The Festival of Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments. Many centuries ago Israel stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and committed to do Yahveh's Will, as expressed in His Torah. Let us study this great event and discover how it relates to us as individuals today.

Generally the Torah gives the historical reasons for celebrating the holidays. For this reason, it is baffling that the Torah presents Shavuot (Pentecost) only from its agricultural aspect, without mentioning even a word about its connection to the giving of the Torah to Israel at Mount Sinai.

Shavuot In The Bible

1. The harvest holiday - "the first fruits of your work." Exodus 23:15

2. Feast of Weeks, "The First Fruit of the wheat harvest." Exodus 34:22

3. "And you shall count from the time you offer the omer offering (from your first harvest - Lev 23:10) seven weeks... and you shall offer a new meat offering to Yahveh." Leviticus 23:15-21

4. "On the day of the first fruit offering, when you bring a new meat offering to Yahveh on Shavuot." Numbers 28:26

5. "Count seven weeks, starting when the sickle is first put to the standing grain, then you shall celebrate the feast of Shavuot to Yahveh." Deuteronomy 16:9-12

In each of these instances Shavuot is presented solely as a harvest holiday, to thank Yahveh for the grain crops.

The Precise Date The Torah Was Given To Israel

The Torah informs us of the precise date (even the time of day) when the Tenth Plague struck the Egyptians as well as when Israel left Egypt. Later on, it records the precise date when Israel arrived at the desert of Sin. (Exodus 16:1) In regard to the time in which the Ten Commandments were given, however, the Torah is quite vague. We are told that Israel arrived at Mount Sinai in the third month but we are not told on what day of the month they arrived...

The phrase "on this day" seems rather vague, and it is quite difficult to determine what day it is refering to or how many days actually transpired between Israel's arrival at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Commandments. We know that Moses went up and down the mountain several times, and that three days were required for the people to prepare for this special occasion, but we are not told how many days elapsed in the interim.

There are numerous commandments in Torah telling how to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt, both on it's anniversary ~ Passover ~ eating Matzah and re-telling of the story of the exodus, and all year round ~ bringing the First Fruits to Jerusalem, which the Torah relates to the Exodus.

However, there is no commandment to commemorate the giving of the Ten Commandments. Thus, the Torah is suggesting that we should not treat the receiving of the Law as an historical event. Instead, each and every day we should feel as though the Torah has just been given.

This is reflected by the use of "on this day" instead of "that day" and it teaches that the words of the Torah should be considered new - as though they were given "this day - today." We should not view it as a one time event, rather, every person must feel as though he entered into a covenant with Yahveh. (Deuteronomy 5:1-3) Every generation must know that the Ten Commandments were spoken to them directly, no less than to earlier generations. To celebrate the anniversary as a single moment in our history would diminish its importance. Yahveh desires that we see this event as something that needs to be re-lived, more than commemorated.

The Exodus was a one time historical event, not to be re-lived, rather it was an event to be remembered, as the Torah instructs. It was Israel's national birth, and as such it needed to be commemorated. The giving of the Commandments at Mount Sinai, however, was to be re-lived and not just remembered, for it is the foundation of our daily existence.

Biblical 'Hints'

There are several interesting references to the connection between Shavuot and the giving of the Torah, or the Ten Commandments.

The book of Leviticus gives specific details of the special laws of Shavuot in chapter 23. (Leviticus 23:15-21) This chapter discusses the special offerings to be made at the conclusion of the 50 days of the Omer: The "Two Loaves" and the "Peace Offering", whose meat was waved together with the two loaves.

What did all this mean?

The Meaning Of The Two Loaves

There are two unique commandments regarding the special Shavuot offerings - the 'Two Loaves' offering and the 'Peace' offering. The Two Loaves offering is the only "public" offering which is baked with leaven. All other flour offerings must be baked 'matzah', meaning unleavened.

Shavuot is the only time during the entire year when all Israel was commanded to bring a Peace offering.

'Matzah' in this case symbolizes the begining of a process, whereas the fully risen 'leaven' symbolizes its completion. Thus, the commandment to bake the two loaves as 'leaven' indicates that the 'receiving of the Ten Commandments should be understood as the culmination of the redemption process, which began with the exodus from Egypt. Just as the two loaves marked the culmination of the wheat harvest, the staple of our physical existence - the historical process which began with the Exodus culminated with receiving the Torah, the essence of our spiritual existence.

The Meaning Of The Peace Oferings

There is a very interesting difference between the required offerings for Shavuot and those of all the other holidays. Shavuot is the only holiday when "All Israel" must bring a Peace Offering of two goats, to be offered with the two loaves.

The first mention of a 'Peace Ofering' in Torah is in Exodus 24:4-8, at the special covenantal ceremony that took place at Mount Sinai. At this ceremony, Israel commited to 'hear and obey' and entered into a covenant to become Yahveh's special nation, by accepting the Laws of Torah.

That ceremony included the special Burnt Offerings and Peace Offerings. The blood from these offerings was sprinkled both on the altar and on the people, to seal the covenant, and the meat was eaten by all the people at the conclusion of the ceremony. (Exodus 24:5-11)

The Peace Offering was a joint feast shared by covenental partners. Since this offering is the same as the Shavuot offering, it serves as a connection and a reminder of the Mount Sinai Experience.

We find two additional instances in Torah when Israel was commanded to offer a special collective Peace Offering - both relating to Mount Sinai.

1) On the 8th day of the Feast of Tabernacle. (Leviticus 9:1-5)

The eighth day" of Succot was the day when the the newly built Tabernacle was dedicated, and was considered as an extension of Mount Sinai. The Shechinah, which left Israel in the aftermath of the Golden Calf incident, returned to the Taberacle on that day, and Yahveh began once again to teach Israel His Law - this time from the Tabernacle instead of from Mount Sinai. This marked the first time that Yahveh appeared to Israel since Mount Sinai. Once again, Peace Offerings were made during this ceremony, reflecting the re-establishment of the covenant.

2) On Mount Ebal, when the generation that entered the land re-enacted the Mount Sinai Covenant and studied its laws. (Deuteronomy 27:1-8)

The purpose of the ceremony which Yahveh commanded Israel to perform on Mount Ebal was to re-create the experience of Mount Sinai for the new generation, who were not present at the original event.

There is another resemblance of Torah to milk. Just as a baby nurses from his mother and gets the best nourishment possible, so too is the Torah the best influence in our lives. When a baby nurses a little, there is only a little milk produced, but if he tries to drink a lot from his mother, the supply will increase accordingly. So too, when a person learns a little Torah, there will be a little connection between him and the Torah, but the more he learns, the more the flow of Torah will increase and he in turn will want to have more, which will continue to produce even more.

On this holiday of Shavuot, let us realize that the Bible is our sustenance. Just like a newborn babe, let us learn a little more each day, thereby increasing the "supply" from YHVH.

On the first day of Shavuot we read Exodus chapter 19 and 20:1-26, Ezekiel chapters 1-2 and the entire book of Ruth, which took place around the Festival of Shavuot.

On the second day of Shavuot, observed mostly by conservative and orthodox Jews, Habakkuk chapter 3 - "the Prophet's Prayer" is recited.

Why is it customary to eat dairy on Shavuot?