"You shall bring your first fruits to the House of HaShem your G-d... " (Exodus 23:19)
On Shavuot, the anniversary of the receiving Torah at Mount Sinai, the day that G-d changed our lives forever, we express our deep thanks and gratitude by bringing to G-d's altar in the courtyard of His Holy Temple, the first-fruits that we have nurtured and raised here in the land of Israel. One might mistakenly think that bringing to G-d a gift that He gifted us in the first place, is simply an ancient form of regifting.
But, in fact, bringing to G-d our first-fruits is the most humble and sincere offering of thanks we could make, an acknowledgement that all we possess, and even all that we create with our own hard work and determination, has its source in G-d's great benevolence.
Like children, we stand before G-d and present to Him our humble offering and, as a father is delighted with his child's expression of love and affection, so too is G-d pleased with His children.
The Temple Institute extends our blessings for a joyful and thankful holiday of Shavuot to all our friends, supporters and followers, to the entire nation of Israel, and to all who hold dear the G-d of Israel and the Torah of Israel.
May we walk in the ways of Torah all the days of our lives, and may we merit soon to bring our first-fruit offerings to the altar of HaShem. Chag Shavuot Sameach - a Happy Shavuot to all!
"And it will be, when you come into the land which HaShem, your G-d, gives you for an inheritance, and you possess it and settle in it, that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you will bring from your land, which HaShem, your G-d, is giving you. And you shall put [them] into a basket and go to the place which HaShem, your G-d, will choose to have His Name dwell there.
And you shall come to the kohen who will be [serving] in those days, and say to him, 'I declare this day to HaShem, your G-d, that I have come to the land which HaShem swore to our forefathers to give us.'
And the kohen will take the basket from your hand, laying it before the altar of HaShem, your G-d.
And you shall call out and say before HaShem, your G-d, 'An Aramean [sought to] destroy my forefather, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people, and there, he became a great, mighty, and numerous nation. And the Egyptians treated us cruelly and afflicted us, and they imposed hard labor upon us. So we cried out to HaShem, G-d of our fathers, and HaShem heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And HaShem brought us out from Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great awe, and with signs and wonders. And He brought us to this place, and He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground which you, O Lord, have given to me.'
Then, you shall lay it before HaShem, your G-d, and prostrate yourself before HaShem, your G-d.
Then, you shall rejoice with all the good that HaShem, your G-d, has granted you and your household you, the Levite, and the stranger who is among you.
When you have finished tithing all the tithes of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give [them] to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, so that they can eat to satiety in your cities."
(Deuteronomy 26:1-12)
Tune into this week's Temple Talk, as Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven discuss receiving Torah anew on Shavuot, ponder what Torah is really all about, marvel at the inscrutable generation of the desert, and look forward to celebrating Shavuot and the giving of the Torah: the festival of the land of Israel!
This special pre-Shavuot edition of Temple Talk features Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Chaim Richman in an in-depth teaching on the amazing connection between the Generation of the Desert that we are now learning about in the Book of Numbers, and the true nature of the Festival of Shavuot - and what true Torah knowledge is really all about. Chag Sameach, Happy Shavuot from Temple Talk!
The issue of faith and trust between husband and wife is so important to G-d that He is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to restore trust that has been broken, placing both the dust of His Tabernacle and His own holy name at their disposal.
Also includes a Shavuot greeting and a surprise quote from Elvis Presley! Click here to view Rabbi Richman's teaching on Naso (Numbers 4:21 - 7:89), and Shavuot message!
Sefirat Ha'Omer - Counting The Omer With Rabbi Chaim Richman: Sivan 5/May 30: Today is Forty Nine Days which are Seven Weeks of the Omer: Click here to here Rabbi Richman's concluding teaching for this years Sefirat Ha'Omer!
The Pilgrimage Festival Of Shavuot! Shavuot begins Tuesday evening. Click here to learn how the one-day pilgrimage festival of Shavuot is observed in the Holy Temple! Click here.
The Temple Institute Has A New Sign! The Temple Institute has a new sign greeting our guests as they come to visit our Holy Temple Visitors Center in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's old city. Learn more about the Temple Institute's Holy Temple Visitors Center, and plan your visit today! Click here for more information.
New Six Day War Artifacts Hint At A Battle On The Temple Mount: Bullets and shell casings discovered in rubble by the Temple Mount Sifting Project sheds new light on the 1967 battle for the Temple Mount.
Jerusalem Dig Sheds Light On 2,000-Year-Old Eating (And Offering) Habits Of Local Jews: City of David dig reveals what the ancient Jerusalemites ate and what they offered on the Temple Mount. Click here to learn more.
Shavua Tov From The Temple Mount! The Hebrew month of Iyar, which concluded last Thursday, saw 2180 Jews ascend the Temple Mount, an 85% increase over one year ago, (when 1178 Jews ascended the Temple Mount). Click here to see photos and learn more.
Celebrating Jerusalem’s Jubilee Year: Verse 124: Jerusalem In The Bible!: The holy city of Jerusalem is mentioned 627 times in the Bible. The Temple Institute is celebrating the Jubilee of Jerusalem's liberation and reunification in 1967 by posting a verse a day with a photo of modern Jerusalem! Visit our Facebook each day to see a beautiful full-sized photo and verse about Jerusalem.
Help To Build The Holy Temple In Our Time: Donate Generously To Help The Sacred Work Of The Temple Institute! Every contribution helps to rebuild the Holy Temple in our Time!
Interested in Ascending the Temple Mount? Contact us via our website, email us at infotempleinstitute@gmail.com or via our Facebook page. For more information on ascending the Temple Mount in purity, please click here.
Chag Shavuot Sameach the holy city of Jerusalem,
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
www.templeinstitute.org
