We had a wonderful time celebrating the last Spring Feast, Shavuot. We enjoyed a quiet Shabbat at home resting and swinging in the hammock, reading Scripture and enjoying each other's company. Then at sundown we started our Shavuot tradition of staying up as late as we can, reading Scripture and talking about why we were staying up late and watching Ten Commandment movies...Silas went to bed at midnight, Malachi crashed on the couch around 12:45 and then we finally sent Shyla to bed (she went very willingly)at 1am. Jamie and I stayed up until 4:15am...then on the 1st day of the week we went over to our friends house, the Patterson's, to renew our vows before YHVH and do a wave offering. No, it wasn't done perfectly according to Scripture, since it's a pilgrimage Feast, but until there is an altar, we simply practice these things to the best of our ability. We had two small loaves (next year I want to attempt to make them with the right amounts of flour etc) and we waved them before YHVH, Jamie stood on one side of the loaves and Mr. Patterson on the other, we were all in a circle. So we had fun with the wave offering and Mr. Patterson started a wave (you know the kind you see in baseball stadiums) and it went around the circle and back again...lol Here are the words we said in our covenant renewal under the chuppah made with our talit held up with tent poles, Patterson's under one chuppah and Kowal's under another but we said the covenant renewal together:
Abba,
We stand before You today, just like the mixed multitude did at the base of Mt. Sinai. Before they even knew what was required of them, they agreed to obey. We stand here today in partial understanding of the covenant we are renewing with You, YHVH. With the help of the Ruach haKodesh we pledge our love and obedience to You and You alone. May Your Spirit make us very aware when we put other things in the seat of the throne that is meant for You alone.
'You are to love YHVH your God with all your strength. This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. And a second is similar to it, you are to love your neighbor as yourself. All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.' Matt 22:37-40
Sh'ma Yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad. Baruch shem kavod, malchuto l'olam va'ed. Hear oh Israel, YHVH is our God, YHVH is one. Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Let these matters that I command you this day, be upon your hearts. Teach them diligently to your children, speak of them when you sit in your homes, when you walk along the way, when you lie down and when you arise. Bind them as a sign upon your hand and as frontlets between your eyes. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
I look forward to the day when we can make the pilgrimage to Israel for the Feast days!
