Counting the Omer and the return of Mashiach

Counting the Omer and the Wave Offering

Daniel ben Ya’acov Ysrael (updated May 2016)

In this paper I want to demonstrate that “barley” * may not be the grain brought the day of the “Firstfruit”. I came to this conclusion following the exhaustive researches I had concerning YHWH’s calendar in a class I attended in 2012. This is a simple conclusion of facts. Further we will discover the deep meaning of the counting of the Omer and how it relate and confirm the return of Mashiach Yehoshua.http://danielbenyaacovysrael.blogspot.fr/2014/04/calendar-according-to-moshe-vs.html
In order to grasp the deep meaning of this paper you should first read:
http://danielbenyaacovysrael.blogspot.fr/2014/04/calendar-according-to-moshe-vs.html

*Today 2016, I have to think again concerning the barley. Due to research about the original barley and wheat which are not what we call "barley" and "wheat" nowaday, the original grain wher far different from the modified grain we know today.
Spelt is whar we know as wheat and was planted differently as it is today.
Barley

The Gezer Calendar

This is illustrated by a stone tablet from Gezer (see top of page) assumed to be part of a 10th century BCE schoolboy's exercise. It is not an official calendar. 

In seven lines, it lists the months and seasons as:

• 1: 2 months Olive Harvest (Sept/Oct or Oct/Nov), first the picking of the olives then the pressing for oil.
• 2: 2 months Sowing: The next two months (Nov./Dec or Dec/Jan) come, in Israel, after the first winter rains and, as a rule, after the ploughing, done at the end of October and early November. This was the grain-sowing season.
• 3: 2 months Late Planting: January to March was the time for sowing millet, sesame, lentils, chick peas, melons, cucumbers and so on.
• 4: 1 month Hoeing: This was especially the period for cutting the flax. This was done with a hoe as the plants must be cut close to the ground so that the full length of the stalk can be used, when dried and treated, to make thread and cloth.
• 5: 1 month Grain Harvest: * Barley is harvested in April in the south and in May in the north. Wheat and spelt come later in May/June. The grain was cut by a sickle, made before the 10th century BC from flint chips set in a haft made of wood or bone. Later, a small curved wooden blade was affixed to a wooden handle. The grain was separated from the straw and husks by spreading the cut plants on a specially prepared threshing floor outside the village and then driving oxen round and round over it, pulling a threshing sledge which might be flat or on small rollers. The grain was then winnowed and sieved, and finally stored in large jars. Rooms full of such jars are not uncommon in excavations.
• 6: 1 month Festivals: Seven weeks from the beginning of the grain harvest (Dt. 16:9) or at about the time it was completed, a pilgrimage was made to the sanctuary bearing an offering of "first fruits" for the festival of Pentecost (Shavuoth).  In later usage, the Hebrew terms for "early harvest" or "first fruits" have acquired the wider meaning of "choice" fruits or produce.
• 7: 2 months Vine Tending: During the hot summer months of June/July or July/August, after the grain harvest, vines were pruned and the vineyards weeded and cleaned in preparation for the grape harvest.
• 8: 1 month Summer Fruits: The last month of the agricultural calendar (August/Sept.) was devoted to harvesting summer fruit, especially grapes, figs and pomegranates.

According to the oldest liturgical calendars, (Ex. 23:14-17; 34:18-23), the first month, Nisan, during which the feast of Unleavened Bread was celebrated, began in the spring, approximately March-April in modern terms. 

as seen in the beginning of the text harvest was in march, AVIV the first month according to the Torah which take place at the eqinox ( 20 of march in 2016).

Ancient calendar for farmers

The Gezer Calendar (see right) is a limestone tablet about 4inches (10cm) tall. It dates from the time of Solomon, in the mid-10th century BC. It describes the agricultural cycle month by month, giving the tasks to be performed at certain times of the year. 

August and September are times of harvest, October and November for planting. February is devoted to cultivation of flax, and March to the barley harvest, etc.

The Gezer Calendar is desciphered at the bottom of this page. It has the farmer's tasks for each month of the year.

The annual cycle

The major festivals in Israel were closely linked with the farmer's annual cycle. The Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread were celebrated at the beginning of the barley harvest. Fifty days later came the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, when the wheat harvest began. The Feast of Tabernacles, or Ingathering, took place when the harvest was complete.

Sowing and ploughing began in about the middle of October at the time of the early rains. This was followed by harrowing and weeding. The later rains were vital for ripening the crops, and the rainy season usually ended around early April. Harvesting began with the barley harvest, around the middle of April. The gathering of the grain harvest, the summer fruits, and the grapes lasted until August and September, although the last olives were finally picked in November.

In many areas, the rabbis follow blind, traditions of men. This is not new, it was already so in the time of our Master Yehoshua HaMashiach, and has not changed since ever:

Matt 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?.................6……………………….Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition

This was not a new view from Yehoshua; it has been from long time so:

Jer 23:33 And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of יהוה? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith יהוה.

Jer 23:34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of יהוה, I will even punish that man and his house.

Jer 23:35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath יהוה answered? and, What hath יהוה spoken?

Jer 23:36 And the burden of יהוה shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living Elohim, of יהוה of hosts our Elohim.

Jer 8:8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of יהוה is with us? Lo, certainly the lying pen of the scribes hath made it falsehood.

Jer 8:9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of יהוה; and what wisdom is in them?

The counting of the Omer, the first cutting and harvest of Shavuot, and Yeshua’s words from Mattityahu 24:36*, as they more likely have a connection to the Torah] mandated festival referred to as Shavuot – the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22) and not, as most believe, to the first  day  of  the  seventh month  – the  Feast of  Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25) or as some say, “Rosh HaShanah.”At least since the days of Jewish historian Flavius Josephus ben Mattityahu (“Josephus”), the counting of the Omer According to the Torah the day of counting the omer is supposed to start when two important conditions are met:

*Matt 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

The counting of the “Omer” in ancient time, in Ysrael was directly connected to the grain harvest and as we will see more particular to the Wheat harvest.

Lev 23:15 ‘And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths.

Lev 23:16 ‘Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you “have” counted fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to יהוה.

