Stained glass windows
Shavout
The Biblical names for the festival are "Hag Shavuot" (the feast of weeks), "Yom ha-bikkurim". (the Day of the First Fruits), and "hagha-kazir" (the Harvest Feast). However the first window shows the ceremony involved with the end of the "Counting of the Omer". The beginning of the "Counting of the Omer" is the last window in the Pesach series
1. The counting of the Omer
In Leviticus it is stated: "from the day after the Sabbath. The day that you bring the sheaf of the wave offering you shall count fifty days until the day after the seventh week; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the Lord."
On Passover, a sheaf of the new grain was waved at the Temple. At the end of the Counting of the Omer, two loaves made from the new flour of the finest wheat were waved over the altar in the Temple. This window symbolises the bread offering at the altar within the Temple.
2. First fruits in Israel
"And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of thy labours, which thou sowest in the field;" Exodus 23:16
This window deals with the picking of the first fruits. One of the windows in the Pesach contains the same concept of the tree of many species in the flowering and new growth phase. The colouring here emphasizes the season of the year. Therefore it is warm and bright and green, the colour of the borders reflecting the nature of the festival. The scales represent The Time of Judgement for the fruit of the trees. It is the summer festival and the people brought the first produce of the fields to the sanctuary as thanksgiving.
"The choicest first fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy G-D." Exodus 23:19.
3. Giving of the Torah
"....there were thunders and lightning and thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a horn exceedingly loud:" Ex: 14:13
"And it came to pass, thunder and lightening and thick cloud around the mount the voice of the Lord exceedingly loud. The Lord descended upon it in Fire and the smoke of a furnace and the whole mountain quaked greatly." .. "Now Mount Sinai was altogether in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire..." Exod 19:16&18
This window focuses on the event on Mount Sinai when G-d gave Moses the Decalogue. The Giving of the Torah occurred 49 days after the escape from Egypt and is considered to be the fulfilment of the Exodus. The central motif is the tablets of the law. Above are resounding horns in the shape of shofars, lightning flashing and a pillar of fire descending on the mountain. At the base of the window is the Ark of the Covenant constructed to house the Torah. The image created here is described in the book of Exodus:
Exodus 25 : "10 And they shall make an ark of acacia-wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
12 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about...
17 And thou shalt make an ark-cover of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof
18 And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, at the two ends of the ark-cover. 19 And make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end; of one piece with the ark-cover shall ye make the cherubim of the two ends thereof
20 And the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, screening the ark-cover with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the ark-cover shall the faces of the cherubim be..."
4. Wheat harvest in Israel
"And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not reap wholly the corner of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest; thou shalt leave them for the poor, and for the stranger; I am the Lord thy G-D." Lev 23:22.
This window indicates the wheat harvest which is the background to the story of Ruth which is read during Shavuot. Ruth is represented by a hand gleaning behind the sickle holding the basket.
"15. When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed the men to glean right among the sheaves. 'Do not find fault with her,' he added; 16. 'you may even pull out some ears of grain from the handfuls as you cut, and leave them for her to glean;" Ruth 2:
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