Is Shavuot always on the 6th of Sivan?
To answer this, let’s look at the scriptures that describe when the Shavuot Festival (Feast of Weeks) occurs. When Shavuot starts is directly described in Lev 23.
15 From the day after the day of rest—that is, from the day you bring the sheaf for waving—you are to count seven full weeks,
cjb Lev 23:15
The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) follows the Rabbinic body for interpretation of Lev 23:15. JPS is essentially the same. They translate the first reference to Shabbat as “day of rest” and the 2nd reference as “weeks”. It is not uncommon to use Shabbat to mean weeks but there is another reason they did not use Shabbat for “day of rest”.
Let us first look at how the King James Version (KJV) translates Lev 23:15.
15 And ye shall count H5608 unto you from the morrow H4480 H4283 after the sabbath, H7676 from the day H4480 H3117 that ye brought H935 ( H853 ) the sheaf H6016 of the wave offering; H8573 seven H7651 sabbaths H7676 shall be H1961 complete: H8549
KJV LEV 23:15
The King James Version (KJV) translate Lev 23:15 in a literal fashion. The 1st reference to Shabbat, “HaShabbat” (Strongs H7676) is translated “the sabbath”, that would be a literal translation. The 2nd reference in verse 15 is translated as “sabbaths” (Strongs H7676), in Hebrew it is actually Shabbatot which is the plural form of Shabbat, again a literal translation.
At this point both translations seem to have the same meaning…
However, that is not true, the CJB following the Rabbinic model purposely did not use the word Shabbat/Sabbath in Lev 23:15 so that they could interpret “day of rest” to mean the 1st day of Unleavened bread, which is a “no workday”, but it is not a Shabbat (Sabbath).
6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7 In the first H7223 day H3117 ye shall have H1961 an holy H6944 convocation: H4744 ye shall do H6213 no H3808 H3605 servile H5656 work H4399 therein.
KJV Lev 23:6-7
In Lev:23:6-7 we learn that the Feast of Unleavened bread starts on the 15th and that 1st day (the 15th) is a Holy convocation (H4744), which means assembly or meeting. It does not mean Shabbat which is Strongs (H7676). It is a day that no work should be done. Servile means labor or work of any kind, so “yes” it is to be a day of rest but not a Shabbat.
This leads us to Lev 23:16 and more Rabbinic influence.
16 until the day after the seventh week; you are to count fifty days; and then you are to present a new grain offering to Adonai.
cjb 23:16
In CJB, Lev 23:16 translates Shabbat as week, in “seventh week”, again that is not uncommon but there is an underlying purpose.
16 Even unto H5704 the morrow H4480 H4283 after the seventh H7637 sabbath H7676 shall ye number H5608 fifty H2572 days; H3117 and ye shall offer H7126 a new H2319 meat offering H4503 unto the LORD. H3068
KJV 23:16
If we look at Lev 23:16 in KJV we see that Shabbat (H7676) is translated as sabbath, in “seventh sabbath”.
Do you see the connection?
In order for the Rabbinic model to allow them to choose the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread to start the count of 7 weeks to Shavuot (Counting the Omer); they have to change “Shabbat” to “week” in Lev 23:16 so that the day after the “seventh week (Shabbat)” does not have to always be a Sunday.
There is 2nd witness (teaching on 2 witnesses coming soon) to when the count to Shavuot should start.
15 From the day after the day of rest—that is, from the day you bring the sheaf for waving—you are to count seven full weeks,
CJB LEV 23:15
Remember: Lev 23:15, says to count from “the day you bring the sheaf for waving”.
11 He is to wave the sheaf before Adonai, so that you will be accepted; the cohen is to wave it on the day after the Shabbat.
CJB Lev 23:11
In Lev 23:11 here we have a 2nd witness; it states you are to wave the sheaf “the day after the Shabbat”. This time CJB gets it right, translating HaShabbat to “the Shabbat” and yes, it is Strongs H7676.
We are to start counting the 7 weeks to Shavuot (also known as Counting the Omer) the day after the Shabbat, the day the sheaf is brought to Adonai which that day is also known as First Fruits and that day is always a Sunday. We count 7 weeks, or 7 Shabbats to arrive at a Sunday which is always the day after the Shabbat satisfying all scripture references.
Why does the Rabbinic model do this?
If Shavuot always land on Sunday, it could be the same day as mainstream Christians celebrate Pentecost. Whether they wanted to distance themselves from Sunday itself or from Pentecost, they purposely mislead the day we are to celebrate Shavuot.
I believe God left these witnesses so that we would not mis-interpret when the Feast of Weeks would occur, after all a very important New Covenant event happened on that day, an outpouring of Ruach HaKodesh (soon to come teaching) happened.