1) From the morrow after the Shabbath

2) From the day you bring the sheaf of the wave offering

Of course today there is no discussion among messianic on "what is the sheaf offering made of" and what does "the day after the Shabbath" means. the sixteenth of Avi  (the day after Passover) and the counting of the Omer begins on that same day along with an Omer of barley; what is called in Hebrew Raisheet K’tzir or the “first cutting” or “first harvest” offering (not “bikkurim” or “firstfruits” as the English translators like to call it. Bikkurim is actually the term used specifically for Shavuot on the fiftieth day of the Omer).

Yeshua’s words in Mattityahu 24:36 that, “No man knows the day or the hour”, brings some light on this subject between the start of the counting of the Omer and the end of the harvest at Shavuot. To start, let us look at Deuteronomy 16:9:

Deu 16:9  “Count seven weeks for yourself. Begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain.

How does it make sense with what Yeshua says in Matt. 24 concerning the "day and hour"? Because, it is the authority of our Father in Heaven who controls the Land of Ysrael cooling and heating, former and later rain. In the 49 days and seven “shabbot” (weeks) following the "putting the sickle to the grain" farmers all over Ysrael were finished to harvest their grain. Ysrael is a land with different climat zone and grain do not mature at the same time in different place and thus each farmer's cutting cannot be predicted ahead of time, they could only harvest when the grain permitted it.

No farmer could know precisely when to put the sickle to a field of his own standing grain until that moment of certainty came. Then, at the right hour, a farmer could say, “Now, is the time. I will begin my harvest so that I have food to eat in the coming year and I have a part of my cutting to bring to the Temple on Shavuot, since I "am" commanded "to" not" come "empty handed!” (Deuteronomy 16:16).

Deu 16:16  “Three times a year all your males appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Booths. And none should appear before יהוה empty-handed,

Ancient historian Josephus Falvius write in Antiquities of the Jews, book 3 chapter 10, section 5, following:

" In the month of Xanthicus, which is by us called Nisan, and is the beginning of our year, on the fourteenth day of the lunar month, when the sun is in Aries, (for in this month it was that we were delivered from bondage under the Egyptians,) the law ordained that we should every year slay that sacrifice which I before told you we slew when we came out of Egypt, and which was called the Passover; and so we do celebrate this Passover in companies, leaving nothing of what we sacrifice till the day following. The feast of unleavened bread succeeds that of the Passover, and falls on the fifteenth day of the month, and continues seven days, wherein they feed on unleavened bread; on every one of which days two bulls are killed, and one ram, and seven lambs. Now these lambs are entirely burnt, besides the kid of the goats which is added to all the rest, for sins; for it is intended as a feast for the priest on every one of those days. But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them. And while they suppose it proper to honor God, from whom they obtain this plentiful provision, in the first place, they offer the first-fruits of their barley, and that in the manner following: They take a handful of the ears, and dry them, then beat them small, and purge the barley from the bran; they then bring one tenth deal to the altar, to God; and, casting one handful of it upon the fire, they leave the rest for the use of the priest. And after this it is that they may publicly or privately reap their harvest. They also at this participation of the first-fruits of the earth, sacrifice a lamb, as a burnt-offering to God".

Based on this many today still claim the Barley to be the determining point for the 'time to put the sickle to the grain (d'varim16:15).

Josephus, a faithful “Orthodox Jew” to the Pharisaic practice of his day, tells us that a wave sheaf (Hebrew: Omer) offering of barley (Hebrew: S’orah) was offered to YHWH on the sixteenth of the month (of Aviv).

Talmud - Mas. Menachoth 65a

WHAT WAS THE PROCEDURE? THE MESSENGERS OF THE BETH DIN USED TO GO OUT ON THE DAY BEFORE THE FESTIVAL AND TIE THE UNREAPED CORN IN BUNCHES TO MAKE IT THE EASIER TO REAP. ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWNS NEAR BY ASSEMBLED THERE, SO THAT IT MIGHT BE REAPED WITH MUCH DISPLAY. AS SOON AS IT BECAME DARK HE CALLED OUT, ‘HAS THE SUN SET’? AND THEY ANSWERED. ‘YES.’ HAS THE SUN SET’? AND THEY ANSWERED, ‘YES.’ WITH THIS SICKLE’?  AND THEY ANSWERED, ‘YES’.‘WITH THIS SICKLE’? AND THEY ANSWERED, YES’. ‘INTO THIS BASKET’?  AND THEY ANSWERED, ‘YES’. INTO THIS BASKET’? AND THEY ANSWERED. ‘YES’. ON THE SABBATH HE CALLED OUT FURTHER, ON THIS SABBATH’? AND THEY ANSWERED. ‘YES’. ‘ON THIS SABBATH’? AND THEY ANSWERED. ‘YES’. ‘SHALL I REAP’?

 AND THEY ANSWERED, REAP’. ‘SHALL I REAP’? AND THEY ANSWERED,  ‘REAP’. HE REPEATED EVERY MATTER THREE TIMES, AND THEY ANSWERED, ‘YES.’ ‘YES.’ ‘YES’. AND WHY WAS ALL THIS? BECAUSE OF THE BOETHUSIANS  WHO MAINTAINED THAT THE REAPING OF THE ‘OMER WAS NOT TO TAKE PLACE AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE [FIRST DAY OF THE] FESTIVAL.

let us now have a look at Leviticus 23 and step through verses 10-13

Lev 23:9 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Lev 23:10 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and you shall say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits (Raisheet K’tzirchem) of your harvest to the priest.

Here, we learn from the Torah, in straightforward language, that from the moment Israel enters the Land and begins its harvest of the harvest (Hebrew: K’tzir, when the sickle touches the standing grain – (Deuteronomy 16:9), that the Kohen is to take a certain measurement of that grain (not the stalks, but the grain from the stalks) and offer it collectively on behalf of the nation, to YHWH, for their good; for their acceptance. This national, collective offering is described as the"Omer (the “Sheaf”) ] the Land’s first cutting (Hebrew: Raisheet K’tzir – first harvest; not“bikkurim”. Bikkurim is the term used specifically for Shavuot on the fiftieth days of the Omer.

Lev 23:11 ‘And he shall wave the sheaf before יהוה, for your acceptance. On the morrow after the Sabbath (not the Gregorian/Julian satruday shabbat) the priest waves it.

