There is a custom among certain Jewish communities, associated with the feast of Shavuot, whereby the people will go to the synagogue on the day of Shavuot and then through apples down to the ground from the roof of the synagogue. One can just try to imagine the picture, say for instance, at a synagogue in the middle of a big city, where the majority of people are engaged in their daily routines and do not even realise that it is an important Jewish holiday. Then all of a sudden, while hundreds of spectators are looking on, a number of people appear on the roof of the synagogue and start to through down apples from the roof. No doubt, some of the people looking at this spectacle may even try to catch some of the apples and take them home for their children to eat!

The question is, of course, why is there such a custom? Where does it come from? The Jewish rabbis say it is based on Scriptures, specifically on the words of Shemot (Exodus) 24:7 "And Mosheh took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, All that Yahweh has spoken we shall do, and we shall listen to it (or: …we shall obey)." These words were spoken by the people of Yisrael when they had received the written Torah for the first time, during a time that is today generally acknowledged to be the time of Shavuot – less than two months after they had left the country of Mitsrayim (or: Egypt). There is, however, something unusual about these words spoken by the people of Yisrael. It would have been normal for them to say: We shall listen to Yahweh’s commands and we shall do them. But instead they said: We shall do Yahweh’s commands and we shall listen to them.

For this reason, certain Jewish rabbis would tell you, it has become customary for Jews to make a big scene of throughing apples on the Day of Shavuot. Why? Because apple trees are known to start producing fruit even before they start producing leaves. Not the other way around. I am not even sure if this is true. But what I do know, is that it is much better to start doing the words of Yahweh straightaway, even before you had time to listen to them over and over again, thinking about them, analysing each word, weighing each concept, and in the end – because you had left open the door for the Enemy to create doubt in your mind – you never reach the point where you actually start doing those words that are absolutely essential for receiving the promised blessings out of the hand of Yahweh.

The commitment of the people of Yisrael that they would start doing the words of Yahweh and keep on listening to them, is a very interesting commitment, indeed. The two words that they used, were "asah" (which means: to do and to fulfil) and "shamah" (which means: to listen and to understand). The question is: Did they keep their commitment? Did they DO and did they LISTEN as they said they would? In the Hebrew part of Scriptures this same combination of "asah" and "shamah" is found in 122 verses. That is: 122 verses in which both these concepts of "doing" and "listening" appear in the same verse. Let us disregard, for a moment, the actual verse where the people of Yisrael made this commitment – Shemot 24:7, which we have read already. In just one of the other 121 verses where "asah" and "shamah" are used together, do we ever hear that the people of Yisrael, as a unit or as a nation, kept their promise and showed that they were serious about doing and listening to the words of Yahweh – only once. And that only because they had a strong leader who was willing to both hear and do the words of Yahweh! Isn’t that amazing?!! We’ll look at this later on.

I went through all the verses where "asah" and "shamah" are used together. Some of these are quite significant. Many of them are verses in the Book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) where Yahweh, through his servant Mosheh, urged the people of Yisrael over and over again to listen to his words and do them, promising that if they did, they would receive abundant blessings out of his hand. Here the sequence is back to "normal" – first listen, then do – the important thing being that BOTH aspects should be present: hearing, as well as doing. Not just hearers of the Word, as Yaacov (James) reminded us in Yaacov 1:22, but also doers.

Some of the verses containing both the words "shamah" and "asah" are found in connection with Shelomoh’s (Solomon’s) prayer when he dedicated the newly built temple to Yahweh. A number of times, during this prayer, we hear Shelomoh say something like this: When certain people (in some future time) come to this place and pray towards you, will You please hear ("shamah") their prayer, and do ("asah") according to what they have asked. This prayer is what motivate numbers of people, up to this day, to go to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and offer their prayers before the Almighty. Isn’t it ironical: Jews from all over the world – and even people from other religions – will travel thousands of miles to be able to go and stand as close as possible to the place where Shelomoh had once stood and pray as if they are praying alongside Shelomoh: Father, please listen and please do. But are they listening? Are they doing? He must always listen and He must always do, because He is the Almighty. But when it comes to our own listening and our own doing, Scripture upon Scripture proves that we are exceedingly slow in being listeners and doers ourselves.

We have already established that only once in 122 verses do we find proof that the people of Yisrael (as a nation) remained faithful to the promise they made Shemot 24. There is one other place where we read about a group who showed that they were serious about both hearing and doing the words of Yahweh. The group that I am referring to is a group known as the Rechavites or Rechabites and we read about them in YermeYahu (Jeremiah) chapter 35.

Who were the Rechabites? Apparently, they were not properly seen as part of the people of Yisrael. Through their association with the Kenites they were linked to the Midianites and the Amalekites. We cannot know for sure if they came from these nations originally but it is certain that they were not genuinely part of the 12 tribes of Yisrael. And yet we learn from Scriptures that they were serious about following Yahweh and his commandments. They hated Baal worship and they took part in the process of cleansing the land from all traces of idolatry. In YermeYahu 35 it is said of the Rechabites that while the children of Yisrael would not listen to the words of Yahweh, they, the Rechabites, not only listened to Yahweh’s commandments, but, also did what He commanded.

In YermeYahu 35:19 we read these words: "Therefore thus said Yahweh of hosts, the Elohim of Yisrael, "Of Yonadav son of Rechav there shall never cease to be a man to stand before Me." Yonadav was the leader of the Rechabites. His name has the meaning of "one who offers free-will offerings to Yahweh" or "one who associates voluntarily with Yahweh". Such is the case with those – even today – who have been filled with Yahweh’s Spirit and join themselves willingly to the Elohim of Israel, eager to listen to his words and ready to do according to his commandments.

Now then, who was the only individual of whom we read that he was ready to both listen to Yahweh’s words and do them, and because of his leadership, the same testimony is given for the people of Yisrael of those days? It should come as no surprise to us. It was none other than Yahushua, the successor of Mosheh and forerunner of the Messiah. Already in his attitude, 1200 years before the coming of the Messiah, it was possible to recognise the one, unique characteristic that would highlight the entire ministry of the Messiah and the lives of his true followers: the complete willingness, not only to listen to the words of Yahweh but do them wholeheartedly. We read about this in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 34:9 "And Yahushua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Mosheh had laid his hands on him. And the children of Yisrael listened to him, and did as Yahweh had commanded Mosheh." May those of us who read these words, be of the same spirit and the same attitude. And may our lives be living examples of what it truly means to be followers of Y'shua the Messiah.