View source for Shavuot

{{Short description|Jewish holiday}}
{{For|the Talmudical tractate|Shevu'ot}}
{{Infobox holiday
| image         = Moritz Daniel Oppenheim - Shavuot (Pentecost) (Das Wochen- oder Pfingst-Fest) - Google Art Project.jpg
| caption       = ''Shavuot'' by [[Moritz Daniel Oppenheim]]
| holiday_name  = Shavuоt
| official_name = {{langx|he|שבועות}} or {{lang|he|חג השבועות}} ({{lang|he-Latn|Ḥag HaShavuot}} or {{lang|he-Latn|Shavuos}})
| observedby    = [[Jew]]s and [[Samaritan]]s
| type          = Jewish and Samaritan
| begins        = 6th day of [[Sivan]] (or the Sunday following the 6th day of Sivan in [[Karaite Judaism]])
| ends          = 7th (in [[Israel]]: 6th) day of Sivan
| celebrations  = Festive meals. All-night [[Torah]] study. Recital of [[Akdamut]] liturgical poem in [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazic]] synagogues. Reading of the [[Book of Ruth]]. Eating of [[dairy]] products. Decoration of homes and [[synagogue]]s with greenery ([[Orach Chayim]], [https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9F_%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9A_%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%97_%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%AA%D7%A6%D7%93_%D7%90 494]).
| significance  = One of the [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals]]. Commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai by [[Names of God in Judaism|God]] to [[Moses]] and to the [[Israelite]]s at [[Biblical Mount Sinai|Mount Sinai]], 49 days (seven weeks) after [[the Exodus]] from [[ancient Egypt]]. Commemorates the wheat harvesting in the [[Land of Israel]]. Culmination of the 49 days of the [[Counting of the Omer]].
| relatedto     = [[Passover]], which precedes Shavuot
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| date{{CURRENTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=current|cite=no}}
| date{{NEXTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next|cite=no}}
| date{{NEXTYEAR|2}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next2|cite=no}}
| date          = 
}}
[[File:Jewish Papercut.jpg|thumb|Coloured [[papercutting|papercut]] in mixed technique depicting symbols pertinent to Judaism and nature. The inscription reads: "Yom Chag Ha Shavuot Ha Zeh". In the [[Jewish Museum of Switzerland]]'s collection.]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}}
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'''{{lang|he-Latn|Shavuot}}''' ({{Audio|He-Shavuot.ogg|listen}}, from {{langx|he|שָׁבוּעוֹת|Šāvūʿōṯ|Weeks}}), or '''{{lang|he-Latn|Shvues}}''' ({{Audio|Yi-Shavuos.ogg|listen}}, in some [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] usage), is a [[Jewish holidays|Jewish holiday]], one of the biblically ordained [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals]]. It occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of [[Sivan]]; in the 21st century, it may fall anywhere between May&nbsp;15 and June&nbsp;14 on the [[Gregorian calendar]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shavuot - Jewish Tradition |url=https://yahadut.org/en/shabbat-and-festivals/shavuot/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=yahadut.org |language=en}}</ref>

Shavuot marked the wheat harvest in the [[Land of Israel]] in the [[Hebrew Bible]] according to [[Ki Tissa#Sixth reading—Exodus 34:10–26|Exodus 34:22]]. Rabbinic tradition teaches that the date also marks the revelation of the [[Ten Commandments]] to [[Moses]] and the [[Israelites]] at [[Mount Sinai (Bible)|Mount Sinai]], which, according to the tradition of [[Orthodox Judaism]], occurred at this date in 1312{{nbs}}[[BCE]].<ref name="Timeline">{{cite web |last1=Spiro |first1=Ken |title=History Crash Course 36: Timeline: From Abraham to Destruction of the Temple |url=https://aish.com/48944541/ |website=Aish |date=May 9, 2009 |access-date=19 August 2010}}</ref> or in 1313 [[BCE]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Midnight Mystery |url=https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2830857/jewish/The-Midnight-Mystery.htm |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=chabad.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jewish Calendar |url=https://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/day.asp?tdate=6/2/2025 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=chabad.org |language=en}}</ref>

The word {{lang|he-Latn|Shavuot}} means 'weeks' in Hebrew and marks the conclusion of the [[Counting of the Omer]]. Its date is directly linked to that of [[Passover]]; the [[Torah]] mandates the seven-week Counting of the Omer, beginning on the second day of Passover, to be immediately followed by Shavuot. This counting of days and weeks is understood to express anticipation and desire for the giving of the Torah. On Passover, the people of Israel were freed from their enslavement to [[Pharaohs in the Bible#In the Book of Exodus|Pharaoh]]; on Shavuot, they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What Is Shavuot (Shavuos)? – And How Is Shavuot Celebrated?|url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/609663/jewish/What-Is-Shavuot-Shavuos.htm|website=www.chabad.org}}</ref> 

While Shavuot is sometimes referred to as Pentecost (in {{langx|grc-x-koine|Πεντηκοστή|Pentecostē|Fiftieth}}) due to its timing fifty days after the first day of Passover, it is not the same celebration as the Christian [[Pentecost]] or [[Whitsun]], which comes fifty days after [[Easter]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Is Shavuot the Jewish Pentecost?|url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/is-shavuot-the-jewish-pentecost/|access-date=2021-04-22|website=My Jewish Learning|language=en-US}}</ref><ref group="Note"> The Christian observance of Pentecost is a different holiday, but was based on a New Testament event that happened around the gathering of Jesus's followers on this Jewish holiday ([[Acts of the Apostles]] 2:1 and following).</ref><ref name="Neusner">{{cite book|last=Neusner|first=Jacob|author-link=Jacob Neusner|title=An Introduction to Judaism: A Textbook and Reader|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6M8oxDql1KIC&pg=PA58|year=1991|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|isbn=978-0-664-25348-6|page=58|quote=The Feast of Weeks, Shavuot, or Pentecost, comes seven weeks after Passover. In the ancient Palestinian agricultural calendar, Shavuot marked the end of the grain harvest and was called the 'Feast of Harvest{{'-}}}}</ref>   That said, the two festivals are related, as the first Day of Pentecost, related in the [[Acts of the Apostles]], is said to have happened on Shavuot.

