7/31/2019 All You Ever Wanted to Know About Shavuot
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All you ever wanted to knowabout
ShavuotThe Feast of the WeeksSaturdayEve, May 26 Monday, May
28
Shavuot is the Jewish holiday that celebrates both the
harvestseason in Israel as well as the giving of the Ten
Commandmentson Mount Sinai.Shavuot, which means"weeks", in Hebrew
refers
to the timing of the festivalwhich is held exactly sevenweeks
after Passover. Theholiday is also known asYom Habikkurim, or "the
Day of the First Fruits", be-cause it is thetime the farmers of
Israel would bring their first harvest to
Jerusalem as a token of thanksgiving.
Celebrating the Day of the First
FruitsThe farmers of Israel would begin their spring harvests
with thebarley crop at Passover. The harvest continued for seven
weeks asthe other crops and fruits began to ripen. As each fruit
ripened,the first of each type would not be eatenbut instead the
farmer would tie a ribbonaround the branch. This ribbon
signifiedthat these fruits were Bikkurim, or the firstfruits.
At Shavuot the farmers would gather theBikkurim into baskets and
bring them to thecity of Jerusalem where they would beeaten in the
holy city. The farmers livingclose to Jerusalem would bring fresh
fruits,while those who had to travel a longdistance carried dried
raisins and figs. This joyful occasion wascelebrated with the music
of fifes, timbres, and drums. As thepilgrims approached the city
walls they were greeted by the
7/31/2019 All You Ever Wanted to Know About Shavuot
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The Legends and Customs ofShavuot
As mentioned before, Shavuot also commemorates the giving ofthe
Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount
Sinai and many of the traditions of Shavuothave evolved from the
stories describing theexperiences of the Israelites at Mount
Sinai.
Studying Torah all night long:Tikkun Leil Shavuot
According to tradition the Israelites actuallyoverslept on the
morning of God's visit. Tocompensate for this negligence, Jews hold
avigil on the eve of Shavuot. They stay awakefrom dusk to dawn,
keeping themselves busywith the readings of the Torah and the
Talmud.
A digest of readings has evolved called Tikkun Leil Shavuot,
the"Restitution of Shavuot Eve," which includes selections from
the
Torah, the Prophets, the Talmud, and the Zohar.
Dairy Foods
Another Shavuot custom is the eating of dairy foods.
Oneexplanation states that this comes from a passage in the
Torah
which reads: "And He gave us this land, a land flowing with
milkand honey".
Another explanation comes from a legend stating that before
therevelation of God the Jews did not keep kosher or follow
theKashrut (dietary) laws. It was on this firstShavuot that they
found out that their utensilswere non-kosher and thus unfit for
use. Sofinding themselves without kosher meats orutensils the
Israelites were forced to eat only
dairy foods. Today many Jews celebrate the culinary aspects
ofShavuot by eating blintzes, cheesecake, and other dairy
dishes.
Another legend tells the story of the Israelites finding Mount
Sinaiblooming and lush with greenery and flowers. From this
legendgrew the custom to decorate the Jewish home and synagogue
withtree branches and flowers. Some Synagogues even decorate
the
Torah scrolls with wreaths of roses.
Wishing you all a good yontif, a happy Holiday
