Shavuot

SHAVUOT

Falling exactly seven weeks after Passover, Shavuot celebrates the experience of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. It is an invitation to study together with others, asking the questions we can’t answer alone, and touching the unity we experienced at Sinai. We read the story of Ruth, a woman who exemplified loving-kindness, a central Torah value, and who chose to be Jewish. We elevate the occasion in our homes with fresh flowers symbolizing the agricultural element of the holiday, and we eat cheesecake and other dairy foods, symbolizing the spiritual nourishment of Torah: as a nursing newborn is sustained by milk, so too are our souls nourished by Torah wisdom. For the night owls among us, Shavuot is also an opportunity to stay up late (or all night!) learning Torah, a custom handed down from the kabbalists to honor the extraordinary gift of revelation.

When the Holy One of Blessing spoke, each person in Israel could say, “The Divine Word is addressing me.” Rabbi Yosi, the son of Hanina, said: “Do not be surprised by this idea, for when manna came down to feed Israel, each person tasted it according to their capacity. For infants it was like mother’s milk, for the young it was like bread with oil and honey, and for the elderly like honey cake. What is true for tasting manna is also true for hearing the Divine Word.” The Holy One of Blessing said to them, “Do not be misled if you hear many voices. Know that I am the One God.”16

— Pesikta d’Rav Kahana 12:25