Shavuot

Shauvot (The festival of Weeks)

Although it was originally a festival to celebrate the summer harvest. Shauvot was soon linked to the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Jews look upon the Torah as God's greatest gift to them.

During the original festival all the farmers would have brought their first fruits to the temple, where they offered them as a sign of their thankfulness to God. As they did they said;

My ancestor was a stranger when he went down to Egypt but there he became a great and strong nation. Then the Egyptians enslaved us. So God brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and glorious miracles to the land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the land which God has given me.

This link with the land stays with the festival of Shauvot today and the synagogue will be beautifully decorated with fresh fruit, flowers and plants for the festival.

The giving of the law

Today however the link of Shauvot with the giving of the law is much more important than the link…