Shavuot (Festival of Weeks)
Shavuot marks fifty days after Passover and commemorates the giving of the Torah at Sinai — combining harvest celebration with covenantal memory.
Shavuot (pronounced shah-voo-OTE) means 'weeks,' and it marks the endpoint of a seven-week counting period that begins at Passover. The festival falls fifty days after Passover begins — which is why it is sometimes called Pentecost in English — and commemorates one of Judaism's most foundational moments: the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
What makes Shavuot distinctive is that it functions on two levels at once. In biblical times it was an agricultural festival, when Jews brought the first fruits of the summer harvest to the Temple in Jerusalem. At the same time, it came to be understood as the anniversary of the Torah's revelation, giving the agricultural celebration a covenantal meaning. Many Jewish communities mark the night by staying up until dawn studying Torah and Jewish texts, a custom that reflects the tradition's deep connection between learning and religious life. In the morning, the Torah portion describing the Ten Commandments is read aloud in synagogue.
Unlike Passover or Sukkot, Shavuot is relatively brief — one or two days depending on tradition — and less ritualized in the home. Yet its theological weight is considerable: it answers the question 'what was the purpose of the Exodus?' The answer the tradition developed is that leaving Egypt made it possible to receive the Torah and enter into covenant with God. The custom of eating dairy foods on Shavuot is widespread and has attracted many explanations across the centuries.
How it traveled
- Sifrei DevarimEretz Yisrael (travels) · 250explains
- Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelEretz Yisrael (travels) · 250explains
- SifraEretz Yisrael (travels) · 250explains
- Jerusalem Talmud Rosh HashanahTiberias · 400explains
- MenachotSura (Babylonia) · 500explains
- Rosh HashanahSura (Babylonia) · 500explains
- PesachimSura (Babylonia) · 500explains
- ChagigahSura (Babylonia) · 500explains
- MegillahSura (Babylonia) · 500explains
- Machzor VitryTroyes (Champagne) · 1055explains
- Akdamut MilinWorms (Rhineland) · 1100foundational
- Bekhor ShorOrléans · 1145explains
- Mishneh Torah, Daily Offerings and Additional OfferingsFostat (Old Cairo) · 1180explains
- Mishneh Torah, Sacrifices Rendered UnfitFostat (Old Cairo) · 1180explains
- ChizkuniNorthern France · 1220explains
- Yalkut Shimoni on TorahTiberias · 1250explains
- Kol BoNarbonne (Provence) · 1250explains
- Sefer HaChinukhBarcelona · 1300explains
- Meiri on ChagigahPerpignan · 1300explains
- AbudarhamSeville · 1330explains
- Menorat HaMaorToledo (Castile) · 1391explains
- Bartenura on Mishnah MenachotJerusalem · 1482explains
- Abarbanel on TorahNaples · 1505explains
- Shulchan Arukh, Orach ChayimTzfat · 1565explains
- Magen AvrahamKalisz · 1665explains
- Ein Yosef on Sefer HaMitzvotKrakow (Cracow) · 1680explains
- Chok Yaakov on Shulchan Arukh, Orach ChayimLviv (Lemberg) · 1696explains
- Eliyah Rabbah on Shulchan Arukh, Orach ChayimPrague · 1712explains
- Penei Yehoshua on Rosh HashanahFrankfurt am Main · 1730explains
- Ba'er Hetev on Shulchan Arukh, Orach ChayimPrague · 1742explains
- Shulchan Arukh HaRavLiozna · 1795explains
- Malbim on LeviticusBucharest · 1860explains
- Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai GaonVolozhin · 1861explains
- Arukh HaShulchanNovardok (Novogrudok) · 1884explains
- Ben Ish HaiBaghdad · 1894explains
- Torah Temimah on TorahPinsk · 1904explains
- Mishnah BerurahRadin · 1907explains
- Commentary on Sefer Hamitzvot of RasagLviv (Lemberg) · 1914explains
- Introductions to the Babylonian TalmudJerusalem · 1950explains
- Shibbolei HaLeketRomeexplains
Key passages(20)
וְעָשִׂ֜יתָ חַ֤ג שָׁבֻעוֹת֙ לַיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ מִסַּ֛ת נִדְבַ֥ת יָדְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּתֵּ֑ן כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר יְבָרֶכְךָ֖ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃
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וְחַ֤ג שָׁבֻעֹת֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה לְךָ֔ בִּכּוּרֵ֖י קְצִ֣יר חִטִּ֑ים וְחַג֙ הָֽאָסִ֔יף תְּקוּפַ֖ת הַשָּׁנָֽה׃
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וּבְי֣וֹם הַבִּכּוּרִ֗ים בְּהַקְרִ֨יבְכֶ֜ם מִנְחָ֤ה חֲדָשָׁה֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה בְּשָׁבֻעֹ֖תֵיכֶ֑ם מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כׇּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֥א תַעֲשֽׂוּ׃
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(דברים טז י) וְעָשִׂיתָ חַג שָׁבֻעוֹת לַה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ, מִכְּלָל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כג טז) ״וְחַג הַקָּצִיר בִּכּוּרֵי מַעֲשֶׂיךָ״ יָכוֹל אִם יֵשׁ לְךָ קָצִיר אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה יוֹם טוֹב, וְאִם לָאו אִי אַת
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אַקְדָּמוּת מִלִּין וְשָׁרָיוּת שׁוּתָא
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הֲקֵים עָלְמָא יְחִידָאי וְכַבְּשֵׁהּ בְּכַבְּשׁוּתָא
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וּבְלָא לֵאוּ שַׁכְלְלֵהּ וּבְלָא תְשָׁשׁוּתָא
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וּבְאָתָא קַלִּילָא דְּלֵית בֵּיהּ מְשָׁשׁוּתָא
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זְמִין כָּל עִיבִידְתֵּהּ בְּהַךְ יוֹמֵי שִׁתָּא
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זְהוֹר יְקָרֵהּ עַלִּי עֲלֵי כָרְסְיֵהּ דֶּאֶשָּׁתָא
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חֲיָל אֶלֶף אַלְפִין וְרִבּוֹא לְשַׁמְשׁוּתָא
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חַדְתִּין נְבוֹט לְצַפְרִין סַגִּיאָה טְרָשׁוּתָא
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טְפֵי יְקִידִין שְׂרָפִין כְּלוֹל גַפֵּי שִׁתָּא
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טְעֵם עַד יִתְיְהֵב לְהוֹן שְׁתִיקִין בְּאָדִישְׁתָּא
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יְקַבְּלוּן דֵּין מִדֵּין שָׁוֵי דְּלָא בְשַׁשְׁתָּא
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אַוְלָא שָׁקֵלְנָא הַרְמָן וּרְשׁוּתָא
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יְקַר מְלֵי כָל אַרְעָא לְתַלּוֹתֵי קְדוּשְׁתָּא
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כְּקָל מִן קֳדָם שַׁדַּי כְּקָל מֵי נְפִישׁוּתָא
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כְּרוּבִין קֳבֵל גִּלְגְּלִין מְרוֹמְמִין בְּאַוְשָׁתָא
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לְמֶחֱזֵא בְּאַנְפָּא עֵין כְּוָת גִּירֵי קַשְׁתָּא
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