Feast of the First Fruits of Wine
Encyclopedia
The Feast of the First Fruits of Wine is a holiday
celebrated by the ancient Israelites as described in the Temple Scroll
of the Dead Sea Scrolls
. The holiday, which is observed on the third day of the fifth month (Av
), is not mentioned in the Bible
. The date is significant because it is exactly 50 days after the 15th of Sivan, the festival of Weeks.
On this holiday, the Israelites were commanded to bring their first fruits of the grapes to the Temple as an offering. This holiday was a very happy day because "the wine gets atonement on this day" and was commanded to be observed as an annual celebration perpetually. After this holiday, the children of Israel were permitted to eat from their grape vines, whether the grapes were ripe or still unripe, because after the observances of this holiday, they had made a full atonement for the wine. It so happens that this day coincides with the modern Jewish period called "The Nine Days
", a time when mourning practices take place and when wine and meat are prohibited.
This holiday is not observed by any known modern Jewish group today.
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
celebrated by the ancient Israelites as described in the Temple Scroll
Temple Scroll
The Temple Scroll is one of the longest of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Among the discoveries at Qumran it is designated: 11QTemple Scrolla.1 It describes a Jewish temple which has never been built along with extensive detailed regulations about sacrifices and temple practices...
of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
. The holiday, which is observed on the third day of the fifth month (Av
Av
Av is the eleventh month of the civil year and the fifth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. The name is Babylonian in origin and appeared in the Talmud around the 3rd century. This is the only month which is not named in the Bible. It is a summer month of 30 days...
), is not mentioned in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. The date is significant because it is exactly 50 days after the 15th of Sivan, the festival of Weeks.
On this holiday, the Israelites were commanded to bring their first fruits of the grapes to the Temple as an offering. This holiday was a very happy day because "the wine gets atonement on this day" and was commanded to be observed as an annual celebration perpetually. After this holiday, the children of Israel were permitted to eat from their grape vines, whether the grapes were ripe or still unripe, because after the observances of this holiday, they had made a full atonement for the wine. It so happens that this day coincides with the modern Jewish period called "The Nine Days
The Nine Days
The Nine Days is a religious observance in Judaism that takes place during the first nine days of the Jewish month of Av...
", a time when mourning practices take place and when wine and meat are prohibited.
This holiday is not observed by any known modern Jewish group today.