“Every soul of Israel was present at Sinai, even those that had not yet been born.”
— Talmud, Shabbat 146a
1. General meaning of Shavuot
Shavuot it literally means “Weeks” in the Hebrew, and its name comes from the biblical commandment to count seven complete weeks from the day following the start of Passover (Leviticus 23:15-16). This account is known as Sefirat HaÓmer (the counting of the Omer), that connects symbolically to the release physical (Passover) with the spiritual liberation (Shavuot).
In essence, Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah (Matan Torah) the people of Israel on mount Sinai, an event that marks the spiritual birth of the israelite nation.
2. Biblical origins
to. In the Torah
Shavuot is mentioned in several passages:
- Exodus 34:22: “Shall observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest.”
- Leviticus 23:15-21: describes the counting of the Omer and the offering of two loaves of wheat leavened.
- Deuteronomy 16:9-12: related Shavuot with gratitude for the harvest and the memory of slavery in Egypt.
b. Name and their meanings
Shavuot has four names biblical and rabbinical, each with a tinge theological or agricultural other than:
- Jag Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) – for the count of seven weeks from Passover.
- Jag HaKatzir (Harvest party) – celebration of the end of the wheat harvest.
- Yom HaBikurim (Day the first) – when it offered the first fruits of the year.
- Zman Matan Toratenu (Time of the Delivery of Our Torah) – name rabbinical that emphasizes the revelation at Sinai.
“The Torah was given in fire, recorded in a fire, and received with the soul kindled.”
— Midrash Shemot Rabbá 28:6
3. Meaning agricultural
In ancient times, Shavuot marked the completion of the wheat harvest in the land of Israel. During the Temple period, they were offered the scoops (Bikurim) —the first ripe fruits of the seven products of the Promised Land: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates (Deut. 8:8).
The farmers wore these offerings in baskets decorated to the Temple of Jerusalemin a procession festive with music and dance. This act symbolized gratitude and dependence on God due to the fertility of the earth.
4. Spiritual meaning and theological
to. The giving of the Torah
According to the jewish tradition, the people of Israel came to the Mount Sinai on the day 6 of the month of Sivánseven weeks after the Exodus, and there God revealed to them the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19-20). This event is considered the covenant foundation between God and Israel.
The oral Torah describes revelation as a time of fire, thunder and heavenly sound, where each person heard the divine voice according to their spiritual capacity (Midrash Shemot Rabbá 5:9).
b. The symbolism of marriage
The sages compare Shavuot with a wedding between God and Israelwhere Sinai is the jupá (palio bridal) and the Torah is the ketubá (the marriage contract). This symbolism expresses love, commitment, and eternal covenant.
“God looked into the Torah and created the world; he who studies the Torah, is involved in that creation.”
— Zóhar I, 134a
5. Customs and observances traditional
to. Reading the Torah
The central text is read on Shavuot is Exodus 19-20the description of the giving of the Ten Commandments.
b. Reading from the Book of Ruth
It is customary to read the Book of Ruth for a number of reasons:
- The story happens in the time of harvest.
- Ruth, a moabite convert, symbolizes the voluntary acceptance of the Torah.
- Of his lineage from king David, whose birth and death are associated with Shavuot.
c. Eat dairy products
One of the customs most popular is to eat dairy foods (such as cheesecake or blintzes;). There are several explanations:
- The Torah is compared to milk and honey (“The Torah is milk and honey under your tongue”, the song of Songs 4:11).
- After receiving the Torah, the israelites were not yet in the laws of kashrut complete and ate dairy products.
d. Decorate with flowers and greenery
The synagogues and homes are decorated with flowers and green branches, recalling the mount Sinai flourish during the revelation (Shabbat 88b).
e. Study night (Tikun Leil Shavuot)
Many jews remain all night studying Torah in spiritual preparation, a practice known as Tikun Leil Shavuot. This ongoing study represents the fervent desire to receive once again the divine wisdom.
“On Shavuot, the people of Israel have not only heard the voice of God, but became its echo.”
— Midrash Tanjumá, Noach 3
6. Dimensions mystical (Kabbalistic)
In jewish mysticism, Shavuot represents the moment in which humanity reaches the spiritual union with the divine wisdom (Jojmá). The Zóhar teaches that the collective soul of Israel rises to receive a new spiritual enlightenment every year on Shavuot.
The counting of the Omer symbolizes the purification of the seven sefirot emotional (Chesed to Maljut), and Shavuot marks the time of its perfection. It is the day on which the soul may join the heavenly knowledge.
7. Duration and timing
- Date: 6 Siván (and also 7 Siván in the diaspora).
- Duration: 1 day in Israel, 2 days outside of Israel.
- Relationship with other parties: Closes the cycle started with the Passover. As well as Passover celebrates freedom physical, Shavuot celebrates the spiritual freedom through divine law.
“Receiving the Torah is not a past event, it is an act that is renewed every day.”
— Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
8. Importance in jewish thought
The sages teach that without Shavuot, Passover would be meaningless: the exodus from Egypt would have been just a political liberation, not a moral transformation. The Torah becomes freedom in a purpose: serve God with a conscience and justice.
Philosophers such as Maimonides saw Shavuot is the culmination of the process of formation of national Israel; while the Maharal of Prague he explained that the Torah represents the perfect balance between spirit and matter, granted in the mid-point between the heaven and the earth.
9. Paralelelos and contemporary relevance
Today, Shavuot is not only celebrated as a holiday farm or commemorative, but also as a feast of spiritual renewal and learning. In Israel, the rural communities celebrate festivals of the harvest, while in the whole world to organize days of study and prayer.
In christianity, Shavuot matches Pentecostthat retains the same count seven weeks after Easter, although with a different meaning: the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples (Acts 2).
“Shavuot reminds us that true wisdom is not conquest, it is revealed.”
— Martin Buber
10. Conclusion
Shavuot synthesizes the two great pillars of human existence according to the biblical vision: gratitude for the earth and for the search of the divine wisdom. It is the party where the man recognizes that freedom without law is chaos, and that the law without love is empty. In its essence, is celebrating the meeting between heaven and earth, between the Creator and his creation, between history and eternity.
“The Sinai was not a point in the desert, but a point in the human soul.”
— Franz Rosenzweig
