OT SHAVUOT SHAVUOT SHAVUOT SHAVU
WHAT D OE S THE NAME MEA N?
SHAVUOT LITERALLY MEANS WEEKS, BECAUSE WE COUNT THE SEVEN WEEKS
FROM PASSOVER TO SHAVUOT. THIS IS CALLED “THE COUNTING OF THE OMER”.
WHO KNOWS 49?
WHO KN OWS 49? THE C OUNTING OF THE OMER
7 X 7 = 49
SAW YOU AT SINAI?
SHAVUOT ALWAYS FALLS ON THE 50TH DAY
AFTER THE FIRST DAY OF PASSOVER.
REMEMBER MO SE S A ND
THE 10 C OMMA NDME NTS?
SHAVUOT IS ALSO CALLED THE
HOLIDAY OF THE GIVING OF THE TORAH,
COMMEMORATING THE REVELATION OF
*
TIKKUN LITERALLY MEANS “TO REPAIR”
*
THE TORAH ON MT. SINAI, DESCRIBED IN
LEYL MEANS “NIGHT“
EXODUS CHAPTERS 19 & 20.
SEPHARDI AND EASTERN COMMUNITIES
CHANT A MARRIAGE CONTRACT ON
SHAVUOT, REPRESENTING THE SYMBOLIC
MARRIAGE BETWEEN THE JEWISH
YOU’VE HEARD OF TIKKUN OLAM ,
BUT HAVE YOU HEARD OF TIKKUN LEYL SHAVUOT ?
PEOPLE AND THE TORAH.
THE TIKKUN OF THE NIGHT OF SHAVUOT IS BASED ON AN ANCIENT
KABBALISTIC CUSTOM TO STAY UP THE ENTIRE NIGHT AND LEARN
TORAH. WHEREAS TIKKUN OLAM IS ABOUT REPAIRING THE PHYSICAL
WHO
WHAT
WHERE WHEN
WORLD, THE TIKKUN LEYL SHAVUOT EXPRESSES THE HOPE THAT THERE
WILL BE A SPIRITUAL REPAIRING THROUGH THE STUDY OF TORAH. IN MANY
COMMUNITIES, THIS NIGHT HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH A CELEBRATION
OF JEWISH LEARNING.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CREATE YOUR OWN TIKKUN LEYL SHAVUOT YOU CAN
DOWNLOAD THIS STUDY SHEET RESOURCE FROM OUR FRIENDS AT LIMMUD.
MOSES AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL
RECEIVING THE TORAH
MT. SINAI
SHAVUOT!!!
HA RVE ST OF THE WHEAT A ND F IR ST FR UI TS
LE T’S C ELEBRATE!
CELEBRATED IN LATE SPRING, SHAVUOT IS ALSO THE HOLIDAY OF THE WHEAT HARVEST.
IN BIBLICAL DAYS, IT WAS ONE OF THE THREE TIMES A YEAR THAT THE ISRAELITES
MADE A PILGRIMAGE TO THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM. AMID ELABORATE PARADES,
PILGRIMS BROUGHT OFFERINGS OF BIKKURIM, THE FIRST FRUITS OF THE YEAR.
OF BIKKURIM PARADES, REJOICING IN THE BOUNTY OF THE LAND AND EMPHASIZING
THE RENEWED BOND BETWEEN THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND THE LAND OF ISRAEL.
FEMALE HEROINE: RUTH!
IT IS CUSTOMARY TO READ THE SCROLL OF RUTH, WHICH TELLS HOW
THE BIBLICAL RUTH, A MOABITE YOUNG WOMAN, LOYALLY FOLLOWED
HER JEWISH MOTHER-IN-LAW, NAOMI, BACK TO BETHLEHEM. SHE
,
GATHERED WHEAT IN THE FIELDS REBUILT HER LIFE, AND LATER
BECAME THE GREAT-GRANDMOTHER OF KING DAVID ! RUTH IS SEEN AS
THE ULTIMATE ROLE MODEL OF HESSED - KINDNESS AND GOOD DEEDS.
SAY C HEE SE!
THE CUSTOM IS TO EAT DAIRY FOODS ON SHAVUOT. AND LOTS OF THEM.
BUT WHY DAIRY?
1
AFTER RECEIVING THE TORAH, THE JEWISH PEOPLE RECEIVED THE DIETARY LAWS OF
KEEPING KOSHER, AND SEPARATING MILK AND MEAT. THEY REALIZED THEY COULD
NOT USE THEIR UTENSILS, SO THEY MADE DO WITH EATING ONLY DAIRY FOODS.
