On the biblical calendar, Pentecost—known in Hebrew as Shavuot—is not only the celebration of the wheat harvest or the remembrance of Mount Sinai.
According to Rabbi Jason Sobel, it marks the extraordinary moment when “God gave two of His greatest presents on this day. Word and Spirit. Torah and Spirit.”
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In a recent teaching, Sobel explained that Pentecost connects both covenants: “On the 50th day, two important events happened. One, you know it from Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit was poured out on that day—the birth of the church. Actually, it was the birth of the Jewish ecclesia.” But he also noted, “on this day on the first Shavuot in history, what happened 50 days after Israel left Egypt? God comes down on Mount Sinai and He gives the Ten Commandments.”
For Sobel, the event in Acts 2 was more than the church’s beginning, it was a reenactment of Sinai.
“Acts chapter 2 is actually a second Sinai,” he said. “Just like there was lightning, just like there was thunder, just like there was fire… even the tongues of fire that were over their head connect back to Mount Sinai.”
Sobel emphasized the spiritual richness of the silence that accompanied God’s voice at Sinai: “The birds did not chirp. A dog did not bark. The waves in the ocean… did not make a sound. The entire world was silent.” He added, “Silence and stillness is key to being able to hear the voice of God.”
He also highlighted the deep symbolism of the number 50.
“Fifty is the number of freedom,” he said. “It’s the jubilee.” He explained that the giving of the Torah and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit both represent the liberation of God’s people—“we have freedom from the word and freedom by the spirit. All connected to the number 50.”
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Most powerfully, Sobel reminded listeners that Pentecost calls believers to receive anew what God has already given. “It is called the giving of the Torah. It is not called the receiving of the Torah. Why? Because we have to make the decision every day to receive God’s Word and to receive God’s Spirit anew.”
For a deeper study, Sobel encouraged reading Exodus 19–20 and Acts 2 side-by-side, saying, “Allow God to speak through you and empower you to change the world.”
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