Lev 23:12  ‘And on that day when you wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering to יהוה,

Lev 23:13 and its grain offering: two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to יהוה, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine.

Here, the Torah specifies that when the Kohen waves the Omer of the new growth of the Land, a specific burnt offering should also be added along with a very specific “two tenths” of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil.

Lev 23:14 ‘And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

Here, the Torah is once again straightforward; we are not allowed to eat of the new growth until we have made this offering – the offering of the Omer ] and this applies to all of us, in our generations, in our dwelling places,  in the Land, and not outside Eretz Ysrael.

let us look back to the verse 13:

Lev 23:13 and its grain offering (Hebrew: mincha): two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour (solet) mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to יהוה, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine.

The Hebrew text specifically tells us that this national offering of Raisheet K’tzir (first harvest), which occurs the day after the Sabbath is supposed to be accompanied with “mincha” (a grain offering) and this grain offering is specifically declared to be solet, which is translated into English as “fine flour.” This being said about the details of the “first cutting” or “first harvest,” let us once again look at what the Pharisees were doing, according to Flavius Josephus: …they" offer" (Raisheet K’tzir – “first" harvest”) of their barley….

So, the question that really needs to be asked is this: Is solet, barley? The answer is No. Solet is not barley because solet is always finely crushed wheat (I will explain this in a moment) and barley is s’orah in Hebrew, which is solet’s antonym; that  is, rough and coarse. Solet is from the Hebrew word “Samech" “Lamed" “Tav”, but in Modern Hebrew it is spelled: "Samech", "Vav", "Lamed", "Tav".

Different words to define:

- Barley

- Wheat

2Ki 7:1 And Elisha said, “Hear the word of יהוה. Thus said יהוה, ‘About this time tomorrow, a seah of fine flour (solet) for a sheqel, and two seahs of barley (s'orah) for a sheqel, at the gate of Shomeron.’ ”

Fine flour: H5560 סלת sôleth

From an unused root meaning to strip; flour (as chipped off): - (fine) flour, meal.

Barley: H8184 שׂערה ś^e‛ôrâh 

(1,2) seh-o-raw',

(The feminine form meaning the plant and the masculine form meaning the grain (second form)); from H8175 in the sense of roughness; barley (as villose): - barley.

H8175  שׂער  śâ‛ar

A prim root; to storm; by implication to shiver, that is, fear: - be (horribly) afraid, fear, hurl as a storm, be tempestuous, come like (take away as with) a whirlwind.

 Fine flour is written in Hebrew:  samech (60) lamed(30), tav(400) (490). In English the word is "seminola" or "cream of the wheat", the best part of the wheat.

Barley:

2Sa 17:28 brought beds and basins, and earthen vessels and wheat (chittah), and barley (s'orah) and flour (qamach), and roasted grain and beans, and lentils, and parched vegetables,

Qamach: H7058 קמח qemach, written Qof (100, mem(40), chet (8) (148)

keh'-makh

From an unused root probably meaning to grind; flour: - flour, meal.

The general term for flour is: Qemach

Solet meaning "Fine flour" (from wheat) in: 2nd Kings 7:16, 1st chron. 23:29, Ezek.16:13, 46:14, Exod. 29:2, Lev. 24:5 (lechem Panim/ Bread of the face), Exod.34:22 Firstfruits of "chittah" (wheat)

Exo 34:22  “And perform the Festival of Weeks for yourself, of the first-fruits of wheat (chittah) harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

Babylonian Talmud sotah 14a  s'horah (Barley) was considered animal food and food for the poor people.

Rev 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wage, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wage. And do not harm the oil and the wine.”

Rev 18:13 and cinnamon and incense, and fragrant oil and frankincense, and wine and oil, and fine flour (Greek. Semidalis) and wheat, and cattle and sheep, and horses and carriages, and bodies and lives of men.

The Greek word semidalis correspond to the English word seminola in Hebrew “solet”.

Mat 13:33 Another parable He spoke to them, “The reign of the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until all was leavened.”

Lev 2:1‘And when anyone brings a grain offering (minchah) to יהוה, his offering is to be of fine flour (solet). And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it,

Barley (s'orah) always the first to ripen in Eretz Ysrael, about four weeks later come the wheat (chittah)

Barley: A picture of manmade laws who appeals to the "animal nature".

Wheat: The wheat requires a very specific P.H of the soil, it is fragile and needs a lot od water, while Barley can withstand a lot of abuse.

Vayiqra/Lev. 2:1, "grain offering" (minchah) from "cream of wheat" (solet). Chittah (wheat) depends on the later rain:

Joe 2:23  And ye sons of Zion, joy and rejoice, In Yehovah your God, For He hath given to you the Teacher for righteousness, And causeth to come down to you a shower, Sprinkling and gathered--in the beginning.

Joe 2:23  And so be glad, children of Zion, and rejoice in Yehovah your God, because he has given you the right amount of early rain, and he will cause the rain to fall for you, both the early rain and the later rain as before.

Joe 2:23  Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in Yehovah your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

Talmud Menachot 84a, the rabbis argue wither it is Barley or wheat, because of the expression: "in the ear"

We are commended to bring the best for the minchah of the Firstfruits , not Barley, animal food, but "solet" (cream of the wheat)  from  "chittah"(wheat).

Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Yehovah.

His offering was rejected; it was not "the best".

To bring "solet" (fine flour) from the "chittah" (wheat) in the "aviv" (green ears) stage.

Another witness:

Eze 16:13 “Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour (solet), and honey, and oil. And you were exceedingly pretty, and became fit for royalty.

Eze 16:19  “And My food which I gave you, fine flour (solet) and oil and honey which I fed you, you set it before them as sweet incense – and so it was,” declares the Master יהוה.

So, what exactly is “solet”? Solet is what we would call today semolina. English translators use the phrase, “fine flour.”

In the Septuagint (LXX), solet is semidalis and in the Latin Vulgate, solet is simila,

both terms referring to finely ground wheat flour, not barley. Solet is essentially what we would call “cream of wheat.” During wheat milling, the bran, germ and  endosperm  are  separated  and  the  endosperm  breaks  into  grains of  about  0.25mm ] 0.75mm in diameter. These grains are further processed to produce fine wheat flour, also called “choice flour” in the Bible. Essentially, this is the best of the best when it comes to the processing and breaking apart of the wheat kernel.

