The United Synagogue

Shavuot

This is the anniversary of Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah, at Mount Sinai. It also marks the beginning of the Summer harvest.

What does Shavuot mean?
The Torah refers to the holiday of Shavuot with three names:

Chag HaKatzir - the Reaping Holiday

Yom HaBikkurim - Day of the First Fruits

Shavout - Weeks

What are the customs of Shavuot?
The festival has no unique laws, however there are several traditional practices:

Decorating homes and synagogues with flowers.

Tikkun l'el Shavuot - literally, "the fixing", of the night of Shavuot. This tradition consists of staying up all night and studying Jewish texts. Traditionally, this study includes Torah, Talmud, and Kabbalah, although any serious study of Jewish texts is appropriate. The tikkun, like the Passover seder, is another example of Judaism's desire to relive, as opposed to simply commemorating events. Since the event we are "reliving" on Shavuot is the giving of the Torah, we want to be prepared in order to be worthy of such an extraordinary event. By foregoing sleep for the sake of trying to perfect both our souls and our intellect in expectation of the giving of the Torah, we re-enact, and, indeed, attempt to improve upon the state in which our ancestors were in prior to receiving the Torah at Sinai.

On the morning of Shavuot, we read the Book of Ruth, one of the "five scrolls". The book is the story of Ruth, a Moabite who chose to convert to Judaism, and was the great grandmother of King David. As a convert Ruth took upon herself the yoke of Jewish law. So too on Shavuot, as we celebrate the giving of the Law, we take upon ourselves a new the yoke of the Torah.

It is an almost universal custom to eat dairy foods, especially cheese cake, on this festival, unlike other holidays when we traditionally partake of meat or poultry. One reason is that, since we have, in a sense, not yet received the Torah, we do not yet have the laws and regulations for kosher slaughtering.