On Shavuot we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, 3337 years ago, in the Hebrew year 2448 (1313 BCE). Standing at the foot of the mountain, the souls of all Jews, from all times, came together to hear the Ten Commandments from G-d Himself. We reaffirm our commitment every year by hearing the Ten Commandments at synagogue. Babies, young children, even the elderly attend.
On the first night of Shavuot, (Tuesday night, 11th June) Jews spend the night learning Torah and preparing to receive the Torah. One reason given is that G-d Himself had to wake the Jewish people on the day the Torah was given. To rectify this, Jews remain awake all that night.
In many synagogues the Book of Ruth is read on the second day of Shavuot. Reasons for this are:
- Shavuot is the birthday and yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of King David, and the Book of Ruth records his ancestry. Ruth and her husband Boaz were King David's great-grandparents.
- The scenes of harvesting described in the book of Ruth are appropriate to the Festival of Harvest.
- Ruth was a convert who embraced Judaism with all her heart. On Shavuot all Jews were converts -- having accepted the Torah and all of its precepts.
It is customary to eat dairy foods on the first day of Shavuot. Here are a few of the reasons for this custom;
- On Shavuot a two-loaf bread offering was brought in the Temple. To commemorate this, we eat two meals on Shavuot: a dairy meal, then a short break, followed by a meat-meal.
- With the giving of the Torah the Jews now became obligated to observe the Kosher laws. As the Torah was given on Shabbat no cattle could be slaughtered nor could utensils be koshered, and thus on that day they ate dairy.
- Torah is likened to milk. “Chalav” is the Hebrew word for milk. The numerical value of the word chalav is forty, which is the number of days Moses spent on Mount Sinai when receiving the Torah.
The custom to adorn our homes and synagogues with fruit, flowers and greens in honour of the holiday of Shavuot is related to one of the names of the festival, the “Harvest Festival”. Our Sages also relate this custom to the fact that when the Torah was given, Mount Sinai sprouted flowers.
