Happy Shavuot

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I had never heard of this holiday before:

Shavuot 2017 begins at sunset on Tuesday, May 30 and ends on the evening of Thursday, June 1.

What is Shavuot?

Shavuot , the feast of weeks, is celebrated seven weeks after the second Passover seder. Although Shavuot began as an ancient grain harvest festival, the holiday has been identified since biblical times with the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.

For more about the history of Shavuot click here.

What are some customs and practices for Shavuot?

– To commemorate the giving of the Torah at Sinai there is a tradition of staying up all night studying Jewish texts in what is called a tikkun.

– On Shavuot the Book of Ruth is read.

– Traditionally dairy foods are eaten on Shavuot.

– In order to mark the agricultural history of Shavuot, some decorate their house and synagogues with a floral theme.

A holiday celebrated by eating cheesecake sounds right up my alley.

[Sue U]

A holiday celebrated by eating cheesecake sounds right up my alley.

Traditionally, it's pancakes and blintzes, but cheesecake (New York style) is always acceptable.

Shavuot, a/k/a Festival of the First Fruits, is one of the three major holidays of the Jewish year, the other two being Passover and Sukkot (all three originate in much older agricultural holidays, but have been given Hebrew religious overlays at least since the 9th or 10th Century BCE). As the religious part of this holiday commemorates the giving of the law, this is the time when Jewish children are "confirmed" in the study of Torah and leading a Jewish life.

(In ancient times, Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot were the "pilgrimage" holidays during which people would go to the Temple for ritual observances.)