Shavuot is traditionally celebrated in [[Israel]] for one day, where it is a public holiday, and [[yom tov sheni shel galuyot|for two days in the diaspora]].<ref name="forward">{{cite web |url=http://forward.com/articles/127963/ |title=Shavuot: The Zeppo Marx of Jewish Holidays |last=Goldberg |first=J.J. |publisher=[[The Forward]] |date=May 12, 2010 |access-date=May 24, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Berel Wein |url=https://www.rabbiwein.com/blog/shavuot-thoughts-186.html |title=Shavuot Thoughts |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=May 21, 2010 |quote=Here in Israel all Israelis are aware of Shavuot, even those who only honor it in its breach{{nbs}}... In the diaspora, Shavuot is simply ignored by many Jews{{nbs}}...}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishmediaresources.com/960/celebrating-shavuos-alone |title=Celebrating Shavuos Alone |author=Jonathan Rosenblum |author-link=Jonathan Rosenblum |date=May 31, 2006 |work=[[Mishpacha]] |access-date=June 4, 2020 |quote=Yet most Jews have barely heard of {{lang|he-Latn|Shavuos|italic=no}}, the celebration of {{lang|he-Latn|Matan Torah|italic=no}}. In {{lang|he-Latn|Eretz Yisrael|italic=no}}, the contrast between {{lang|he-Latn|Shavuos|italic=no}} and the other {{lang|he-Latn|yomim tovim}} could not be more stark. {{lang|he-Latn|Shavuos|italic=no}} is only about the acceptance of Torah. For those Israeli Jews for whom Torah has long since ceased to be relevant, the holiday offers nothing. }}</ref>

==Names==
===Biblical names===
In the Bible, Shavuot is called the "Festival of Weeks" ({{langx|he|חג השבועות|Ḥāġ hašŠāvuʻoṯ}}, {{bibleverse-lb||Exodus|34:22|HE}}, {{bibleverse-lb||Deuteronomy|16:10|HE}}); "Festival of Reaping" ({{langx|he|חג הקציר|Ḥāġ HaqQāṣir}} {{bibleverse-lb||Exodus|23:16|HE}}),<ref>{{cite book|title=Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith|page=43|first=Marvin|last=Wilson|year=1989}}</ref> and  "Day of the First Fruits" ({{langx|he|יום הבכורים|Yom habBikkurim}}, {{bibleverse-lb||Numbers|28:26|HE}}).<ref>{{cite book|title=Teaching Jewish Holidays: History, Values, and Activities|page=215|first=Robert|last=Goodman|year=1997}}</ref>  ''Shavuot'', the plural of a word meaning "week" or "seven", alludes to the fact that this festival happens exactly seven weeks (i.e. "a week of weeks") after Passover.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shavuot-101/|title=Shavuot 101}}</ref>

===Later names===
The [[Talmud]] refers to Shavuot as ʻAṣeret ({{langx|he|עצרת|ʻăṣereṯ|refraining, holding back}}) according to [[Pesachim]] 68b, referring to the prohibition against work on this holiday<ref name="sichos">{{cite web |url=http://www.sie.org/templates/sie/article_cdo/aid/2865690/jewish/Dvar-Torah-Questions-and-Answers-on-Shavuot.htm |title=Dvar Torah Questions and Answers on Shavuot |last=Bogomilsky |first=Rabbi Moshe |year=2009 |access-date=January 22, 2018 |publisher=Sichos in English}}</ref> and also to the conclusion of the Passover holiday season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.torah.org/learning/rabbiwein/5765/shavuos.html?print=1 |title=Shavuos |last=Wein |first=Rabbi Berel |year=2005 |access-date=June 6, 2011 |publisher=torah.org}}</ref> The other reason given is that just as [[Shemini Atzeret|Shmini ʿAṣeret]] brings [[Sukkot]] to a close, ʿAṣeret brings Passover to a close.

Since Shavuot occurs fifty days after Passover, [[Hellenistic Judaism|Hellenistic Jews]] referred to it by the Koine name "Pentecost".<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://ohr.edu/7864|title=Stop! It's Shavuot! by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein|website=Ohr Somayach}}</ref>

==Significance==
===Giving of the Torah===
Shavuot is not explicitly named in the Bible as the day on which the [[Torah]] was revealed by God to the Israelite nation at Mount Sinai, although this is commonly considered to be its main significance.<ref name="BBC">See, for example, {{cite web|title=BBC – Religions – Judaism:Shavuot|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/holydays/shavuot.shtml|website=BBC|access-date=May 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>''Z'man matan toratenu'' ("the time of the giving of our Torah [Law]") is a frequent liturgical cognomen for Shavuot. See, for example, {{cite web|title=The Standard Prayer Book:Kiddush for Festivals|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/spb/spb29.htm|website=sacred-texts.com|access-date=May 18, 2018}}</ref>

Unlike other major holidays, the Torah does not specify the date of Shavuot, but only that it falls 50 days after Passover, placing it at the 6th of Sivan according to the [[Hebrew calendar|current fixed calendar]] (in earlier times when months were fixed by lunar observation, the date could vary by a day or two). The Torah states that the Israelites reached Sinai on the first<ref>The biblical phrase ''yom hazeh'' ("that very day"), following ''hodesh'' ("month" or "new month"), indicates the first day of the new month. See [[Yoel Bin-Nun]] and Shaul Baruchi, ''Mikraot: Iyun Rav Techumi Batorah: Yitro'', p.118</ref> day of the third month following the Exodus, i.e. Sivan.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Exodus|19:1|HE}}</ref> Then several events occurred, taking a total of at least three days, before the Torah was given.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Exodus|19:2–16|HE}}</ref> Thus, it is plausible that the giving of the Torah occurred on or about Shavuot, but no exact date is mentioned.

Besides the timing, scholars have pointed to thematic connections between Shavuot and the giving of the Torah, which are indicated by the Bible itself:
* Several aspects of the Shavuot Temple sacrifice (''shtei halechem'') suggest a connection to the Exodus and the giving of the Torah. The ''shtei halechem'' is the only holiday sacrifice which includes a communal ''shelamim'' ("peace") offering, recalling the communal ''shelamim'' offering which was offered after the acceptance of the Torah ({{Bibleverse|Exodus|24:5–11|HE}}). Also, the ''shtei halechem'' is one of the few sacrifices to include chametz, suggesting that Shavuot is a counterpoint to Passover and its historical events.<ref>[[Menachem Leibtag]], [https://www.etzion.org.il/en/holidays/shavuot/shavuot-and-matan-torah Shavuot and Matan Torah]</ref>

*From an early period, Shavuot was regarded as an appropriate time to make covenants between God and humanity. [[Asa of Judah|Asa]] chose to make his covenant ({{Bibleverse|2 Chronicles|15:8–15|HE}}) on or about Shavuot.<ref>{{Bibleverse|2 Chronicles|15:10|HE}} places it in "the third month"; according to {{Alhatorah|2 Chronicles|15:11|Targum Ketuvim}} the covenant occurred on Shavuot itself</ref> (Similarly, according to [[Book of Jubilees]], [[Noah]] made his covenant with God on Shavuot.<ref>Jubilees 6:1–21</ref>) The association between Shavuot and covenants suggests a connection to the giving of the Torah, which itself was a covenant between God and Israel.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Exodus|19:5|HE}}</ref><ref name=nk/> In addition, the description of Asa's covenant repeatedly alludes both to the giving of the Torah<ref>e.g. "third month", "this day", "loud noise", "shofars", the people's agreement</ref> and to the Shavuot holiday,<ref>The description of this covenant follows the same literary structure which Chronicles typically uses for pilgrimage holidays such as Shavuot, and repeatedly uses the words ''sheva'' and ''shevuah'' which recall Shavuot. (See S.J. De Vries, 'Festival Ideology in Chronicles', in: H.T.C. Sun and K.L. Eades (eds.), ''Problems in Biblical Theology: Essays in Honor of Rolf Knierim'', Eugene 1997, pp. 104–124 [105–110])</ref> suggesting a link between the two.<ref name=nk>Neriah Klein, [https://neriahklein.wixsite.com/hebrew/%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9D חג השבועות בימי אסא]</ref>

