Note 92 — II. OUR DUTIES. (continued 3)

The Feast of Weeks is celebrated on the fiftieth day92 of the Omer (Lev. xxiii. 16); i.e., the 6th of Sivan. It is, in the first place, “the feast of harvest,” ‏חג הקציר‎ (Exod. xxiii. 16), especially of the wheat, and “the day of the first-fruit offering,” ‏יום הבכורים‎ (Num. xxviii. 26). The first sacrifice of the new corn was offered: “the bread of the first-fruit,” which was to serve as an expression of gratitude for the blessing of the harvest. In the absence of sacrifices in our days, the custom widely prevails of adorning the Synagogue and the home with plants and flowers, in order that the sight of these beautiful objects might awaken and strengthen feelings of gratitude toward the Almighty for His loving-kindness. Each one of the plants and flowers reveals a special form of the Creator’s wisdom, power, and goodness.—The feast is called Feast of Weeks, ‏חג השבעות‎ (Deut. xvi. 10), on account of the completion of the seven weeks counted from the day of the Omer.