From the passages above, you can clearly see that solet and se’orah (wheat and barley) are two different varieties of flour. In other words, solet is not se’orah and se’orah is not solet. They are different; and rightly, they should be.  Since solet is the fine flour of the processed wheat grain, then what is the general term for “wheat” in Hebrew? The biblical term is Chitah – “Chet" “Tet" “Heh”. 

Below are some passages that specifically refer to chitah or wheat, in general:

2Sa 17:28 brought beds and basins, and earthen vessels and wheat (chitah), and barley (se'orah) and flour (kamach), and roasted grain and beans, and lentils, and parched vegetables,

Deu 8:8  a land of wheat (chitah) and barley (se'orah), of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey,

Isa 28:24 Does the ploughman keep ploughing all day to sow? Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods?

Isa 28:25 When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow the caraway and scatter the cumin, plant the wheat (chitah) in rows, the barley (se'orah) in the appointed place, and the spelt in its place?

Joe 1:11 The farmers are ashamed, the vinedressers wail over the wheat (chitah) and over the barley (se'orah), for the harvest of the field is destroyed.

Solet is choice and creamy; barley is rough and coarse. It is this flour – the solet – that is always offered to or is  used in the  service  and  worship of YHWH in the biblical texts (cf. Numbers 6:15, 7:13, 8:8). Let us take a look:

Exo 29:1  “And this is the task you shall do to them to set them apart to serve Me as priests: Take one young bull and two rams, perfect ones,

Exo 29:2 and unleavened bread, and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil – make these of wheat flour (solet chitim).

Lev 2:1 ‘And when anyone brings a grain offering to יהוה, his offering is to be of fine flour (solet). And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it,

In the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, there are many references to the solet (fine flour) of chitah its use and service to YHWH. Now, in Hebrew, there is yet another more general word for flour. This is Kemach – “Kuf" “Mem" “Chet”. Kemach can mean any kind of flour – wheat, barley, rye, spelt; whatever you wish. Here are a few biblical references to kemach in Hebrew scripture:

Jdg 6:19  And Giḏʽon went in, and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ĕphah of flour (kemach). The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot. And he brought them out to Him, under the terebinth tree, and presented it.

Isa 47:2 “Take the millstones and grind flour (kemach). Remove your veil, lift up the skirt, uncover the leg,pass through rivers.

Hos 8:7 “For they sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; it yields no grain (kemach). If it does yield, strangers swallow it up.

If kemach is attached to the Hebrew word solet, then it specifically refers to

fine wheat flour. If kemach is attached to se’orah then it refers to barley flour, so 

forth and so on. Here are a couple of examples from Hebrew scripture:

Num 5:15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. And he shall bring the offering for her, one-tenth of an ĕphah of barley flour (kemach se'orah). He is not to pour oil on it or put frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering for remembering, for bringing crookedness to remembrance.

Gen 18:6 So Aḇraham ran into the tent to Sarah and said, “Hurry, make ready three measures of fine flour (kemach solet), knead it and make cakes.”

In Genesis 18:6 and true to the biblical use of solet, Abraham offered the messengers of YHWH bread cakes made from solet (fine flour of wheat) not from the flour of se’orah (barley). Abraham offered the finest of his food – baked cakes from fine wheat flour ] to these messengers of YHWH and rightly so, since they were sent to him in the name of YHWH.

Leviticus 2:1

Lev 2:1 ‘And when anyone brings a grain (mincha) offering to יהוה, his offering is to be of fine flour (solet). And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it,

Now, according to Leviticus 23:12-13 we have this biblical statement of detail:

Lev 23:12  ‘And on that day when you wave the sheaf (omer), you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering to יהוה,

Lev 23:13 and its grain (mincha) offering: two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour (solet) mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to יהוה, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine.

In Leviticus 2:1 the Divine Will is to receive from us solet whenever we

perform mincha or a grain offering to YHWH. Now, look at Leviticus 23:12-13,

and notice that the Raisheet K’tzir (first cutting) of an Omer offering is called

mincha or a grain offering. Thus, putting the two biblical references together and

knowing that YHWH wants fine flour (solet) from us when we offer mincha (a

grain offering), it is suspicious that Pharisaic/Rabbinic Judaism continues on

this path to promote and teach that the Shavuot count of the Omer to YHWH

must come from se’orah or barley and not from solet chitim or fine wheat flour.

Once again, exactly as Flavius Josephus mentions (Antiquities 3.10.5):

…in" the" first" place," they offer the first fruits (Raisheet K’tzir) of their barley. A long time ago, Pharisaic/Rabbinic Judaism established a precedent that

the fifty]day/seven]week counting of the Omer leading to Shavuot, starts with barley. Today’s Messianics and  Ephraimites follow  the  same  Pharisaic

Even the Talmud raise a doubt concerning the barley:

Talmud - Mas. Menachoth 84a

Rabbah raised the following objection: The verse, and if thou bring a meal-offering of

first-fruits. refers to the meal-offering of the ‘Omer. Of what was it offered? Of barley. You say ‘of barley’; but perhaps it is not so but rather of wheat! Said R. Eliezer, The expression ‘in the ear’is stated in regard to the incidents in Egypt, and the expression ‘in the ear’ is also stated as an ordinance for generations: just as ‘in the ear’ stated in regard to the incidents in Egypt referred to the barley, so ‘in the ear’ stated as an ordinance for generations refers to barley only. R. Akiba said, We find that an individual must offer wheat as an obligation and also barley as an obligation; likewise we find that the community must offer wheat as an obligation and also barley as an obligation.

Should you say, then, that the ‘Omer was offered of wheat, we would not find a case when the community must offer barley as an obligation! Another explanation: Should you say that the ‘Omer was offered of wheat, then the Two Loaves would not be first-fruits! Hence the reason for it is that it must be first-fruits. This is indeed a refutation.

the “showbread” for the Temple was supposed to be baked from solet chitim (fine flour) and not se’orah (barley). Again, here is the commandment as specified in Leviticus 24:5-8:

Lev 24:5 “And you shall take fine flour (solet) and bake twelve cakes with it, two-tenths of an ĕphah in each cake.

Lev 24:6 “And you shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the clean table before יהוה.