Most of the [[Chazal|Talmudic sages]] agreed that the Torah was given on the 6 [[Sivan]] (the date of Shavuot), but [[Jose ben Halafta]] holds that it was given on 7 Sivan.<ref name=s86/> According to the classical timeline, the Israelites arrived at the wilderness of Sinai on the new moon ({{bibleverse|Exodus|19:1|HE}}) and the [[Ten Commandments]] were given on the following [[Shabbat]] (i.e., Saturday). The question of whether the new moon fell on Sunday or Monday is undecided.<ref name=s86>Talmud, Shabbat 86b</ref> In practice, Shavuot is observed on 6 Sivan in [[Israel]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Goldin|first1=Shmuel|title=Unlocking the Torah Text: Vayikra|date=2010|publisher=Gefen Publishing House Ltd|isbn=9789652294500|page=207}}</ref> and a second day is added in the [[Jewish diaspora]] (in keeping with a separate rabbinical ruling that applies to all biblical holidays, called ''[[Yom tov sheni shel galuyot]]'', Second-Day Yom Tov in the diaspora).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kohn|first1=Daniel|title=Why Some Holidays Last Longer Outside Israel|url=http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/extra-festival-days-in-the-diaspora/|publisher=My Jewish Learning|access-date=May 31, 2017}}</ref> Thus, according to Jose ben Halafta, only outside Israel does Shavuot fall out on the day the Torah was given.

===Agricultural===
What is textually connected in the Bible to the Feast of Shavuot is the season of the grain harvest, specifically of the wheat, in the [[Land of Israel]]. In ancient times, the grain harvest lasted seven weeks and was a season of gladness ({{bibleverse-lb||Jer.|5:24|HE}}, {{bibleverse-lb||Deut.|16:9–11|HE}}, {{bibleverse-lb||Isa.|9:2|HE}}). It began with harvesting the barley during Passover and ended with harvesting the wheat at Shavuot. Shavuot was thus the concluding festival of the grain harvest, just as the eighth day of Sukkot was the concluding festival of the fruit harvest. During the existence of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], an [[korban|offering]] of two loaves of bread from the wheat harvest was made on Shavuot according to the commandment in {{bibleverse-lb||Lev.|23:17|HE}}.<ref name="Neusner"/>

The penultimate [[Dead Sea Scrolls|Dead Sea text]] to be published has been discovered to contain two festival dates observed by the sect at [[Qumran]] as part of their formally perfect 364-day calendar. It was dedicated to New Wine and New Oil, which are not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible but were known from another Qumran manuscript, the [[Temple Scroll]]. These festivals "constituted an extension of the festival of Shavuot{{nbs}}... which celebrates the New Wheat." All three festivals are calculated starting from the first Sabbath following Passover by repeatedly adding exactly fifty days each time: first came New Wheat (Shavuot), then New Wine, and then New Oil.<ref>{{cite web |author= Press release based on work by Dr. Eshbal Ratson and Prof. Jonathan Ben-Dov, Department of Bible Studies |publisher= University of Haifa, Communications and Media Relations |title= University of Haifa Researchers Decipher One of the Last Two Remaining Unpublished Qumran Scrolls |date= January 2018 |url= https://www.haifa.ac.il/index.php/en/about-top-blue-3/2013-07-01-13-28-00/2814-university-of-haifa-researchers-decipher-one-of-the-last-two-remaining-unpublished-qumran-scrolls.html |access-date= 6 June 2020 |archive-date= May 26, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200526172537/https://www.haifa.ac.il/index.php/en/about-top-blue-3/2013-07-01-13-28-00/2814-university-of-haifa-researchers-decipher-one-of-the-last-two-remaining-unpublished-qumran-scrolls.html |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sweeney |first1=Marvin |title=The Three Shavuot Festivals of Qumran: Wheat, Wine, and Oil |url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-three-shavuot-festivals-of-qumran-wheat-wine-and-oil |website=The Torah |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref> (See also below, at [[#The Book of Jubilees and the Essenes|"The Book of Jubilees and the Essenes"]].)

==Ancient observances==
===Pilgrimage===
Shavuot was one of the [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals]] on which Jews would visit the [[Temple in Jerusalem]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Skarsaune |first=Oskar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IAlQTo4H4F4C&pg=PA89 |title=In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity |date=2008-10-28 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=978-0-8308-2844-9 |page=89 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NX2sBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT1145 |title=Encyclopedia of Jewish folklore and traditions |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7656-2025-5 |editor-last=Bar-Yitshak |editor-first=Hayah |location=London New York |pages=487 |editor-last2=Patai |editor-first2=Raphael}}</ref>

===''Bikkurim''===
{{Main|Bikkurim (first-fruits)}}

Shavuot was also the first day on which individuals could bring the [[Bikkurim (first-fruits)|bikkurim]] or "[[First Fruits|first fruits]]" to the [[Temple in Jerusalem]].<ref>[[Bikkurim (tractate)|Mishnah Bikkurim]] 1:3</ref> Bikkurim were so crucial to Shavuot that the Torah twice describes the holiday as a day of bikkurim;<ref>{{Bibleverse|Exodus|23:16|HE}}; {{Bibleverse|Numbers|28:26|HE}}</ref> wheat was ready for harvest, summer fruits were beginning to ripen, and bikkurim were brought.