2
THE BIKKURIM (FIRST FRUITS) ARE FROM THE SEVEN SPECIES OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL,
WHICH IS DESCRIBED AS “FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY”.
3
MILK IS A SYMBOL OF FERTILITY AND SHAVUOT IS A SYMBOLIC WEDDING BETWEEN
THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND THE TORAH. THEREFORE, WE GREET THE TORAH WITH DAIRY
FOODS, AS A SYMBOL THAT TORAH LEARNING WILL INCREASE.
{ SHA VUOT FA SHION {
WHAT FORM YOUR DAIRY FOOD TAKES
DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU’RE FROM:
CZECH REPUBLIC, AND SLOVAKIA:
CHEESE-FILLED PASTRIES SUCH
AS KNISHES AND PIROGI, CREPES
AND BLINTZES
PERSIA: HALVA BURMA, A
SEMOLINA-BASED CONFECTION
MADE WITH DATES
GREECE: SUTLAG, A DAIRY
PORRIDGE WITH CINNAMON
BULGARIA: SYTU SYLUS, A FRUITAND-NUT FILLED CHALLAH
(REPRESENTING THE SEVENTH
HEAVEN WHERE MOSES WENT
TO RECEIVE THE TORAH)
THERE’S A TRADITION TO WEAR
WHITE CLOTHES ON SHAVUOT,
SYMBOLIZING THE PURITY AND
CLEANLINESS OF THE PEOPLE
WHEN THEY RECEIVED THE TORAH,
OR PERHAPS REPRESENTING THE
WEDDING THEME.
ETHIOPIA: GRAINS AND
IRAQ:
POLAND, HUNGARY,
ROMANIA, AND GERMANY:
SAMBUSAK, A SAVORY PASTRY
FILLED WITH CHEESE; AND KAHI,
FRIED DOUGH AND BUTTER
PANCAKES
CHEESECAKE,
BLINTZES, QUICHES
INJERA, ETHIOPIAN
BREAD
LIBYA: COOKIES SHAPED WITH A HOLE IN THEM, STRUNG ON A
NECKLACE. THE SHAPES RELATE TO THE SYMBOLS OF THE FESTIVAL,
SUCH AS THE TABLETS OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, A LADDER
SYMBOLIZING MOSES GOING UP TO HEAVEN, OR A PRAYER SHAWL.
WATER F IGHTS
IN MOROCCO, NORTH AFRICAN
AND EASTERN COMMUNITIES, IT IS
CUSTOMARY TO SPRITZ WATER
ON EACH OTHER ON SHAVUOT. KIDS
RO SE S A RE RED, A ND BRA NC HE S A RE GREE N
IN THE BUKHARAN TRADITION, THE SYNAGOGUE IS DECORATED WITH RED ROSES,
HENCE THE NAME OF THE HOLIDAY: GOLI SURCHI, “HOLIDAY OF THE RED ROSE”.
PERSIAN JEWS CALL IT THE “HOLIDAY OF FLOWERS” AND FILL THE HOUSE WITH
LILIES AND ROSES. GERMAN JEWS DECORATE THE SYNAGOGUE AND THE ARK
WITH GREEN BRANCHES FROM TREES, BECAUSE THE TORAH IS SEEN AS THE “TREE
OF LIFE”. SOME EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES DECORATE THE SYNAGOGUE WINDOWS
WITH PAPER CUTS, CALLED RAIZELACH (FROM THE YIDDISH WORD FOR “ROSE”).
WOULD GO UP ON ROOFS AND SPRAY
WATER ON PASSERSBY; TODAY, THEY
USE WATER BALLOONS AND WATER
GUNS. MOST OF THE EXPLANATIONS
FOR THIS CUSTOM CONNECT WATER TO
TORAH: JUST AS A PERSON CANNOT
SURVIVE WITHOUT WATER, SO TOO, A
JEW CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT THE
TORAH !
EVE.
o
EVE.
o
2017
6/1
2016
/30 to EV
f5
of
E.
5/25
2015
/11 to EVE
f6
f 6/13
.o
/23 to EV
f5
of
E.
EVE.
o
WHEN IS IT?
PRODUCED BY KOL HAOT - ILLUMINATING JEWISH LIFE THROUGH ART, FOR THE CHARLES AND LYNN SCHUSTERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION.
DESIGN: DOV ABRAMSON STUDIO