Lev 24:7 “And you shall put clear frankincense on each row, and it shall be on the bread as a remembrance portion, an offering made by fire to יהוה.

Lev 24:8 “On every Sabbath he is to arrange it before יהוה continually, from the children of Yisra’ĕl – an everlasting covenant.

The “Lechem haPanim” – “showbread” was always supposed to rest in the     

Holy Place, in the face of YHWH as a reminder of His love, covenant, and

commitment to the sons of Israel. This baked bread made of solet– fine flour ]

was to symbolically represent the redeemed twelve tribes “Israel of Elohim,”

even as Sha’ul (Paul) understood the idea in Galatians 6:16, saying:

Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and compassion be upon them, and upon the Yisra’ĕl of Elohim.

The symbolic “solet” of the “grain” from the fields that have been harvested as wheat is harvested. This being said let us now have a closer look at “se’orah” or what barley represents.

Barley– Food for People; Food for Animals

Jdg 7:13  And Giḏʽon came, and see, a man was relating a dream to his companion, and said, “See I had a dream, and see, a loaf of barley bread (lechem se'orah) tumbled into the camp of Miḏyan, and it came to a tent and smote it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent fell down.”

Jdg 7:14 And his companion answered and said, “This is nil else than the sword of Giḏʽon son of Yo’ash, a man of Yisra’ĕl. Elohim has given Miḏyan and all the camp into his hand.”

1Ki 4:27  And these governors, each one in his month, provided food for Sovereign Shelomoh and for all who came to the table of Sovereign Shelomoh. There was no lack in their supply.

1Ki 4:28 They also brought barley (se'orah) and straw to the appointed place, for the horses and steeds, each one according to his right- ruling.

2Ch 2:15 “And now, the wheat (chitim) and the barley (se'orim), the oil and the wine which my master has spoken of, let him send to his servants.

Not only was barley a food of our physical sustenance in ancient Israel but  it also served to educate Israel in a spiritual lesson about the flesh or animal nature of man, which is supposed to be held in subjection to the Word of YHWH.

Wheat foreshadows man’s redeemed nature that wants to please his Creator, and to do what his regenerated soul would want to do according to the Spirit of YHWH. This is seen in the fact that the wheat kernel contains a thinner layer of tough bran, easily supple.

A gift to YHWH, in the form of a grain offering (Leviticus 2:1) was always presented with solet (crushed wheat); fine flour that symbolizes redemption; a new nature; humility; submitting to YHWH’s Will; characteristics of our new redeemed nature. Conversely, “se’orah” (barley) signifies actions of the flesh; being crafty and clever; in looking for clever loopholes to get around the instructions of YHWH; explaining away divine directives and making innovations in the Law. This is what Yeshua said about the nature of the P’rushim (Pharisees) of his day in Mark 7:1]13, after quoting a scathing word from Isaiah 29:13;  You" nicely" set" aside" the" commandment" of" Elohim in" order" to" keep" your"

tradition. (Mark"7:9)

The parable of Yeshua in Mattityahu 13:1-30 is clearly a lesson that teaches that the seed is the Word and the Word is wheat, and the wheat is the mincha (grain  offering)  Raisheet K’tzir “first  cutting”  of  Weeks (Shavuot). 

Matt 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

Matt 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

Matt 13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

Matt 13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

Matt 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

Matt 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

Matt 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Yehoshua gives the explanation of the parable :

 Matt 13:36 Then Yahushua sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

Matt 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

Matt 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed (WHEAT verse 25) are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

Matt 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

Matt 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

Matt 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

Matt 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Matt 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Please take note that verse 40, Yehoshua tells us that this is the End Time Harvest, because we will see later how it relate to:
-The counting of the Omer

-The Elect
-The 144 000

-Shavuot

-The five wise virgins

This is all according to Numbers 28:26, which commences the count of the Omer according

to  Deuteronomy  16:9,  ending seven  weeks  later,  on  the  fiftieth  day, on  what  is called  Shavuot. Again (forgive my repetition),  chitah and not se’orah is at  the  core of Yeshua’s parable about the sower and the seed. Further evidence that the Raisheet K’tzir (first harvest) is about cutting and not about  wheat  or barley. It is  also  understood from Leviticus chapter 2.

Vayikrah (Leviticus)  chapter  2  is  all  about  grain" offerings,  in  Hebrew  – mincha, hence the name of the Babylonian tractate Menachot. For the sake of a little repetition, I want you to carefully pay attention to the Hebrew terminology that is being used in Leviticus 2 and further, I do not think that any English text will bring this out to our benefit; in Hebrew, it is much clearer. Here is Leviticus chapter 2:1

Lev 2:1 ‘And when anyone brings a grain (mincha) offering to יהוה, his offering is to be of fine flour (solet). And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it, Solet does" not" come" from" se’orah" or" barley Solet comes from  the  crushing process of chitah, which is wheat For all mincha; that is, from all grain offerings to YHWH, “solet” is given as the flour of  choice in  the divine commandment. Bu in the context of Leviticus 2, something else emerges and again, I think it may only be understood in Hebrew and not in English. Let us have a look at Leviticus 2:14 in English:

Also" if" you" bring" a" grain" offering" of" early ripened things (aviv) to YHWH," you" shall" bring" fresh" heads" of "grain" roasted in "the "fire, "grits" of "new" growth, "for" the "grain" offering" of "your" early ripened things (aviv).

The context of Leviticus 2:1 is about “mincha” – a grain offering and  grain offerings are required from solet, which is made from wheat. Now, let us look at what is written in Exodus 9:31 concerning “se’orah”:

Exo 9:31 And the flax and the barley were smitten, for the barley was in the head (aviv) and the flax was in bud.

Exo 9:32  But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten, for they were late crops.

What I see by comparing Leviticus 2:1 with 2:14 and then comparing those statements with Exodus 9:31, is that “se’orah (barley) and “chitah” (wheat) can both go through a growth stage of Aviv. I do not see that ONLY BARLEY can be Aviv. Rather, it appears that WHEAT can also be Aviv but it is not spelled out as”such in Exodus 9:31.  However, because wheat is at the core of the established grain offerings, the context of Lev. 2 supports this idea that wheat can also be Aviv. “Mincha” grain offerings do not come from    se’orah (barley). According to Exodus 9:31, barley ripens first (which is proven true by the sheer fact that we can physically see it with our eyes every year). Following barley, wheat then ripens to Aviv about four weeks later. Essentially, se’orah and chitah both ripen to Aviv at around the same time in Eretz Israel, generally within a month of each other.

