Shavuot

Seven weeks after we celebrate Passover, we mark the holiday of Shavuot—literally “weeks.” In the Bible, Shavuot was primarily an agricultural holiday, marking the end of the grain harvest and the beginning of a new agricultural season during which first fruits were brought to the Temple in Jerusalem. Later, Shavuot came to be associated with the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. On Passover, we were physically freed from slavery; on Shavuot, our freedom is given purpose—we are free in order to serve God according to the dictates of the Torah. Shavuot is celebrated with an all-night study session called tikkun leil Shavuot. It is also common to eat cheesecake and other dairy foods, since the Torah is likened to milk and honey. In this section you will find some ideas for a women’s tikkun, feminine blessings for the Torah, and some poetry and meditations.

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A poem about the gift of Torah and the covenant between the poet and God.
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“No wonder the desert was chosen over the pyramids, mountains and / ocean for revelation.”
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An interpretive reading of the Ten Commandments
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“Grief and memory hold hands / as, broken-hearted, we find our way through the Jewish year”
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“What if the Torah had been interpreted by us all instead of just a few?”

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Bringing mindfulness to the act of welcoming guests through a chant and series of ritual intentions

Eight Ritual Steps of Hakhnasat Orkhim (Welcoming Guests)

Recipe for Persian frittata and Mashka Duah for Shavuot

Mizrahi Food, American Kitchen: Making Mashka Duah for Shavuot

“Time for a different kind of harvest”

The Threshing Floor

The Reconstructionist Network

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