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 A30 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.