In any case, the first of the months of the year according to Exodus 12:1, 13:4, 23:15, 34:18; Deuteronomy 16:1 appear to all be based on the emergence of Aviv wheat and Aviv barley. When these grasses produce kernels that are in the stage of Aviv, then scripture tells us that we are IN THE CHODESH/RENEWAL  (Moon/Month) OF AVIV or “springtime.” This is at the precise time when we came out of Egypt so long ago.      

Identifying the presence of Aviv barley determines the new month and the New Year for us because barley is the first to ripen in Israel and by the last day of the   twelfth month, we simply have to know if the t’kufah – the annual cycle of the previous twelve months needs to be reset to the beginning of the year (month one, day one) OR if we need to go on to add an intercalated additional month (month thirteen, day one).      

Again, if the barley is Aviv by the end of the twelfth cycle of the biblical Hebrew calendar, then this will tell us that we are approaching the chodesh of Exodus 12:1. As I see things, this is the only purpose for doing an Aviv barley search, at least as far as I understand things: to determine if we can reset the biblical calendar back to month one, day one OR if we need to add a thirteenth month AND THEN reset back to month one, day one AFTER the thirteenth month concludes. 

Once we know where we are in any given calendar year, then why look back to se’orah or barley to determine anything more? It really is not necessary and once we are past the physical identification and observance of Aviv barley in the twelfth month, our next objective should be to move into the realm of looking for Aviv wheat, so that we can know when to put the sickle to the standing grain and start the count of the Omer (Deuteronomy 16:9). Once we can determine that we have Aviv wheat, then we should put the sickle to the standing

grain beginning with the very next “Sunday” on the, “day after the Sabbath” This is what scripture tells us in Leviticus 2:15   

Lev 2:15 ‘And you shall put oil on it, and lay frankincense on it. It is a grain offering (minchah).

I have explain in the paper “Calendar according to Moshe” that the season is bound to the “tekufah” (vernal equinox) to determine the starting of the spring season!

http://danielbenyaacovysrael.blogspot.fr/2014/04/calendar-according-to-moshe-vs.html

CONCLUSION:
Unlike I thought before, Barleynis the grain by which the new year will be determine together with the eqinox, at the time the grain will be AVIV after the Chodesh BUT before the FEAST of CHAG HA MAZOT or PESACH.

END PART ONE

Part 2:

The Counting of the Omer and the returning of Mashiach

We now will look at the Renewed Covenant and the Counting of the Omer in the last days, the time we are now living.

Today in Orthodox circles, the “counting of the omer” called “Lag B'Omer “ is done in different ways: Here an example of the Orthodox view from “aish.com”

In Israel, months before the advent of the festival of Lag B’Omer -- the 33^rd day of the Omer, the 49 days that bridge between Passover and Shavuot -- one can see youngsters dragging all types of combustibles, from fallen trees to broken chairs to old mattresses. Their destination? The nearest empty lot, where they pile their treasured possessions to impossible heights and wait with eager anticipation until the night of Lag B'Omer, arguably their favorite time of year, when they turn the piles into enormous conflagrations. Ask anyone what the bonfires are for, and you'll be told they are in celebration of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a great sage who lived and taught approximately half a century after the destruction of the second Temple.

What lies behind this rather enigmatic festival of Lag B’Omer? What’s so special about the 33^rd day of the Omer? And who was Rabbi Shimon, to whose name Lag B’Omer is inextricably tied, and why do we celebrate him? And why the bonfires?
Some Background
The first 33 days of the Omer are observed as a period of mourning. We do not take haircuts, perform weddings, or listen to music. What’s the mourning all about?
Rabbi Akiva, the towering sage of the Mishna, exerted a powerful influence on the Torah scholars of his day, to the point that he had 24,000 disciples. Great as the members of this group was, they had one short-coming: They failed to show proper love and respect for one another. The tragic consequence of this shortcoming was a brief but cataclysmic epidemic that claimed the lives of these students – all 24,000 of them. The period during which the epidemic took place was none other than the first 32 days of the Omer.
To get a better idea of the impact this tragedy had on the Jewish People for posterity, consider the following facts: All of the Torah that we possess and study today, with all of its interpretations, perspectives, dimensions and applications, is all the Torah of Rabbi Akiva. Although the Oral Torah always existed, each Torah personality who immerses himself in Torah adds his own understanding and flavor to Torah*, thus enriching the Torah which will be passed on to the next generation. As we shall see, the Torah we have was transmitted to us by Rabbi Akiva via the five students whom he taught after the loss of his first group of disciples.
* Deut 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of יהוה your Elohim which I command you.
Matt 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of Elohim by your tradition?

 
The Torah we study today is endless. One can study for a lifetime and not “finish” it. But it is not complete. There are whole areas and dimensions of Torah that are not satisfactorily explored; there is much argument and there are many areas of confusion. All of this might well have been different had we received the full breath of Rabbi Akiva’s Torah, as assimilated and interpreted by 24,000 disciples, along with their unique perspectives and understanding. The demise of the first group of students essentially resulted in our receiving only a fraction of Rabbi Akiva’s Torah. Instead of its full amplification by 24,000 great human beings, we have only the interpretations of five.

We are mourning the lost dimensions of Torah.

