Leviticus 23:9-14 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“YAHWEH said to Moshe, 10 “Tell the people of Yisra’el, ‘After you enter the land I am giving you and harvest its ripe crops, you are to bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the cohen (priest). 11 He is to wave the sheaf before YAHWEH, so that you will be accepted; the cohen (priest) is to wave it on the day after the Shabbat. 12 On the day that you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a male lamb without defect, in its first year, as a burnt offering for YAHWEH. 13 Its grain offering is to be one gallon of fine flour mixed with olive oil, an offering made by fire to YAHWEH as a fragrant aroma; its drink offering is to be of wine, one quart. 14 You are NOT TO EAT BREAD, DRIED GRAIN or FRESH GRAIN until the day you bring the offering for your ELOHIM; this is a permanent regulation through all your generations, no matter where you live.”
Temple Scroll Column 18, page 295 (Charlesworth translation)
“…for this ram. And the BREAD and PARCHED GRAIN and FRESH GRAIN you SHALL NOT EAT UNTIL THAT SAME DAY; and they shall present…and a billy-goat for a purification-offering in order to atone for all the people of the assembly. And its meal-offering and its liquid-offering shall be according to the precept a tenth of the semolina mixed with oil, a fourth of a hin, and wine for a liquid-offering, a fourth of a hin. (VACAT) And he shall atone for the people of the assembly from all their guilt and it will be forgiven them. For their generations this shall be for them ETERNAL STATUTES…in their dwellings. And afterwards they shall offer up a ram once in a year ON THE DAY OF ELEVATING THE SHEAF.”
Leviticus 23:14 (Septuagint)
“And you SHALL NOT EAT BREAD OR THE NEW PARCHED GRAIN, until this same day, until you offer the sacrifices to your ELOHIM: it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”
Leviticus 23:14 (Samaritan)
“And until this same day, until you have brought in the sacrifice of your ELOHIM, you shall eat NEITHER BREAD NOR ROASTED GRAIN NOR NEW GROWTH. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.”
Leviticus 23:14 (Concordant version of the Old Testament)
“NO BREAD OR TOASTED GRAIN OR GROATS of the crop shall you eat until this very day, UNTIL you bring the approach present of your ELOHIM. It shall be an eonian statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”
This command is referring to AFTER the completion of the Feast of Unleavened Bread because during the Feast of Unleavened Bread we are commanded to eat unleavened bread for 7 days. The Feast of Unleavened Bread this year is from April 3rd-9th, which means starting on the 10th-13th no bread is to be eaten until that Sunday April 14th, which is the 26th day of the 1st month, when we begin counting the 50 days to get to Shavuot. No bread, roasted grain or new growth is to be eaten until the first fruits have been given to YAHWEH. This will also make us appreciate His provision for the abundance of wheat He has given when we go without it for four days.
In connection with the FOUR-day period leading up to firstfruits is that YESHUA is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in righteousness, which again points to Him. The number FOUR in the Otiot is “Dalet” which means door, entrance, hang, or move. YESHUA is the DOOR and the ENTRANCE way to YAHWEH the Father! He HANG on the execution-stake for our iniquities, rose from the dead, and will grant those who belong to Him eternal life at the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22
“But now Messiah has been RAISED FROM THE DEAD, and has become the FIRSTFRUITS of those HAVING FALLEN ASLEEP. For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a Man. For as all die in Adam, so also all shall be made alive in Messiah.”
2 Baruch 30:1-3
“And after these, when the time of the advent (the coming) of the Messiah will be fulfilled and He will return in esteem, then all those who have FALLEN ALSLEEP IN HOPE OF HIM WILL RISE. At that time, those reservoirs will be opened in which the number of the souls of the righteous have been preserved, and they will come out, and the abundance of the souls will appear in one assembly, of one mind. The first will rejoice, and the last will not be saddened, for they know that the time has arrived of which it is said that it is in the consummation of times.”
First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians Chapter 24 verses 101-103
“Let us consider, beloved, how YAHWEH continually proves to us that there shall be a FUTURE RESURRECTION, of which He has rendered the Master YESHUA HA’MASHIACH THE FIRST FRUITS BY RAISING HIM FROM THE DEAD. Let us contemplate, beloved, the resurrection which is at all times taking place. Day and night declare to us a resurrection. The night sinks to sleep, and the day arises; the day again departs, and the night comes on. Let us behold the fruits of the earth, how the sowing of grain takes place. The sower goes forth, and casts it into the ground; and the seed being thus scattered, though dry and naked when it fell upon the earth, is gradually dissolved. Then out of its dissolution the mighty power of the providence of YAHWEH raises it up again, and from ONE SEED MANY ARISE AND BRING FORTH FRUIT.”
Just as YESHUA rose from the dead, so will those who have been sold out for Him in this life by keeping the commandments of YAHWEH and believing in Him! If you have not seen or read the message I did titled “The Firstfruits Timeline” you can view it here: https://youtu.be/on97EydCs6M?si=cfiwavIjKTbbb-uL
This is also further confirmation that the Zadok Priestly Calendar is the true ancient calendar outlined in the Temple Scroll, Jubilees, Enoch, and other sources in the Dead Sea Scrolls, because Judaism mixes the wave sheaf (firstfruits) and begin the 50-day count to Shavuot DURING the Feast of Unleavened Bread when we are COMMANDED TO EAT BREAD, which would contradict YAHWEH’s command in Leviticus 23:14 where He commands us NOT to eat bread, so there is no way first fruits can occur during the Feast of Unleavened bread. The Zadok Priestly Calendar separates the two and leaves no room for contradictions. To reconcile this apparent contradiction commentators have said that this command is referring to “New grain”, because the Jews had to eat unleavened bread at this time, but that cannot be correct because YAHWEH has already eliminated that option by saying “NOR fresh grain” or “New growth”. The only way this command works is by it occurring AFTER the Feast of Unleavened Bread for four days leading up to FirstFruits.
There has been much debate about when we should begin the 50-day count to Shavuot, and the biggest part of the debate is whether we should begin counting after the first day of unleavened bread (a High-Shabbat) or on Sunday after the weekly seventh day Shabbat. It’s critical to know that the Appointed Times are separated and do not mix or overlap. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are connected, which means that firstfruits should come after the Feast of Unleavened because first fruits is connected with Shavuot. Not separating them would create a contradiction and a violation of the command. Let’s view some ancient texts to arrive at the answer.
Leviticus 23:16 (Aramaic Peshitta)
“Even to the morrow AFTER THE SEVENTH SHABBAT (The weekly 7th Day Shabbat) you shall count fifty days; and you shall offer a meal offering of a new wheat to YAHWEH.”
Leviticus 23:15 (Samaritan)
“And you shall count for yourselves from the DAY NEXT TO THE SHABBAT (Sunday), from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering, there shall be seven complete Shabbats.”
Temple Scroll Column 19:11-16
“And you shall count for yourselves from the day you bring in the new meal-offering to YAHWEH, the bread of the firstfruits. SEVEN COMPLETE WEEKS there shall be until the day you bring the sheaf of the elevation-offering, you shall count the morning AFTER THE SEVENTH SHABBAT, YOU SHALL COUNT FIFTY DAYS…”
The Aramaic Peshitta, Samaritan Torah, and Temple Scroll all clarify that firstfruits is AFTER the weekly 7th day Shabbat which is a Sunday and no other day; and this is when we begin the 50-day count, so clears up any confusion and contradictions when we return to the ancient path!
As always may YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!