| Shavuot
commemorates the giving of the Torah
by Hashem to the entire Bnei Yisroel
(Jewish people) on Har (Mount) Sinai
over 3,300 years ago.
In the Torah, Shavuot is also called
Feast of Weeks. In Hebrew, the word
"Shavuot" means "weeks"
and stands for the seven weeks during
which the Bnei Yisroel prepared themselves
for the giving of the Torah. During
this time they rid themselves of the
scars of bondage and became a holy
nation ready to stand before Hashem.
The period from Pesach / Passover
to Shavuot is a time of great anticipation.
We count each of the days from the
second day of Pesach to the day before
Shavuot, 49 days or 7 full weeks,
The counting reminds us of the important
connection between Pesach and Shavuot:
Pesach freed us physically from bondage,
but the giving of the Torah on Shavuot
redeemed us spiritually from our bondage
to idolatry and immorality.
The giving of the Torah was far more
than an historical event. It was a
far-reaching spiritual event -- one
that touched the essence of the Jewish
soul then and for all time. Our Sages
have compared it to a wedding between
Hashem and the Bnei Yisroel. We became
His special nation and He became our
G-d.
Over Three thousand three hundred
years ago, the Children of Israel
stood at the foot of Har Sinai and
received the Torah from Hashem. Together
they proclaimed: "Na'ahseh V'Nishma,
(We will do and we will listen)"
(Shmot 24:7). Each year on the Yom
Tov of Shavuot, this historic event
is relived as we commit ourselves
anew to observing the Torah.
The Yom Tov (holiday) of Shavuot is
when we stay up all night learning,
decorate our synagogues and homes
with flowers and greenery, and eat
lots of cheesecake, blintzes and other
dairy foods. The Yom Tov begins at
sundown of the 5th day of Sivan, exactly
fifty days after Pesach / Passover.
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