Shavuot

Shavuot commemorates the day on which the Torah (the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments) was given at Mount Sinai, 50 days after the Exodus from ancient Egypt. It is celebrated on the 6th day of Sivan in Israel (and by reformed Jews) and on the 6th and 7th of Sivan elsewhere.

It is one of the three Jewish pilgrim festivals mandated by the Torah (the other two are Sukkot and Pesach) and immediately follows the last day of the Counting of the Omer. It also commemorates the wheat harvest and offering of first fruits in the land of Israel.

Shavuot is celebrated by eating festive meals, reciting and studying liturgical poems, reading the book of Ruth and studying the Torah. In particular, people eat dairy produce. No work is done on this day.

Cheesecakes, cheese blintzes and ice-cream are all associated with Shavuot (see sidebar for recipes) – but as meat and dairy products cannot be consumed at the same meal, special eating arrangements are made for meal times.

At Shavuot people decorate the synagogues, their homes and in some cases their work-places with greenery. In Askenazic synagogues the Akadamut liturgical poem is recited.

Shavuot is known many names, including The Feast of Weeks, The Festival of Reaping, The Day of the First Fruits and Atzeret.

As Shavuot occurs 50 days after Pesach (also called Passover), Christians gave Shavuot the name Pentecost, although the date does not generally correspond to the Christian celebration of the same name.