===''Shtei Halechem''===
The Torah prescribes a unique sacrifice for Shavuot: the ''shtei halechem'' or Two Loaves, which (atypically for sacrifices) must be [[chametz]], and which are described as ''bikkurim'' of the wheat harvest.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Leviticus|23:17|HE}}</ref> These loaves are accompanied by a set of other sacrifices.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Leviticus|23:18–20|HE}}</ref>

According to [[Judah Loew ben Bezalel]], there is a symbolic contrast between the [[omer offering]] of Passover and the Two Loaves. The former consists of barley, which is typically an animal food, and represents the low spiritual level of the Israelites immediately upon leaving Egypt during [[the Exodus]]; while the latter consists of wheat and represents the high spiritual level of the Israelites upon receiving the Torah.<ref>[https://www.toraland.org/%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%A2%D7%92%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%A0%D7%94/%D7%9C%D7%92-%D7%91%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8/%D7%9C%D7%94%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%A3-%D7%90%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8/ להניף את העומר]</ref>

==Modern religious observances==
[[File:Shavuot synagogue2.jpg|thumb|A [[synagogue]] sanctuary adorned in greenery in honor of Shavuot]]

Nowadays in the post-Temple era, Shavuot is the only biblically ordained holiday that has no specific [[Mitzvah|law]]s attached to it other than usual festival requirements of abstaining from [[Melacha|creative work]]. The rabbinic observances for the holiday include reciting additional prayers, making [[kiddush]], partaking of meals and being in a state of joy. There are, however, many [[Minhag|custom]]s which are observed on Shavuot.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.ou.org/holidays/shavuot/customs_of_shavuot/ | title=Customs of Shavuot| date=June 30, 2006}}</ref> A mnemonic for the customs largely observed in Ashkenazi communities spells the Hebrew word {{Lang|he-Latn|aḥarit}} ({{Script/Hebrew|אחרית}}, "last"):
*{{Script/Hebrew|'''א'''קדמות}} – ''Aqdamut'', the reading of a [[piyyut]] (liturgical poem) during Shavuot morning synagogue services
*{{Script/Hebrew|'''ח'''לב}} – ''ḥalav'' (milk), the consumption of dairy products like milk and cheese
*{{Script/Hebrew|'''ר'''ות}} – ''Rut'', the reading of the [[Book of Ruth]] at morning services (outside Israel: on the second day)
*{{Script/Hebrew|'''י'''רק}} – ''Yereq'' (greening), the decoration of homes and synagogues with greenery
*{{Script/Hebrew|'''ת'''ורה}} – ''Torah'', engaging in all-night Torah study.

The [[Bereavement in Judaism|''yahrzeit'']] of [[David|King David]] is traditionally observed on Shavuot. [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic Jew]]s also observe the ''yahrzeit'' of the [[Baal Shem Tov]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1208507/jewish/Biography.htm|title=The Baal Shem Tov – A Brief Biography|publisher=Chabad |access-date=June 12, 2016}}</ref>

===Liturgical poems===
====''Aqdamut''====
{{Main|Akdamut}}

The ''Aqdamut'' ({{langx|arc|אקדמות}}) is a liturgical poem recited by Ashkenazi Jews extolling the greatness of God, the Torah, and Israel that is read publicly in Ashkenazic synagogues in the middle of{{snd}}or in some communities right before{{snd}}the morning [[Torah reading]] on the first day of Shavuot. It was composed by Meir of [[Worms, Germany|Worms]]. Meir was forced to defend the Torah and his Jewish faith in a debate with local priests and successfully conveyed his certainty of God's power, His love for the Jewish people, and the excellence of Torah. Afterwards he wrote the ''Aqdamut'', a 90-line poem in [[Aramaic]] that stresses these themes. The poem is written in a double [[acrostic]] pattern according to the order of the [[Hebrew alphabet]]. In addition, each line ends with the syllable {{Lang|he-Latn|ta}} ({{Script/Hebrew|תא}}), the last and first letters of the Hebrew alphabet, alluding to the endlessness of Torah. The traditional melodies that accompanies this poem also conveys a sense of grandeur and triumph.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.ou.org/holidays/shavuot/akdamut_and_ketuvah/ | title="Akdamut" and "Ketubah"| date=June 30, 2006}}</ref>

====''Azharot''====
{{Main|Azharot}}

There is an ancient tradition to recite poems known as '''Azharot''' ({{lang|he|אזהרות}} listing the commandments. This was already considered a well-established custom in the 9th century.<ref>Yonah Frankel, Shavuot Machzor, page 11 of the introduction.</ref> These piyyutim were originally recited during the chazzan's repetition of the [[Mussaf]] amidah, in some communities they were later moved to a different part of the service.

Some Ashkenazic communities maintain the original practice of reciting the Azharot during mussaf; they recite ''{{Interlanguage link|Ata Hinchalta|he|אתה_הנחלת}}'' on the first day and ''Azharat Reishit'' on the second, both from the early Geonic period.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} Italian Jews do the same except that they switch the piyyutim of the two day, and in recent centuries, ''Ata Hinchalta'' has been truncated to include only one 22-line poem instead of eight. Many [[Sephardic Jews]] recite the Azharot of [[Solomon ibn Gabirol]] before the mincha service; in many communities, the positive commandments are recited on the first day and the negative commandments on the second day.

====''Yatziv Pitgam''====
The liturgical poem ''Yatziv Pitgam'' ({{langx|arc|יציב פתגם}}) is recited by some synagogues in the diaspora on the second day of Shavuot. The author signs his name at the beginning of the poem's 15 lines{{snd}}Yaakov ben Meir Levi, better knows as [[Rabbeinu Tam]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/783211/dr-lawrence-schiffman/yatziv-pitgam-one-of-our-last-aramaic-piyyutim/ | title=YUTorah Online – Yatziv Pitgam, One of Our Last Aramaic Piyyutim (Dr. Lawrence Schiffman)| date=October 10, 2015}}</ref>

===Book of Ruth===
[[File:Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld- Ruth im Feld des Boaz.jpg|thumb|''[[Ruth (biblical figure)|Ruth]] in [[Boaz#In the Bible|Boaz]]'s Field'' by [[Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld]], oil on canvas, 1828; National Gallery, London]]

The [[Five Megillot]] – five books from the [[Hebrew Bible]] – are traditionally read in synagogue on various Jewish holidays. Of these, the [[Book of Ruth]] is read on Shavuot. Reasons given for this custom include:
#Shavuot is harvest time ({{Bibleverse|Exodus|23:16|HE}}), and the events of Book of Ruth occur at harvest time.<ref name=abu>[[David Abudarham]], end of commentary to [[Passover]] [[Mussaf]]</ref>
#Because Shavuot is traditionally cited as the day of the giving of the Torah, the entry of the entire Jewish people into the covenant of the Torah is a major theme of the day. Ruth's conversion to Judaism, and consequent entry into that covenant, is described in the book. This theme accordingly resonates with other themes of the day.<ref name=abu/>
#King David (Ruth's descendant, whose genealogy appears at the end of the Book of Ruth) was traditionally born and died on Shavuot.<ref>[[Jerusalem Talmud]] [[Hagigah]] 2:3</ref>
#The [[gematria]] (numerical value) of Ruth is 606. Added to the [[Seven Laws of Noah]], the total equals the [[613 commandments]] in the Torah.<ref>[https://www.hidush.co.il/hidush.asp?id=597 מגילת רות – "אך טוב וחסד ירדפוני" ]</ref>
#Another central theme of the book is ''ḥesed'' (loving-kindness), a major theme of the Torah.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Yael|title=Reading Ruth: Rhyme and Reason|url=http://www.mazornet.com/holidays/Shavuot/readingruth.htm|website=Mazor Guide|publisher=Mazornet, Inc.|access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref>
<!--I want a specific reference to support this: (6) Ruth was allowed to marry Boaz on the basis of the Oral Law's interpretation of the verse, "A Moabite may not marry into the Congregation of the Lord." (Deut. 23:4), which is that this verse applies only to Moabite men. This points to the unity of the Written and Oral Torahs.-->

