Spirituality

HOLIDAY 101

Shavuot

The time of the giving of our Torah.

Elizabeth Applebaum
Special to the Jewish News

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 9,
and Tuesday, June 10. Of course,
Jewish holidays begin the eve-
ning before, so Shavuot actually
starts on the evening of Sunday,
June 8, and ends after sundown
on the 10th.
Why We Celebrate: The origins of
Shavuot are biblical, found in Leviticus
23:15-21. This passage does not identify
the holiday by name. Instead, it describes
the process by which the holiday is created:
God commands the Jewish people to count
each day, beginning on the second day of
Pesach (Passover) and continue counting,
day-by day, for seven weeks. Verse 21 of
the passage states that the 50th day is a
holiday. Shavuot has the distinction of
being the only Jewish holiday whose start
is not set by calendar date, but rather by
counting days after another holiday.
Shavuot is known by other names. In
Exodus 23:16, the Torah identifies the
holiday as Chag Ha-Katzir, or Festival of
the Harvest. In Numbers 28:26-31, the
Torah calls it Yom Ha-Bikurim, Day of
First Fruits. These are references to the
Shavuot sacrifice, offerings from the crop
of new wheat (until Shavuot, all grain
offerings were made of flour from previous
harvests). In the last book of the Torah,
Deuteronomy 16:9-12, God again com-
mands the Jews to observe the holiday, but
here it is called Shavuot.
From early on, the rabbis viewed
Shavuot as much more than an agricultur-
al festival. With its relationship to Pesach,
and the commandment to remember our
slavery in Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:12) that
is stated together with the laws of the holi-
day, the rabbis determined that on the day
now called Shavuot, God gave the Torah at
Sinai. So in the liturgy of Shavuot, the day
is referred to as Z'man matan Torateynu,
"The time of the giving of our Torah."
Inside The Synagogue: On the first day
of Shavuot, after the kohen has been called
to the Torah for the first aliyah (Torah

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June 5 • 2008

reading) and before he recites the blessing,
the Torah reader, chazan (or a synagogue
member with good vocal skills) chants
Akdamut in a traditional intonation. This
poem was written in Aramaic by Rabbi
Meir ben Yitzhak, who lived in Worms,
Germany, in the 11th century. The 90 vers-
es speak of God's majesty, the suffering of
the Jewish people and their ultimate resto-
ration to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel,
and the glory of the messianic era.
On the second day of Shavuot, after the
reading of the first verse of the haftarah,
Yetziv Pitgam, also in Aramaic, is chanted.
This poem features 15 verses, with a theme
similar to that of Akdamut. It was corn-
posed by Yaacov, the son of Rabbi Meir
Levi, whom some scholars believe is, in
fact, Rabbi Yaacov ben Meir (also known
as Rabbeinu Tam, 1100-1171), grandson
of the pre-eminent French Jewish scholar
Rashi.
Also on the second day, the Book of Ruth
is read in the synagogue. There are a num-
ber of reasons for this. Several events in
Ruth happened at the time of the harvest.
Further, just as Ruth accepted the Torah
and became Jewish, so did the children
of Israel at Sinai. Ruth's descendant, King
David, was born and died on Shavuot. (In
Jewish tradition, David is regarded as the
author of the Book of Psalms, so some
recite the entire Psalms on Shavuot.)
Traditionally on Shavuot, the synagogue
is decorated with flowers and greenery,
based on the belief that when the Torah
was given, Mt. Sinai was lush with vegeta-
tion (Exodus 34:3 states that livestock
grazed on the mountain).
How To Celebrate: The only rituals the
Torah specifies for this holiday involve

grain and animal sacrifices which were
performed in the ancient Jewish Temple in
Jerusalem. Today, our prayer services sub-
stitute for the offerings.
Many traditions surround the holiday.
In the 16th century, a group of Jewish
mystics led by Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz (the
author of Lecha Dodi, sung in the Friday-
night Shabbat service), began the practice
of studying the Torah the entire night on
the eve of Shavuot (Tikkun Leil Shavuot).
Since then, this has become a widespread
tradition. Today, synagogues hold all-night
study sessions on a variety of Jewish top-
ics. The learning ends around 5 a.m., fol-
lowed by morning services.
Then it's time for food. The featured
cuisine on Shavuot is dairy dishes, includ-
ing such traditional favorites as cheese
blintzes, cheese kreplach and cheese cake.
Exactly why dairy foods are prominent on
Shavuot is unknown, but tradition offers a
number of explanations.
Some point out that until our ancestors
received the Torah they ate non-kosher
meat, but once they were given the Torah
— which includes the laws of kashrut
— they could no longer use their old
dishes and utensils. Thus, until they could
make their vessels kosher, or make new
implements, they had to eat uncooked
dairy foods.
Others note the proximity of the Torah
verses that discuss the first fruits with the
commandment to separate meat and dairy
in the kosher diet. Also, the Song of Songs
(4:11) states, "Honey and milk are under
your tongue interpreted as suggesting
knowledge of Torah.
Mindful of the talmudic precept that
Jewish holidays are to be celebrated with

meat and wine, there is an opinion
that says dairy foods should not
comprise the major part of the
meal. Instead, the procedure should
be to have a short first course of
dairy foods or a dairy appetizer and
after a brief interval, go on to a main
course of meat. Although halachical-
ly, we may eat meat after dairy (but
not the other way around), most
people would find such a menu too
odd, so they either settle on all dairy
or all meat. Some compromise and
serve fish.
Because there are no special
ceremonies or rituals performed
on Shavuot, its observance over
the decades in America has diminished,
and it is probably the least-known Jewish
holiday. Nonetheless, because Shavuot
often coincides with the end of the school
year, the Reform movement instituted the
confirmation ceremony on the holiday.
Some Conservative congregations also
have their religious school graduations on
Shavuot.

Shavuot
Limerick

A Bisele* Yiddish

...

When the Torah mir hobn bakumen,**
Each man, yeder*** child and woman;
When undzer tayere**** Torah we
received,
Our Yiddisher Folk***** was
conceived
And on Shavuoth to shul

mir vein kumen!******

* a bisele – a little bit of
** mir hobn bakumen – we received
*** yeder – every
**** undzer tayere – our precious
***** Yiddisher Folk – Jewish People
****** mir vein kumen – we will come

Rachel Kapen of West Bloomfield
prepared this limerick in memory of
Mary Jo Fleischman, the longtime

Jewish News Yiddish limerick writer.