Shavuot 5782
Shavuot is the second of the shalosh r’galim (three pilgrimage festivals). Yet, it is quite different from Pesach and Sukkot. Shavuot is only one or two days (depending on your location and ritual practice) and has no complex rituals assigned to it (as compared to removing chametz, making a seder, building a sukkah, and the four species).
Additionally, Shavuot is the only one of the regalim not assigned a specific date: while the first seder is always the 15th of Nisan and the first day of Sukkot is always the 15th of Tishrei, Shavuot is simply the day after the completion of 49 days of counting the omer. This means Shavuot is always connected, practically and conceptually, to Pesach: we are freed from slavery so we can receive the Torah.
The Biblical Shavuot is an agricultural holiday celebrating the grain harvest. The ritual of bringing bikkurim (first fruits) mandates the recitation of specific verses (only one of three times the Torah does so). It begins with an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over the land (Deut. 26:3), which makes sense, since farming is land-based. It continues with a summary of Jewish history that begins with, “My father was a fugitive Aramean …” (Deut. 26:5-8). In making that declaration, each individual steps into Israelite history, saying, effectively, “This story is my story.” Claiming ownership of the shared memory is an affirmation of belonging and is a necessary step in becoming a people.
Only in the rabbinic era does Shavuot become associated with the revelation at Mt. Sinai. Thus, we read the Book of Ruth on Shavuot because it combines the two themes: Ruth’s acceptance of the Torah against the backdrop of the harvest.
Shavuot, then, is an opportunity to reflect upon the meaning of revelation in our lives, to consider the implications of a covenant established for all Jews in all times, and to accept the story of the wandering Aramean as personal history.
Gut Yontif/Chag Sameach/Happy Holiday,
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