===Greenery===
{{See|Flowers in Judaism}}
In many Jewish communities, there is a tradition to decorate homes and synagogues with plants, flowers and leafy branches on Shavuot.<ref name="Green2">{{cite web |last1=Ross |first1=Lesli Koppelman |title=Shavuot Decorations |url=http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shavuot-decorations/ |access-date=May 30, 2017 |publisher=My Jewish Learning}}</ref> In fact, Persian Jews referred to the holiday as "The Mo'ed of Flowers" ({{Lang|fa|موعد گل}}) in [[Persian language|Persian]], and never as "Shavuot".

A common reason given for this custom is the story that Mount Sinai suddenly blossomed with flowers in anticipation of the giving of the Torah on its summit. This idea is first mentioned in medieval Ashkenazi sources such as [[Maharil]].<ref name=sichot>''Sichot Talmidei Hachamim'', siman 296 (p.499) (see [http://forum.otzar.org/viewtopic.php?t=13483 Otzar thread])</ref><ref>[https://www.academia.edu/26001754/%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A0%D7%94%D7%92_%D7%9C%D7%A9%D7%98%D7%95%D7%97_%D7%A2%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%91%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%95%D7%93%D7%A2%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%92%D7%A8%D7%90_%D7%91%D7%96%D7%94?auto=download המנהג לשטוח עשבים ואילנות בבית הכנסת בשבועות, ודעת ה'גר"א' בזה]</ref> In another interpretation, flowers represent the Jewish people, which received a covenant with God on this date.<ref name=sichot/> Other reasons have been suggested as well.<ref name="Green2"/>

Some synagogues decorate the [[Bema#Judaism|bimah]] with a canopy of flowers and plants so that it resembles a [[chuppah]], as Shavuot is mystically referred to as the day the matchmaker (Moses) brought the bride (the nation of Israel) to the chuppah (Mount Sinai) to marry the bridegroom (God); the ''[[ketubah]]'' (marriage contract) was the Torah. Some Eastern Sephardi communities read out a ''ketubah'' between God and Israel, composed by [[Israel ben Moses Najara]] as part of the service. This custom was also adopted by some Hasidic communities, particularly from [[Hungary]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Goodman|first1=Philip|title=The Shavuot Marriage Contract|url=http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-shavuot-marriage-contract/|publisher=My Jewish Learning |access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref>

The [[Vilna Gaon]] cancelled the tradition of decorating with trees because it too closely resembles the Christian decorations for their holidays.<ref name="Green2"/>

===All-night Torah study===
Some have the custom to learn Torah all night on the first night of Shavuot, a practice known as ''Tiqqun Leyl Shavuot'' ({{langx|he|תקון ליל שבועות}}) ("Rectification for Shavuot Night").

The custom is first recorded {{Circa|1300}} in the {{Interlanguage link|Or Zarua II|he|דוד בן יהודה החסיד|italic=yes}}. According to that work, "Our righteous forebears, servants of the Most High, would never sleep on Shavuot eve{{Efn|Compare ''Zohar'', Emor 35: "When a person arrives at [Shavuot] eve, he must learn Torah and join with it . . . the Oral Torah . . . therefore the pietists of old did not sleep on this night, but studied Torah, and they say, 'Let us inherit a holy bequest, us and our children, in both worlds.'" The ''Zohar'' was composed in the 1280s, roughly contemporary with the ''Or Zarua II'', which sometimes quotes it in an early form. The ''Zohar'' imitates Mishnaic legendary style (E.g. "One may only pray respectfully. The pietists of old would spend an hour preparing their minds to pray . . .") in recommending a new practice, and the ''Or Zarua II'' is the first to attest its adoption.}}—and now we do this on both nights—for all night they would read the Torah and the [[Nevi'im]] and the [[Ketuvim]], and they would skip around the Talmud and the [[Aggadah|Aggadot]], and they would read the secret wisdoms until dawn broke, and they would hold the legacy of their fathers in their very hands".<ref>{{Cite web |title=אור זרוע : ניסיונו של האדם לפגוש בבורא : פירוש קבלי מפורט למחזור / רבי דוד בן יהודה החסיד נכדו של ... (רמב"ן) ; ההדיר בן ציון בן לוי הכהן ; ... עם הארות והערות של ... בן ציון בן לוי הכהן {{!}} דוד בן יהודה, החסיד (כהן, בן ציון בן לוי ) {{!}} כהן, בן ציון בן לוי {{!}} הספרייה הלאומית |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/books/NNL_ALEPH990026933430205171/NLI |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=www.nli.org.il |language=he}}</ref> The custom was later linked to a [[Midrash]] which relates that the night before the Torah was given, the Israelites retired early to be well-rested for the momentous day ahead. They overslept and [[Moses]] had to wake them up because God was already waiting on the mountaintop.<ref>''Shir Hashirim Rabbah'' 1:57.</ref> To rectify this perceived flaw in the national character, many religious Jews stay up all night to learn Torah.<ref name="sleepless">{{Cite web|url=http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/1688|title=Sleepless Shavuot in Shicago|access-date=September 5, 2007|publisher=[[Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem|Ohr Somayach]]|date=May 22, 2004|last=Ullman |first=Rabbi Yirmiyahu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314112809/http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/1688|archive-date=March 14, 2007}}</ref>

In 1533 [[Joseph Caro]], author of the ''[[Shulchan Aruch|Shulchan Arukh]]'', then living in [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Salonika]], invited [[Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz]] and other [[Kabbalah|Kabbalist]]ic colleagues to hold Shavuot-night study vigils for which they prepared for three days in advance, just as the Israelites had prepared for three days before the giving of the Torah. During one of those study sessions, an angel reportedly appeared and taught them [[Halakha|Jewish law]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewish-studies.info/Tikkun-Leil-Sha.htm |title=Tikkun Leil Shavuot of R. Joseph Karo and the Epistle of Solomon ha-Levi Elkabetz |date=December 22, 2008 |access-date=June 8, 2011 |last=Altshuler |first=Dr. Mor |publisher=jewish-studies.info}}</ref><ref name="haaretz">{{Cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/862344.html|title=Let each help his neighbor|access-date=September 5, 2007|work=[[Haaretz]]|date=May 22, 2007|first=Mor|last=Altshuler|author-link=Mor Altshuler}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/JosephKaro.html |title=Joseph Karo |year=2011 |publisher=[[Jewish Virtual Library]] |access-date=June 8, 2011}}</ref> 

