MAY 13 • 2021 | 29

S

top counting and pass 
the cheesecake; it’s 
Shavuot!
Shavuot — Z’man matan 
Torateinu — is “The time 
of the giving of our Torah,” 
when Moses ascended Mount 
Sinai to meet the Almighty 
“face to face” and bring back 
the divine teachings to the 
Children of Israel. 
That’s the historical side 
of the holiday. But what’s 
all this about counting and 
cheesecake?
Counting refers to the fact 
that we determine the date 
of Shavuot by counting 50 
days after the first day of 
Pesach (Passover). Why do 
we count? The Torah in the 
Book of Vayikra (Leviticus 
23:15-21) commands the 
Jewish people to begin 
counting off the days and 
weeks beginning with 
the second day of Pesach 
“until seven full weeks have 
elapsed; you shall count 50 
days, until the day after the 
seventh week.” The 50th 
and last day of this period 
becomes the holiday of 
Shavuot.

All of this counting is 
referred to as Sefirat HaOmer
(the counting of the omer), 
because during this period, 
an omer (a specific dry 
measure) of barley was 
offered up as a sacrifice in 
the Temple in Jerusalem. 
Thus, Shavuot is the only 
major holiday on the Jewish 
calendar whose observance 
is not established by a fixed 
date, but by calculation from 
another holiday.
During the Hellenistic 
period of Jewish history, 
Greek-speaking Jews 
began to call the holiday 
“Pentecost” (“50”). In 
Hebrew, Shavuot means 
“weeks.” 
It’s interesting to note 
that there is also a Christian 
Pentecost: the 50th day 
after Easter (usually called 
Whitsunday), a direct copy 
of our Shavuot.
Shavuot is also known 
as Yom HaBikurim (Day of 
the First Fruits) and Chag 
HaKatzir (Harvest Festival) 
because the holiday marked 
the offering of new produce 
in the Temple, and also the 

end of the barley harvest and 
the beginning of the wheat 
harvest.

DAIRY DINING
Now, what about the 
cheesecake?
There is no precise reason 
why we eat dairy foods on 
Shavuot, but among the 
explanations is the fact 
that in the Book of Shemot
(Exodus 23:19), the laws of 
first fruits and the separation 
of meat and milk are stated 
in the same verse. Also, the 
rabbis point out that it was 
not until after Sinai that Jews 
were permitted to eat non-
sacrificial meat.
On Erev Shavuot — the 
first eve of the holiday — 
many observe the custom 
of staying up all night 
and studying Torah to 
commemorate the vigil our 
ancestors kept the night 
before the theophany at 
Sinai.
There are also a number 
of Shavuot synagogue 
traditions. We read the Book 
of Ruth, which describes her 
conversion to Judaism, for 

likewise, when the Israelites 
received the Torah, they too, 
were “converted.” 
Also, the main story in the 
book centers on the harvest, 
and Ruth is an ancestor of 
King David, whose yahrtzeit 
is traditionally observed 
on Shavuot. In fact, many 
people recite the entire Book 
of Psalms on Shavuot (in 
light of the tradition that 
David was its author). 
The synagogue is adorned 
with greenery, flowers and 
trees, because tradition tells 
us that Mount Sinai was lush 
with vegetation. 
The Torah portion on the 
first day of Shavuot includes 
the Ten Commandments. 
And, on the first and second 
days, we chant two Aramaic 
hymns in praise of the Torah: 
Akdamut and Yatziv Pitgam. 
In memory of the departed, 
we recite Yizkor on the 
second day.
Many congregations use 
this opportunity to hold 
an appeal for a worthy 
cause. In many Reform and 
Conservative congregations, 
Shavuot is the time for 
confirmations.
So, try to stay awake the 
first night, listen attentively 
to the story of Ruth, respond 
generously to your local 
appeal, and ladle the sour 
cream on the blintzes as 
thick as you like.
Enjoy Shavuot! 

At the time this was originally 

published, Phillip Applebaum was a 

past president of Young Israel of Oak-

Woods. This year, Shavuot begins the 

evening of Sunday, May 16, and ends 

the evening of Tuesday, May 18.

Shavuot: 
 A Celebration 
 
 
 
 
 
 
for Receiving 
 the Torah

PHILLIP APPLEBAUM

FROM THE JN ARCHIVES 

MAY 20, 1988

