ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

Inside The Synagogue

AppleTree Editor

On the first day of Shavuot, after the
kohen has been called to the Torah for
the first aliyah (Torah reading) and
before he recites the blessing, the Torah
reader or the chazan recites Akdamut.
This poem was written in Aramaic by
Rabbi Meir ben Yitzhak, who lived in
Worms, Germany in the 11th century.
The many (90 in all) verses speak of
God's majesty, the suffering of the
Jewish people and their ultimate restora,
don to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel,
and the messianic era.
On the second day of Shavuot, after
the reading of the first verse of the
Haftorah, the Yetziv Pitgam, also in
Aramaic, is chanted. This poem features
15 verses, with a theme similar to that of
Akdamut. It was composed by Yaacov,
the son of Rabbi Meir Levi, whom some
scholars believe is Yaacov ben Meir of
Orleans, grandson of the scholar Rashi.
Also on the second day, the Book of
Ruth is read in the synagogue. The rea-
sons for this are many. A number of the
events in Ruth happen at the time of the
harvest. Further, just as Ruth accepted
the Torah and became Jewish, so did the
children of Israel at Sinai. King David, a
descendant of Ruth, died on Shavuot;
by reading the book, we commemorate
his yahrtzeit.
Traditionally, the synagogue is deco-
rated with flowers and greenery on
Shavuot, a tradition based on the belief
that when the Torah was given, Mount
Sinai was lush with vegetation.
The only rituals the Torah specifies for
this holiday involve grain and animal
sacrifices. We are, however, told that we
must rejoice.
Many traditions surround the holiday.
In commemoration of receiving the
Torah, Jewish mystics began staying
awake to study the entire night on the
eve of Shavuot, a tradition that has
become quite popular. Today, syna-
gogues hold all-night study sessions on a
variety of topics. The learning ends early,
usually around 5 a.m., after which con-
gregants head for bed.
Then it's time for food, of course!
Shavuot iss -a time of dairy cuisine,
including cheese blintzes, cheese kre-
plach and cheese cake. The reason for
dairy foods on Shavuot is unknown.
Some believe that until we knew which
animals were kosher and laws of slaugh-
tering and kashering of meat, other than

T

he Holiday: Shavuot, or "weeks"
in Hebrew, lasts for two days (in
most Reform congregations, one

day).
Shavuot is celebrated on the 6th and
7th of Sivan on the Jewish calendar,
which this year falls on Monday, June
13, and Tuesday, June 14. Of course,
Jewish holidays begin the evening
before, so Shavuot actually starts on the
evening of Sunday, June 12, and ends
after sundown on the 14th.

Why We Celebrate

The origins of Shavuot are in Parshat
Emor (Leviticus 23: 15-21). Actually,
Shavuot is not named here, but you can
learn about the method of determining
its date, as well as its rituals.
Shavuot has the distinction of being
the only Jewish holiday whose start is
not determined by calendar date, but
rather by counting days after another
holiday. Specifically, God commands the
Jewish people to begin counting on the
second day of Passover and continue
seven weeks. The 50th day is Shavuot.
Though most people know the day as
Shavuot,*this holiday comes with a lot
of names. In Parshat Mishpatim (Exodus
23:16), the Torah identifies it as Chag
Ha-Katzir, or Festival of the Harvest. In
Parshat Pinchas (Numbers 28:26-31),
the Torah calls it Yom Habikurim, Day
of First Fruits. These are references to
the Shavuot sacrifice offerings from the
crop of new wheat. Until Shavuot, all
meal offerings were made of flour from
earlier crops.
For a third time, in Parshat Re'ey
(Deuteronomy 16:9 12), God commands
the Jews to observe the holiday; here, it
is called Shavuot.
From early on, the rabbis viewed
Shavuot as much more than an agricul-
tural festival. With its relationship to
Pesach, and because of the command-
ment to remember the days of our
bondage in Egypt, the rabbis deter-
mined that on the day now called
Shavuot, God gave us the Torah at
Sinai. So in the liturgy of Shavuot, the
day is referred to as Z5nan matan
Torateynu, "The time of the giving of
our Torah."

Celebrating Shavuot,
the day the Jews
received the Torah.

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6/ 9

2005

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