Shavuot

Shavuot is a Jewish festival observed seven weeks after Passover, commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and celebrating the wheat harvest.

Giving of the Torah: The foundational Jewish account of God revealing the Torah to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. Shavuot commemorates this revelation as its central sacred event.
Counting of the Omer: The forty-nine-day count from the second day of Passover to Shavuot. It fixes Shavuot’s date as the culmination of seven counted weeks.
Shavuot in the Hebrew Bible: The biblical presentation of Shavuot as a pilgrimage festival associated with first fruits and the wheat harvest. The biblical sources establish the festival’s early agricultural character.
Dairy foods in Jewish tradition: The custom of eating dairy foods on Shavuot, with explanations drawn from Jewish tradition and later interpretation. Cheesecake and other dairy dishes are distinctive parts of many Shavuot meals.
Book of Ruth: A biblical narrative about Ruth, a Moabite woman who joins the people of Israel and becomes an ancestor of King David. Its themes of loyalty and harvest connect it to Shavuot, when it is traditionally read.
Hebrew calendar: A lunisolar calendar used to set Jewish months, festivals, and religious observances. Its month structure determines Shavuot’s annual date.
Pilgrimage Festivals: The three Jewish festivals on which Israelites were commanded to appear before God at the sanctuary: Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Shavuot originated within this trio of agricultural pilgrimage festivals.
Akdamut: A medieval Aramaic liturgical poem recited in many Ashkenazi communities on Shavuot. Its synagogue recitation is a notable local expression of festival worship.
Tikkun Leil Shavuot: A Jewish custom of studying Torah through the night of Shavuot. This practice turns the festival’s association with revelation into sustained study.
Wheat harvest: The seasonal gathering of mature wheat from fields for food and other uses. Shavuot is also known as the festival of the wheat harvest.

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