Shavuot
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  Falls on Jewish Date: 6 Sivan

Shavuot is the Feast of Weeks and marks the giving of the Law (Torah) at Mount Sinai.

Fifty days after Pesach, on the 6th of Sivan, is the festival of Shavuot, or Pentecost. Shavuot is compared to a wedding, for it was on Shavuot that the covenant between G-d and the Jewish People was sealed at Mount Sinai.

The exchange of love between G-d and the Jewish people is symbolized by the dual nature of the holiday: Shavuot is both an agricultural festival, commemorating the offering of the people's first fruits in the Temple, and a spiritual climax, commemorating G-d's giving of the Torah to the Jewish nation.

The freewill offering of Shavuot is beautifully expressed in the Mishnah (Peah 1:1):

 

Last reviewed: 14 Nov, 2003