We recently observed the festival of New Wine. New Wine, you say? What’s that?

The Dead Sea Scrolls, where we learn about the feasts of New Wine, Oil, and the Wood Offering, also speak of a “Teacher of Righteousness.”

“And let יהוה be jealous for His land, and spare His people. And let יהוה answer and say to His people, “See, I am sending you the grain and the new wine and the oil, and you shall be satisfied by them. And no longer do I make you a reproach among the nations. “And the Northerner I shall remove far from you, and drive him away into a dry and deserted land, with his face toward the eastern sea and his rear toward the western sea. And his stench shall come up and his smell rise, for he has done greatly.” Do not fear, O soil, be glad and rejoice, for יהוה has done greatly! Do not fear, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness shall spring forth, and the tree shall bear its fruit, the fig tree and the vine shall yield their strength. And you children of Tsiyon, be glad and rejoice in יהוה your Elohim, for He shall give you the Teacher of Righteousness, and cause the rain to come down for you, the former rain and the latter rain, as before. And the threshing-floors shall be filled with grain, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. ” (Joel 2:18-24)

“And יהוה spoke to Aharon, “And see, I Myself have also given you the charge of My contributions, all the set-apart gifts of the children of Yisra’ěl. I have given them to you for the anointing, and to your sons, as a law forever.” (Numbers 18:8)

““All the best of the oil, and all the best of the new wine and the grain – their first-fruits which they give to יהוה – I have given them to you. “The first-fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to יהוה, are yours. Everyone who is clean in your house eats it. “All that is dedicated in Yisra’ěl is yours.” (Numbers 18:12-14)

“then I shall give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, and you shall gather in your grain, and your new wine, and your oil. ” (Deuteronomy 11:14)

““You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, or of your new wine, or of your oil, or of the firstlings of your herd or your flock, or of any of your offerings which you vow, or of your voluntary offerings, or of the contribution of your hand.” (Deuteronomy 12:17)

““You shall tithe without fail all the yield of your grain that the field brings forth year by year. “And you shall eat before יהוה your Elohim, in the place where He chooses to make His Name dwell, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and of the firstlings of your herds and your sheep, so that you learn to fear יהוה your Elohim always.” (Deuteronomy 14:22-23)

It seems as punishment for her disobedience and treachery, the grain (Shavuot), New Wine, and Oil would be taken from Israel.

““And she did not acknowledge that I gave her grain, and new wine, and oil, and increased her silver and gold which they prepared for Ba‛al. “Therefore I shall turn back and shall take my grain in its time and My new wine in its appointed time, and I shall take away My wool and My linen covering her nakedness.” (Hosea 2:8-9)

“Wake up, you drunkards, and weep. And wail, all you drinkers of wine, on account of the new wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth. ” (Joel 1:5)

However, there was a promise:

“ “And it shall be, when all these words come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you shall bring them back to your heart among all the nations where יהוה your Elohim drives you, and shall turn back to יהוה your Elohim and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your being, you and your children, then יהוה your Elohim shall turn back your captivity, and shall have compassion on you, and He shall turn back and gather you from all the peoples where יהוה your Elohim has scattered you. “If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under the heavens, from there יהוה your Elohim does gather you, and from there He does take you. “And יהוה your Elohim shall bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. And He shall do good to you, and increase you more than your fathers. “And יהוה your Elohim shall circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed, to love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being, so that you might live, and יהוה your Elohim shall put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. “And you shall turn back and obey the voice of יהוה and do all His commands which I command you today. “And יהוה your Elohim shall make you have excess in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground for good. For יהוה turns back to rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard His commands and His laws which are written in this Book of the Torah, if you turn back to יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being. “For this command which I am commanding you today, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far off.” (Deuteronomy 30:1-11)

““Hear the word of יהוה, O nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Yisra’ěl gathers him, and shall guard him as a shepherd his flock.’ “For יהוה shall ransom Ya‛aqoḇ, and redeem him from the hand of one stronger than he. “And they shall come in and shall sing on the height of Tsiyon, and stream to the goodness of יהוה, for grain and for new wine and for oil, and for the young of the flock and the herd. And their being shall be like a well-watered garden, and never languish again.” (Jeremiah 31:10-12)

““Therefore, see, I am alluring her, and shall lead her into the wilderness, and shall speak to her heart, and give to her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Aḵor as a door of expectation. And there she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Mitsrayim. “And it shall be, in that day,” declares יהוה, “that you call Me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘My Ba‛al.’ “And I shall remove the names of the Ba‛als from her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. “And in that day I shall make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping creatures of the ground, when bow, and sword, and battle I break from the earth. And I shall make them lie down in safety. “And I shall take you as a bride unto Me forever, and take you as a bride unto Me in righteousness, and in right-ruling, and loving-commitment and compassion. “And I shall take you as a bride unto Me in trustworthiness, and you shall know יהוה. “And it shall be in that day that I answer,” declares יהוה, “that I answer the heavens, and they answer the earth, and the earth answer the grain and the new wine and the oil, and they answer Yizre‛ěl. “And I shall sow her for Myself in the earth, and I shall have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion. And I shall say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people,’ while they say, ‘My Elohim!’ ”” (Hosea 2:14-23)