It has been suggested that the introduction of [[coffee]] throughout the [[Ottoman Empire]] may have attributed to the "feasibility and popularity" of the practice of all-night Torah study.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/1138/features/sleepless-on-shavuot/|title=Sleepless on Shavuot|access-date=July 22, 2013|work=[[Jewish Ideas Daily]]|date=May 24, 2012|first=Moshe|last=Sokolow}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|jstor=1486283|doi=10.1017/S0364009400002427|doi-access=free|title=Coffee, Coffeehouses, and the Nocturnal Rituals of Early Modern Jewry|journal=[[AJS Review]]|year=1989|volume=14|issue=1|pages=17–46|last=Horowitz |first=Elliot}}</ref> In contrast, the custom of Yemenite Jews is to ingest the fresh leaves of a stimulant herb called [[Khat]] (containing [[cathinone]]) for the all-night ritual, an herb commonly used in that region of the world.

Any subject may be studied on Shavuot night, although [[Talmud]], [[Mishnah]], and [[Torah]] typically top the list. People may learn alone or with a ''[[chavruta]]'' (study partner), or attend late-night ''[[Shiur (Torah)|shiurim]]'' (lectures) and study groups.<ref name="Fendel"/> In keeping with the custom of engaging in all-night Torah study, leading 16th-century [[Kabbalah|kabbalist]] [[Isaac Luria]] arranged a recital consisting of excerpts from the beginning and end of each of the 24 books of [[Tanakh]] (including the reading in full of several key sections such as [[Creation myth|the account of the days of creation]], [[the Exodus]], the giving of the [[Ten Commandments]] and the [[Shema]]) and the 63 tractates of Mishnah,<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2156/jewish/Learning-on-Shavuot-Night-Tikun-Leil-Shavuot.htm | title=Learning on Shavuot Night – Tikun Leil Shavuot – an Insomniac's Preparation for the Torah}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tikkun-leil-shavuot/ | title=Tikkun Leil Shavuot}}</ref> followed by the reading of ''[[Sefer Yetzirah]]'', the 613 commandments as enumerated by [[Maimonides]], and excerpts from the [[Zohar]], with opening and concluding prayers. The whole reading is divided into thirteen parts, after each of which a ''Kaddish d-Rabbanan'' is recited when the ''Tiqun'' is studied with a [[minyan]]. Today, this service is held in many communities, with the notable exception of [[Spanish and Portuguese Jew]]s. The service is printed in a book called ''Tiqun Leyl Shavuot''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ross|first1=Lesli Koppelman|title=Tikkun Leil Shavuot|url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tikkun-leil-shavuot/|website=My Jewish Learning|access-date=May 18, 2018}}</ref> There exist similar books for the vigils before the seventh day of [[Pesach]] and [[Hoshanah Rabbah|Hosha'ana Rabbah]].

In [[Jerusalem]], at the conclusion of the night time study session, tens of thousands of people walk to the [[Western Wall]] to pray with sunrise. A week after Israel captured the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City]] during the [[Six-Day War]], more than 200,000 Jews streamed to the site on Shavuot, it having been made accessible to Jews for the first time since [[1948 Arab–Israeli War|1948]].<ref name="Fendel">{{cite web |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/131615 |title=Who Replaced My Cheese with Torah Study? |last=Fendel |first=Hillel |publisher=[[Arutz Sheva]] |date=May 28, 2009 |access-date=June 8, 2011}}</ref><ref name="wein">{{cite web |url=http://www.torahwomen.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=461:shavuot-sleepless-nights&catid=16:general&Itemid=37 |title=Shavuot: Sleepless Nights |last=Wein |first=Rabbi Berel |author-link=Berel Wein |date=May 16, 2002 |access-date=June 8, 2011 |publisher=Torah Women.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114173405/http://torahwomen.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=461:shavuot-sleepless-nights&catid=16:general&Itemid=37 |archive-date=January 14, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://bje.org.au/course/judaism/kids/shavuot/ |title=Shavuot |work=NSW Board Of Jewish Education |year=2011 |access-date=January 22, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aish.com/h/sh/t/48959111.html |title=ABC's of Shavuot |last=Simmons |first=Rabbi Shraga |work=aishcom |author-link=Shraga Simmons |publisher=Aish.com |access-date=June 8, 2011 |date=May 12, 2001}}</ref>

== Dairy foods ==
Among the customs observed on Shavuot is the consumption of dairy foods, with specific dishes varying among different communities. Dairy foods such as [[cheesecake]], cheese [[blintz|''blintzes'']],<ref>{{cite web |last=Wein |first=Rabbi Berel |date=May 10, 2005 |title=Cheese & Flowers |url=http://www.aish.com/h/sh/r/48967071.html |access-date=May 24, 2011 |work=aishcom |publisher=[[Aish HaTorah|Aish.com]]}}</ref> and cheese ''[[kreplach]]'' among [[Ashkenazi Jews]];<ref name="mama">{{cite web |title=Shavuot – Hag ha'Bikkurim or Festival of the First Fruits |url=http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/Shavuot/shavuot.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070506110728/http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/Shavuot/shavuot.html |archive-date=May 6, 2007 |access-date=May 24, 2011 |publisher=In Mama's Kitchen}}</ref> cheese ''[[sambusak]]'',<ref name="sam">{{cite book |last=Marks |first=Gil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojc4Uker_V0C&q=shavuot+sambusak&pg=PA524 |title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-470-39130-3 |page=524}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite book |title=The Old Sephardi Yishuv in Eretz Israel |publisher=Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities in the East; Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem |year=2023 |editor-last=Ben-Naeh |editor-first=Yaron |series=Jewish Communities in the East in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries |pages=372–373 |language=he |trans-title=היישוב היהודי הספרדי הישן בארץ ישראל |issn=1565-0774 |editor-last2=Held Delaroza |editor-first2=Michal}}</ref> ''kelsonnes'' ([[ravioli]] filled with [[tzfatit]] cheese),<ref>Marks, ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Food'', p. 87.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Calsones (Cheese Ravioli) Recipe - Yedida and Elli Dabah |url=https://asif.org/he/%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D/calsones-cheese-ravioli/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Asif |language=en-US}}</ref> and ''[[Qatayef|atayef]]'' (a cheese-filled pancake)<ref name="foods">{{cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Sybil |title=Shavuot Foods Span Myriad Cultures |url=http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/030530/loopholesside.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610060653/http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/030530/loopholesside.html |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |access-date=May 24, 2011 |work=Jewish News of Greater Phoenix}}</ref> among [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardic]] and [[Syrian Jews]]; ''kahee'' (a dough that is buttered and sugared) among [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Iraqi Jews]];<ref name="foods" /> ''kadeh'' (a cheese-filled bread) among [[Kurdish Jews]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kurdish Kadeh and Zijik Recipe - Alon Hadar |url=https://asif.org/en/recipes/kurdish-kadeh-and-zijik/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Asif |language=en-US}}</ref> and a seven-layer cake called ''siete cielos'' (seven heavens) among [[History of the Jews in Tunisia|Tunisia]]n and [[Moroccan Jews]]<ref name="foods" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Kagan |first=Aaron |date=May 29, 2008 |title=Beyond Blintzes: A Culinary Tour of Shavuot |url=http://www.forward.com/articles/13450/ |access-date=May 24, 2011 |publisher=[[The Forward]]}}</ref> are traditionally consumed on the Shavuot holiday. As a dessert, Sephardic Jews traditionally consume ''[[Rice pudding|sütlaç]]'' (a rice pudding cooked in milk) decorated with cinnamon in designs such as the [[Star of David]], flowers, and other patterns.<ref name=":02" /> [[Yemenite Jews]] do not eat dairy foods on Shavuot.<ref name="foods" />[[File:Cheese blintzes with blackberries.jpg|thumb|alt=picture of three cheese blintzes with blackberries and sauce on top|Cheese [[blintz]]es, typically eaten by [[Ashkenazi Jews]] on Shavuot]]

