu•otꞋ—the 50^th, not 49^th, day.

Thus,

• just as PësꞋakh and Khaj ha-Matz•otꞋ commemorate the start of a new period with the Yᵊtzi•âhꞋ, including the first eiꞋrëv rav of Israelis-by-choice, who lived as nomads bᵊ-mi•dᵊbarꞋ Sin•aiꞋ,

• Khaj ha-Shâvu•otꞋ likewise commemorates the start of a new period, after everyone who had come out of Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim had died, with the harvesting of a new OꞋmër (crop) of wheat—symbolizing a new generation, the generation who entered Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ.

Ha•phᵊtâr•âhꞋ: The Më•rᵊkâv•âhꞋ (Yᵊkhë•zᵊq•eilꞋ 1.1-2.2 & 3.12)

How the ancients perceived the universe.

Kᵊruv – Assyria, B.C.E. 9th-8th century Ivory perception of animated flying fig­ure

The ancient Nᵊviy•imꞋ perceived י‑‑ה to sit on a Celestial Më•rᵊkâv•âhꞋ-Throne, being pulled across the heavens by four self-animated kᵊruv•imꞋ.

Khaj ha-Shâvu•otꞋ orbits the theme of the OꞋmër, the spring harvest of wheat. Ancients saw a parallel in the timeless non-physical Domain of י‑‑ה: the gathering (harvesting) of the non-physical OꞋmër — the postmortem nᵊphâsh•otꞋ of Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ.

Më•rᵊkâv•âhꞋ Mk 4m Windbreak­er with Trophy Active Protection, from Operation Protective Edge, 2014

21st century perception of Më•rᵊkâv•âhꞋ?

The Khaj ha-Shâvu•otꞋ Ha•phᵊtâr•âhꞋ connection of the OꞋmër and Më•rᵊkâv•âhꞋ form early evidence of Tor•âhꞋ correcting the Egyptian error, teaching the proper principle of life beyond death is for those of Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ who do their best to live according to Tor•âhꞋ.

Rut, The Mo•âv•itꞋ Israeli-By-Choice & BōꞋaz In Beit LëkhꞋëm

Beit LëkhꞋëm & Mo•âvꞋ, DërꞋëkh ha-MëlꞋëkh (The King's Highway).

During a famine ca. B.C.E. 1248, a Yi•sᵊr•â•eil•iꞋ couple from Beit LëkhꞋëm, El i-mëlꞋëkh and his wife Nâ•âm•iꞋ, emigrated east, around Yâm ha-MëlꞋakh, into Mo•âvꞋ, near DërꞋëkh ha-MëlꞋëkh, with their two sons, who married Mo•âv•itꞋ women—one of whom was Rut.

Over a period of time, Nâ•âm•iꞋ's husband, El i-mëlꞋëkh, and both of her sons, died.

Living alone in a foreign country with two Mo•âv•itꞋ daughters-in-law, Nâ•âm•iꞋ decided to back to her home in Beit LëkhꞋëm and instructed both of her Mo•âv•itꞋ daughters-in-law to go back to their Mo•âv•itꞋ homes and remarry. But Rut adamantly insisted on remaining with Nâ•âm•iꞋ, identifying with Tor•âhꞋ and Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ. Rut's words became the exemplar of the Israeli-by choice:

Then Rut replied, "Don't push me away, to abandon you, to turn from following you. Because where you go, I shall go. Where you lodge, I shall lodge. Your am is my am, and your Ël•oh•imꞋ is my Ël•oh•imꞋ. Where you die, I shall die and be buried. May י‑‑ה do so to me, and more, if anything other than death separates me from you." 

Beit LëkhꞋëm & Mo•âvꞋ

So Rut, the widowed Israeli-by-choice, traveled to Beit LëkhꞋëm, YᵊhudꞋâh with her mother-in-law, Nâ•âm•iꞋ where Rut worked in the fields owned by their relative, BōꞋaz.

It was while Rut was harvesting the wheat OꞋmër, during Khaj ha-Shâvu•otꞋ, that she and BōꞋaz became acquainted. As Rut's closest relative, Tor•âhꞋ required BōꞋaz to become a redeemer-husband to her, fathering children for her. Together, BōꞋaz and Rut became the great-grandparents of Dâ•widꞋ ha-MëlꞋëkh, who would be born in their hometown of Beit LëkhꞋëm.

Dâ•widꞋ ha-MëlꞋëkh is the exemplar par excellence of of his Scion redeemer-Mâ•shiꞋakh of the Royal Beit-Dâ•widꞋ to husband Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ—who would also be born in their hometown of Beit LëkhꞋëm.