Festival of Weeks

By Mary Jane Chaignot

Categories: Ruth, The Bible

Question

What are festal scrolls and what is the Festival of Weeks?
A.S., Connecticut

Answer

The Writings include five scrolls, which were read in the synagogues on festival days. The scrolls were Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Esther. They became known as the festal scrolls.

The Festival of Weeks was the second major festival. It followed Passover (also referred to as the Feast of Unleavened Bread). The Festival of Weeks was primarily a harvest festival. It was celebrated on the day the first fruits of the harvest were presented to the Lord, though its name is derived from the fact that the grain harvest was basically seven weeks long. The harvest season ended with the commemoration of another major festival-- the Feast of Booths. After the destruction of the Temple in 70CE, The Festival of Weeks became known as the feast celebrating the Torah, the giving of the Law.

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