In keeping with the observance of other [[Jewish holiday]]s, there is both a night [[Seudat mitzvah#Seudat Shabbat and Seudat Yom Tov|meal]] and a day meal on Shavuot. Meat is usually served at night and dairy is served either for the day meal<ref name="mama" /> or for a morning [[Kiddush#Synagogue kiddush|kiddush]].<ref>{{cite web |year=2006 |title=Shavuot Tidbits: An Overview of the Holiday |url=http://www.ou.org/holidays/shavuot/shavuot_tidbits/ |access-date=January 22, 2018 |work=Torah Tidbits |publisher=ou.org}}</ref>

Among the explanations given in rabbinic literature for the consumption of dairy foods on this holiday are:<ref name="why">{{cite web |last=Simmons |first=Rabbi Shraga |date=May 27, 2006 |title=Why Dairy on Shavuot? |url=http://www.aish.com/h/sh/r/48969771.html |access-date=May 24, 2011 |work=aishcom |publisher=[[Aish HaTorah|Aish.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Erdstein |first1=Rabbi Baruch E. |last2=Kumer |first2=Nechama Dina |year=2011 |title=Why do we eat dairy foods on Shavuot? |url=http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/594,88522/Why-do-we-eat-dairy-foods-on-Shavuot.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809033754/http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/594,88522/Why-do-we-eat-dairy-foods-on-Shavuot.html |archive-date=August 9, 2011 |access-date=May 24, 2011 |publisher=[[AskMoses.com]]}}</ref>
*Before they received the Torah, the Israelites were not obligated to follow its laws, which include ''[[shechita]]'' (ritual slaughter of animals) and [[kashrut]]. Since all their meat pots and dishes now had to be made kosher before use, they opted to eat dairy foods.
*The Torah is compared to milk by King [[Solomon]], who wrote: "Like honey and milk, it lies under your tongue" ([[Song of Songs]] {{Bibleverse-nb|Canticles|4:11|HE}}).
*The [[gematria]] of the Hebrew word {{Lang|he-Latn|ḥalav}} ({{Script/Hebrew|חלב}}) is 40, corresponding to the forty days and forty nights that [[Moses]] spent on [[Mount Sinai]] before bringing down the Torah.
*According to the ''[[Zohar]]'', each day of the year correlates to one of the Torah's [[613 Mitzvot|365 negative commandments]]. Shavuot corresponds to the commandment "Bring the first fruits of your land to the house of God your Lord; do not cook a kid in its mother's milk" ([[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 34:26). Since the first day to bring ''Bikkurim'' (the first fruits) is Shavuot, the second half of the verse refers to the custom to eat two separate meals{{snd}}one milk, one meat{{snd}}on Shavuot.
*{{Bibleverse|Psalms|68:16–17|HE}} calls Mount Sinai{{Efn|lit. "hill of Bashan". But cf. [[Rashi]] and [[David Qimhi]] ad loc. and especially ''Tanhuma'' ed. Buber, Num. 7:1.}} ''Har Gavnunim'' ({{Script/Hebrew|הר גבננים}}, mountain of majestic peaks), which is possibly related to ''gevinah'' ({{Script/Hebrew|גבינה}}, cheese).{{Efn|[[Menahem ben Saruq|Menahem b. Saruq]], [[Jonah ibn Janah|Jonah b. Janah]], [[David Qimhi]], [[Wilhelm Gesenius]], and [[David J. A. Clines]] do not relate the two words in their lexicons. However [[Brown-Driver-Briggs|BDB]] lists both under the same root גבנ "rounded" and [[HALOT]] is unsure. James Prosser proposed translating גבננים "cheese-like" in his 1838 dictionary. In religious texts this explanation is quoted in the name of [[Samson ben Pesah Ostropoli|Samson Ostropoli]], who was apparently also the first to connect it to the Shavuot tradition.}}

==Observances in secular agricultural communities==
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 5423 Shavuot holiday.JPG|thumb|[[Bikkurim (First-fruits)#Ceremonial ritual|Bikkurim ceremony]] at Kibbutz [[Givat Haim (Meuhad)|Givat Haim]], 1951]]
[[FIle:PikiWiki_Israel_3003_Jewish_holidays_חג_ביכורים_גן-שמואל_2009.jpg|thumb|[[Bikkurim (First-fruits)|Bikkurim festival]] in [[Giv'at Shmuel]], Israel, 2009]]
In secular agricultural communities in Israel, such as most [[kibbutz]]im and [[moshav]]im, Shavuot is celebrated as a harvest and first-fruit festival including a wider, symbolic meaning of joy over the accomplishments of the year. As such, not just agricultural produce and machinery is presented to the community, but also the babies born during the preceding twelve months.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Do Jewish People Celebrate on Shavuot? |url=https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-shavuot-2076487 |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=Learn Religions |language=en}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=May 2022}}

==Confirmation ceremonies==
In the 19th century, several Orthodox synagogues in Britain and Australia held confirmation ceremonies for 12-year-old girls on Shavuot, a precursor to the modern [[bat mitzvah]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oztorah.com/2010/04/origins-of-bat-mitzvah-ask-the-rabbi/ |title=Origins of Bat-Mitzvah |access-date=May 24, 2011 |publisher=OzTorah |author=Raymond Apple}}</ref> The early [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] movement made Shavuot into a religious school graduation day.<ref name="forward"/> Today, Reform synagogues in North America typically hold confirmation ceremonies on Shavuot for students aged 16 to 18 who are completing their religious studies. The graduating class stands before their synagogue's open [[Torah ark]], recalling the Israelites' experience at [[Mount Sinai (Bible)|Mount Sinai]] during God's giving of the Torah.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://judaism.about.com/od/barandbatmitzvah/f/confirmation.htm |title=What is Judaism's confirmation ceremony? |last=Katz |first=Lisa |access-date=May 24, 2011 |year=2011 |publisher=[[About.com]] |archive-date=October 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019040717/http://judaism.about.com/od/barandbatmitzvah/f/confirmation.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Date==
{{main|Counting of the Omer}}