It is not so much the lives that were cut short that we mourn; after all, they wouldn’t be alive today even had they lived long lives! It is rather the lost dimensions of Torah, the lost worlds of Torah, that we mourn. We mourn our own lack of ability to connect fully to Torah which was caused by that loss.
Need Each Other
It is significant that the death of the first group students was the result of a lack of love and respect amongst themselves. The Oral Torah can only exist on the basis of continuous absorption and incorporation of new perspectives, interpretations, and applications. These new discoveries are unique to those who discover them, but then become the legacy of the entire Jewish people. Torah is only complete when enhanced by each and every Jew. No Jew on his own, no matter how smart, talented or advanced, can reach the totality of Torah. Therefore a prerequisite for connecting fully with the Torah is the ability to appreciate the contribution of another. As the Sages ask, leading into an invaluable teaching “Who is wise?” Their response: “One who learns from every person” (Ethics of the Fathers, 4:1).
The 33^rd day of the Omer signified a new period in the life of Rabbi Akiva. The last students of his aborted legacy died, and he established a new venue for his legacy. This consisted of five sages. Their names were Rabbi Meir; Rabbi Yehuda; Rabbi Elazar; Rabbi Nechemiah; and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. All of these names are familiar to any student of Mishna or Talmud, but the most prominent among them is the sage Rabbi Shimon, about whom we shall learn more. (There is an opinion that Rabbi Shimon later died on the 33^rd of the Omer, and we therefore celebrate his memory on that day.)
If these five new students were able to survive and keep the chain going, there must have been a qualitative difference between them and their fellow disciples of Rabbi Akiva. If the first group failed in their interpersonal relationships, the second were able to rectify that defect. Just as we mourn the dimensions of Torah lost through lack of appreciation for one another, so do we celebrate the reclaimed dimensions that were made possible by devotion to one another.
All of this transpired specifically during the Omer, the period of time leading up to our celebration of the receiving of the Torah at Sinai. This is because preparing for receiving the Torah is all about integration into the Jewish People. God did not give the Torah to me, you or any other individual. He gave it to the Jewish people as a whole. One who cannot put himself within the context of the Jewish people cannot connect to God’s gift of Torah.
So on a deeper level, we mourn that part of ourselves which refuses to recognize the fact that someone else might have something valuable to add to our lives or understanding of Torah. Once we have internalized the depth of the destruction this tendency can cause us, we are ready to begin again with a fresh awareness of the greatness of our peers and acquaintances. We are now ready to celebrate our integration into the totality of the Jewish people and to use that wholeness as background for understanding the Torah.
Additionally, we are ready to celebrate the re-establishment of Rabbi Akiva’s legacy, which is what sustains us in our commitment to Torah study and observance until this day. Rabbi Akiva was destined as the man who would transmit the Torah to posterity. If not for this re-establishment, there would be no Torah.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
Significantly, it was Rabbi Shimon, most prominent of Rabbi Akiva’s disciples, who affirmed the immortality of the chain of transmission of the Oral Torah. In a discussion recorded in the Talmud (Shabbat 138a), some sages voiced the opinion that the Torah was destined to be forgotten. Rabbi Shimon said, “God forbid that the Torah shall ever be forgotten!” He buttressed his view with a verse from the Torah, “For it (the Torah) will not be forgotten from the mouth of progeny of the Jews.” (Even today, visitors to Rabbi Shimon’s tomb, nestled among the breathtaking mountains of northern Israel, are greeted by this very verse painted at the entrance to the memorial building.)
As the Talmud relates (Gittin 67a) Rabbi Shimon was the member of the group who most fully internalized the lessons of his great mentor. It was he who revealed the inner depths of the Torah and unlocked the secrets of its innermost dimensions though his teachings. These teachings later served the basis for the Book of the Zohar, the primary work of Kabbalah, or hidden aspects of Torah.
Once, when Rabbi Shimon’s students gathered before him for a lesson, their mentor noticed the good humor which was present amongst them and the absence of any tensions. He then remarked, “It is because you maintain an atmosphere of love and brotherhood that you have merited to be the players in the revelation of Torah secrets.” Through their love and concern for one another they reached a level of unity that gave them enormous power to penetrate the depths of the inner chambers of Torah.
Lag B'Omer is a time for reinforcing our unity, specifically in the endeavor of plumbing the depths of Torah, and a time for developing an appreciation that Torah study -- and all of Divine service -- is a joint effort. The more we learn to appreciate this, the more the wellsprings of the Torah -- and our own souls -- will open up to us.
Getting back to those bonfires. The book that systematically presents Rabbi Shimon’s teachings is called the Zohar. “Zohar” means “Glow” or “Luminescence.” The book is so named because its teachings illuminate the darkness and confusion of this world and serve as a beacon of light by which to navigate the vicissitudes of life. And Rabbi Shimon himself is referred to by the Zohar as “Botzina Kadisha,” or the “Sacred Lamp.” On Lag B'Omer, we honor his memory by lighting candles or bonfires, symbolic of the light provided by the eternal fire of the Torah, particularly its inner dimensions which were revealed by Rabbi Shimon.
Now let us approach in Yehoshua’s perspective:
In Yeshoshua’s time and since the beginning of the Counting of the Omer, this counting was connected to the farmers and pointing to Shavuot (Pentecost) for an offering to YHWH.
We have seen that if we restore the true calendar there will be no problem to see that the wave offering of the Firstfruit was of WHEAT and not barley.
The wheat a grain, a pictures of the righteous believers:

Matt 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

Matt 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

We will now approach the determining point of understanding

In Matthew 24, Yehoshua speak about the End time Situation and connect to the parable of the Wheat:
Matt 13:36 Then Yehoshua sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

Matt 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed (see verse 25) is the Son of man;

Matt 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

Matt 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world*; and the reapers are the angels.

Matt 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

Matt 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

Matt 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Matt 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

*World: The Greek term is:

G165 αἰών aion (ai-own') n.

1. (properly) an age

So here in this context it refers to the End of this age we are living.
CONTEXT of the chapter 24:

Matt 24:3 And as he (Yehoshua) sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

No doubt that the parable of chapter 13 and the telling of Yehoshua in chapter 24 relate to the same time, and as we will see is directly connected to the book of Revelation.
Yehoshua goes on to give details from the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple and the period up to His return. Unfortunately, many have not seen that Matthew, do not write in chapter but show something behind the chapters structure.

Matt 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Matt 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matt 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

Matt 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matt 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Matt 24:41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Matt 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your master doth come.

Matt 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Matt 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Matt 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Matt 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his master when he cometh shall find so doing.

Matt 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Matt 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My master delayeth his coming;

Matt 24:49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

Matt 24:50 The master of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

Matt 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Watch : G1127 γρηγορεύω gregoreuo (gray-gor-yoo'-o) v.

1. to keep awake, i.e. watch

 Majority stop to read at the End of chapter 24 thinking the “story” is finished! BUT that’s not the case; Matthew goes on and explains the condition of watching for the return of the master:

Matt 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

Matt 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

Matt 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

Matt 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Matt 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

Matt 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Matt 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

Matt 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

Matt 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Matt 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Matt 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, My master, My master, open to us.

