Tonight begins the Jewish festival of Shavuot. The word translates literally as "weeks," and it marks the passage of seven weeks (seven sevens) since Passover, the celebration of our liberation from Egypt. As with most Jewish holidays, this one has both a "religious" and an "agricultural" significance and, of course, the boundaries are fuzzy.
Religiously, Shavuot commemorates the revelation of God to Israel at Mt. Sinai. From this point forward, the Jewish People accepted and became bound by the Torah, God's law as transmitted through Moses. Agriculturally, Shavuot celebrates the spring harvest or "first fruits." The two themes are inextricably intertwined, with both representing a new promise, a new beginning and the rich rewards that can be anticipated as a result of dedication and proper observance.
Shavuot is the last of the year's three pilgrimmage festivals, the first two being Succot and Passover. On these festivals, those who could travel were required to go up to Jerusalem to bring offerings to the Temple. Unlike Succot and Passover, which both last about a week, Shavuot is observed for only a single day (two days outside of Israel).
In America, Shavuot is one of the holidays that's often overlooked, as it doesn't have a counterpart in either time (Christmas and Chanukah; Passover and Easter) or concept (Rosh Hashanah and New Year's Day). But, in essence, it's the foundation for all of the other holidays we observe. In Israel, people visit the Western Wall and children are often dressed in white. The agricultural communities celebrate with tractor parades and displays of the first bounty of the spring harvest. Traditionally observant men people stay up all night studying. And everyone eats lots of cheese and other milk products.
As harbingers of summer, there's Memorial Day weekend, there's the solstice, and then, often somewhere in between, there's Shavuot. The forecast tomorrow is for sun. That's a good sign.
Chag sameach!
