HAPPY SHAVOUT page 7
the 50th day after Pesach, the
Jewish farmers of Israel should
bring an offering of the new
crop of wheat to the Temple in
Jerusalem. For this reason, the
Torah describes the holiday as
the Day of the First Fruits ( Yom
Ha Bikurim) and as the Harvest
Feast ( ChagHa Katztr.)
Throughout the centuries, a
number of customs have been
adopted in observance of
Shavuot. Probably the best
known has to do with food.
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Shavuot is the holiday of dairy
foods. There is no single reason
for this custom. Some scholars
point out that the Torah, in
Parshat Mishpatim (Exodus
23:19), mentions in the same
sentence the commandment of
offering first fruits and the law
against mixing meat and milk.
Because tradition tells us
that Mount Sinai was lush
with vegetation, most congre-
gations decorate their syna-
gogues with flowers and
greenery on Shavuot. The
Torah reading includes the Ten
Commandments. Akdamut, a
long poem in Aramaic, is recit-
ed. For a number of reasons,
the Book of Ruth also is read in
the synagogue: many of the
events in the book took place
at harvest time; Ruth was the
great-grandmother of King
David, who was born and died
on Shavuot; Ruth's conversion
to Judaism harkens to the Jew-
ish people's acceptance of the
Torah at Sinai.
For many, the celebration of
Shavuot is an all-nighter: Jew-
ish mysticism has given us the
tradition of staying awake the
entire first night of the holiday,
studying Torah and other sa-
cred texts. Many synagogues
present elaborate, night-long
classes, presentations and sem-
inars. Some congregations
even reward sleepy scholars
with a sumptuous midnight
kiddush.
Beginning in the 1830s in
rmany, the Reform move-
ment began holding confirma-
tion ceremonies on Shavuot
This practice is still carried on
and has been adopted by
many Conservative congrega-
tions.
As with all Jewish holidays,
one of the best aspects of
Shavuot is the opportunity for
families to come together and
enjoy the festive day with com-
pany and good food.
Jewish cooks have come up
with an enormous array of
Shavuot dairy dishes. The tra-
ditional favorite probably is
cheese blintzes, although
cheese kreplach run a strong
second. Because cheese is so
versatile, most people have no
trouble coming up with a holi-
day menu that includes a souf-
fle, omelet, casserole or
quiche.
Shavtiot desserts are a spe-
cial treat. Unlike the rest of the
holidays with their meat dishes
(where the cook has to rack
his or her brains to concoct a
parve dessert), on Shavuot you
can go wild with real dairy
foods, none of the fake stuff.
Imagine a meal that includes
cheesecake or ice cream, or
maybe both? Why not? It's a
holiday!