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