Shavuot is just around the corner! The holiday, which arrives seven weeks after Passover, occurs on the 6th day of Sivan. Celebrated for two days in the States, Shavuot—which means “weeks” in Hebrew—this year falls on Monday, June 9, and Tuesday, June 10. It’s both a harvest celebration commemorating the ripening of the first fruits of the spring harvest and it celebrates God’s gift of the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people. To get you in the holiday spirit, read the Shavuot-themed stories below.
Chag Shavuot Sameach!
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Unlike most Jewish holidays with their “must do or not do” restrictions, and themes of being hated, slaughtered or narrowly escaping, Shavuot has some bright features.
During the past few years, there’s been a resurgence of interest in tikkun leil Shavuot. Of all the holidays in the Jewish calendar it’s this one, with its focus on intellectual exploration and spiritual self-examination, that is being seized upon by a new generation as a day — or, rather, night — ripe for reinvention.
In the Old Country, Shavuot meals often started with cold, creamy soups, an appetizer that has all but disappeared in today's grab-and-go world.
Among all the major holidays on the Jewish calendar, why is Shavuot the most likely to be overlooked?