Matt 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Matt 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

« Watch therefore for ye know not the day and the hour wherein the Son of Adam comes » !
Many say that the return of Mashiach is on the 7th month, but this is due to a misunderstanding of the scriptures. Many Years I was among them, having swallowed the “nice story” of the New Moon falling on Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpet) this showing that the day cannot star without having sighted the moon.
Those having read my paper “http://danielbenyaacovysrael.blogspot.fr/2014/04/calendar-according-to-moshe-vs.html” , knows that the sighting of the first crescent came after the Babylonian captivity and was introduced by the Pharisees.
Now let us see another view. Shavuot, the Feast of the Weeks (Pentecost) is the ONLY Feast without date!
In fact Yehowah command the Children of Ysrael to count, 7 weeks and the 50^th they will bring an offering in Jerusalem to Yehowah.

Lev 23:9 And יהוה spake unto Moses, saying,

Lev 23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

Lev 23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before יהוה, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it………………………..

Lev 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete:

Lev 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number the fiftieth days; and ye shall offer a new grain offering unto יהוה.

Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto יהוה.

Deut 16:9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.

Deut 16:10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto יהוה thy Elohim with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto יהוה thy Elohim, according as יהוה thy Elohim hath blessed thee:

The commandment is to count 7 weeks (shavuot) for ourselves (personally) and at the end of the 50^th day to bring a new grain offering.

-        First we need to see that as we have seen the Firstfruit is made of new Wheat grain in the Aviv stage and not barley.

Even the rabbis are not sure if it is barely or wheat as it is written in the Talmud:

Who then commanded to look at the Abib of theBarley to determine the First month after the “New Moon”?

According to Karaite Nehemiah Gordon and those who claim the “Barley abib”:

. Barley believers add the following additional beliefs not found in the Torah

• "Abib" refers to a certain stage of ripeness in the barley harvest.
• "Abib" begins at the first new moon after the barley has reached this certain stage of ripeness.
• Not just any barley will do - the barley ripeness in question is Jerusalem barley.

No mention of any of these points in the Torah.

The consequence of that is that it becomes doubtful if the Barely minchah (offering) is required for the Firstfruits offering, and not wheat?

I found something interesting before the Children of Ysrael left Egypt, but let us read what happened during the hail plague:

 Exo 9:31  And the flax and the barley were smitten, for the barley was in the head (abib) and the flax was in bud.

Exo 9:32  But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten, for they were late crops.

The wheat and the spelt were late crops!

This make me to think, simply because in the same year, Moshe and the children of Ysrael left Egypt and Yehowah told him:

Exo 13:4  “Today you are going out, in the month Aḇiḇ

My question is: Who says that Yehowah was speaking of Barley, do we have any mention of barley in any of the four times it appears in the Torah? The answer is obvious and is: NO!

If we read carefully, we will see that the minchah (grain offering) for the Firstfruits is more to be from the wheat. Barley was again a tradition add later by the Pharisee and discussed in the Talmud:

Barley a food for animal and poor people:

Babylonian Talmud sotah 14a  s'horah (Barley) was considered animal food and food for the poor people.

Is that what Yehowah required as a minchah (grain offering) pointing to Yehoshua as the Mashiach?

Even the rabbis argue in the talmud about the barley:

Talmud Menachot 84a, the rabbis argue wither it is Barley or wheat, because of the expression: "in the ear"

We are commended to bring the best for the minchah of the Firstfruits , not Barley, animal food, but "solet" (cream of the wheat)  from  "chittah"(wheat).

-   Second that the Two loaves are also made of “fine flour” (solet) wheat flour

Everyone is commanded to count 50 days, or 7 weeks plus one day to come to Shavuot (Pentecost).
Where is the relation with the five wise virgins?
Shavuot the only Feast without date!

First of all Yehoshua explain that they have Oil in their Lamp, and that the follish had oil but not enough! This should make us aware:

Prov 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the Torah is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

No Torah = no light

The wise are those who:

Keep the Torah and not manmade traditions (Talmud, Christian doctrines of one save always saved).

The Foolish are:

-Those thinking they are saved by “grace through Faith” but reject the Torah (light).

-Those claiming the teaching of the rabbis in the Talmud.

Counting the Omer is watching

Matt 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

One commandment has been given to the Children of Ysrael (The children of the Kingdom). It is to COUNT!

Who count today, who take the time to learn every year to improve in this season?

Some will argue with me concerning the timing! Well to those who argue I will ask:

-        When did the Children of Ysrael coming out of Mitzrayim (Egypt) did received the Torah, was it not at Shavuot, 7 weeks after having left Egypt on the night of the 15 of the 1^st Month?

-        When was the Ruach HaQodesh (Set Apart Spirit) given to the believers who walked in the Torah, following Mashiach Yehoshua, was it not on Shavuot (Pentecost)?

-        Is not Yehoshua called the Word of Elohim?

-                   Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

-                   Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

-                   Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of יהוה.

-                   John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The wise virgins and the 144000

Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

Rev 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto יהוה and to the Lamb.

Rev 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of יהוה.

The 144000 taken from among the tribes of Ya’acov are the “Firstfruit”

1Cor 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

1Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in the Messiah shall all be made alive.

1Cor 15:23 But every man in his own order: the Messiah the firstfruits; afterward they that are the Messiah's at his coming.

1Cor 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to יהוה, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

Example of Firstfruits :

1Cor 16:15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

Rom 16:5 Likewise greet the assembly that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto the Messiah.

Rom 11:16 For if the firstfruit (Mashiach) be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The number 7 represent completion on earth. The counting of the omer over 7 weeks represent the harvest starting from the first advent of Mashiach up to the End of the age at Shavuot (Pentecost).
We will see in another paper the meaning of the Fall Feast, Coronation of the King, Judgment of the nations, and gathering of the fruit of the earth, the righteous from among the nations.

Brothers and sisters let us approach the season with a new heart not full with leaven but as unleavened bread, with love for one another. Now is the time for us to learn to leave manmade traditions and give ear to the Ruach HaQodesh (Set Apart Sprit) who lead us into all truth.

Shalom from South France

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