Firstfruits

During the week of Unleavened Bread, the priest waved before YHVH a sheaf of the first ripe barley — the aviv. Leviticus 23:11 fixes the moment: "on the day after the Sabbath" — the first day of the week.

That is why 1 Corinthians 15:20 is not a loose metaphor but the exact fulfillment of the feast: "But Messiah has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." He rose on the first day of the week, within the week of Unleavened Bread, as the waved sheaf guaranteeing that the rest of the harvest follows.

Calendar note: the date depends on which Sabbath is counted (the weekly one, as Karaites and the observational reading hold, or the first feast day, as rabbinic tradition holds). Here we show the weekly-Sabbath reading — the Sunday within the week of Unleavened Bread — with the rabbinic date as reference.