The Torah states that the [[Omer offering]] (i.e., the first day of counting the Omer) is the first day of the barley harvest.<ref>{{bibleverse-lb||Deuteronomy|16:9|HE}}</ref> The omer count should begin "on the morrow after the [[Shabbat]]", and continue to be counted for seven weeks.<ref>{{bibleverse-lb||Leviticus|23:11|HE}}</ref>

The [[Chazal|Talmudic Sages]] determined that "Shabbat" here means a day of rest and refers to the first day of [[Passover]]. Thus, the counting of the Omer begins on the second day of Passover and continues for the next 49 days, or seven complete weeks, ending on the day before Shavuot. According to this calculation, Shavuot will fall on the day of the week after the first day of Passover (e.g., if Passover starts on a Thursday, Shavuot will begin on a Friday).

===The Book of Jubilees and the Essenes===
This literal interpretation of "Shabbat" as the weekly Shabbat was shared by the author of the [[Book of Jubilees]], who was motivated by the priestly sabbatical [[solar calendar]] to have festivals and Sabbaths fall on the same day of the week every year. On this calendar (best known from the Book of Luminaries in the [[Book of Enoch]]{{whom|date=May 2025}}), Shavuot fell on the 15th of Sivan, a Sunday. The date was reckoned fifty days from the first Shabbat after Passover (i.e., from the 25th of Nisan). Thus, Jubilees 1:1 claims that Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Torah "on the sixteenth day of the third month in the first year of the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt".{{cn|date=May 2025}} In Jubilees 6:15–22 and 44:1–5, the holiday is traced to the appearance of the first rainbow on the 15th of Sivan, the day on which God made his [[covenant with Noah]].

The [[Qumran community]], commonly associated with the [[Essenes]], held in its library several texts mentioning Shavuot, most notably a Hebrew original of the Book of Jubilees, which sought to affix the celebration of Shavuot to 15 Sivan, following their interpretation of [[Exodus 19]]:1.<ref>[[Joseph Fitzmyer]] ''Responses to 101 questions on the Dead Sea scrolls'' 1992 p. 87{{snd}}"Particularly important for the Qumran community was the celebration of this Feast of Weeks on III/15, because according to Ex. 19:1 Israel arrived in its exodus-wandering at Mt. Sinai in the third month after leaving Egypt. Later the renewal of the Covenant came to be celebrated on the [[Feast of Weeks]]. Qumran community was deeply researched by Flavius Josephus."</ref> (See above at [[#Agricultural|"Agricultural"]].)<!--

====The Enoch Seminar====
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2013}}

Qumran scholar Gabriele Boccaccini has suggested that the 1,290 and 1,335 days of [[Daniel 12]]:11–12  point to the observance of Shavuot in a restored Israel, as reckoned by the priestly solar calendar.<ref>{{bibleverse-lb||Daniel|12:11–12|HE}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} These durations are exactly 30 and 45 days longer than the {{frac|3|1|2}} years mentioned in [[Daniel 7]]:25 and [[Daniel 9]]:27.<ref>{{bibleverse-lb||Dan.|7:25|HE}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse-nb||Daniel|9:27|HE}}</ref> The period of {{frac|3|1|2}} years amounts to 1,260 days in the priestly solar calendar because the equinoxes and solstices count as markers of the seasons rather than monthly days (1 Enoch 74:11, 75:1, and 82:4). The blessings expected at the end of the 1,335 days pertain to the [[Jewish eschatology|resurrection]] to "everlasting life" mentioned a few verses earlier (Daniel 12:2),<ref>{{bibleverse-nb||Daniel|12:2|HE}}</ref> heing the reward for those who refused to forsake the covenant unto death.<ref>{{bibleverse-lb||Dan.|11:22|HE}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse-nb||Daniel|11:28|HE}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse-nb||Daniel|11:30|HE}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse-nb||Daniel|11:33–35|HE}}</ref> 
In contrast, those who forsook the covenant will face "everlasting contempt".<ref>{{bibleverse-nb||Daniel|11:30–32|HE}}</ref>

Boccaccini sees the {{frac|3|1|2}} years as ending at the spring equinox (equinoxes and solstices were important markers of the seasons in the solar calendar), to be followed by 30 days to complete the 1,290 days (the month of Passover), and an additional 45 days to reach the 15th of Sivan, the purported day of Shavuot. For those who refused to forsake the covenant, this would be the day the covenant would be renewed, and the expected blessings would be realized.-->

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}
{{Reflist}}{{Notelist}}

==General sources==
*{{cite book |last=Brofsky |first=David |year=2013 |title=Hilkhot Moadim: Understanding the Laws of the Festivals |location=Jerusalem |publisher=Koren Publishers |isbn=9781592643523}}
*{{cite book | author = Kitov, Eliyahu | author-link = Eliyahu Kitov | title = The Book of Our Heritage: The Jewish Year and Its Days of Significance | volume = 3: ''Iyar-Elul'' | publisher = Feldheim Publishers | location = Jerusalem | year = 1978 | isbn = 978-0-87306-151-3 }}
*{{cite book | editor = Scherman, Nosson | editor-link = Nosson Scherman | title = The Chumash: The Torah: Haftaros and Five Megillos with a Commentary Anthologized from the Rabbinic Writings | title-link = Chumash (Judaism) | publisher = ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications | year = 1993 | isbn = 978-0-89906-014-9}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Shavuot}}
*[https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111377/jewish/shavuot.htm Shavuot] at [[Chabad.org]]
*[https://www.ou.org/holidays/shavuot/ Jewish Holidays: Shavuot] at the [[Orthodox Union]]
*[https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-confirmation/ Jewish Confirmation] at My Jewish Learning
*[https://aish.com/shavuot/ Shavous: Themes, Torah, Videos and More] Aish.com
* [https://www.mabasir.co.il/label/55-פסטות-מנצחות-לחג-השבועות.html Delicious Pasta Dishes for Shavuot], Mabasir.co.il, 17 March 2023

{{Jewish and Israeli holidays}}
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[[Category:Shavuot| ]]
[[Category:Hallel]]
[[Category:Sivan observances]]
[[Category:Tabernacle and Temples in Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Positive Mitzvoth]]
[[Category:Negative Mitzvoth]]