Shavuot
The Festival of Weeks, celebrating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
Shavuot falls on 6 Sivan in the Hebrew calendar, 50 days after the start of Passover, usually in May or early June. It is one day in Israel and two days in most diaspora communities.
When Is Shavuot?
Shavuot falls on 6 Sivan in the Hebrew calendar, 50 days after the start of Passover, usually in May or early June. It is one day in Israel and two days in most diaspora communities.
Because the Gregorian date changes from year to year, check a calendar published by the tradition or your local community for this year's date.
Why It Matters
Shavuot marks both the spring harvest and, more importantly, the giving of the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai. It is the culmination of the 49-day Omer count from Passover.
How It Is Observed
All-night Torah study (Tikkun Leil Shavuot), synagogue services, reading the Book of Ruth, eating dairy foods, flower decorations in synagogue.
Sacred Text
“In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt, on the very day, they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai.”
, Exodus 19:1-2 ↗