THE Hebrew Family of Guyana met last Sunday at the Hebrew Culture Centre at 3619 Christiani Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown to celebrate the holy day ‘Chag Shavout’, meaning: ‘Feast of Weeks’.

The service of praise and thanksgiving that followed was led by their Moreem (teachers), and meals were prepared by the sisterhood.

Observance of this holy day is an annual feature, and is in accordance with the Torah or the laws given to Moses by the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Those laws are found in the Bible at Leviticus 23:15-22 and at Deuteronomy 16:9-13.

Chag Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, marks — as the name suggests — commencement of the wheat harvest in the land of Israel, where the Children of Israel were commanded by the Creator to number seven weeks from the time the corn showed its first signs of being ready for harvesting.

At close of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or the Passover season, the Creator commanded that the Children of Israel begin counting from the day after the Sabbath (Sunday) 7 weeks or 49 days; and on the 50th day, they would celebrate and give thanks for the harvest with which He had blessed them.

A release from the Hebrew Family, states: “In this day and time, while some Hebrew Israelites reside in the land of Israel, many Hebrews live in the western hemisphere. Nevertheless, the holy day of Chag Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, maintains its significance to us. We were commanded by the Creator to observe this holy day throughout our generations in all our dwellings. As such, we, the Hebrew Family of Guyana, will be observing the holy day of Chag Shavuot (Feast of Weeks), and wish to extend a joyful, peaceful and prosperous season to all Guyanese.”

(Shirley Thomas)