The Holiday is known by several names:

It is called Chag Shavuoth, Festival of Weeks, concluding 7 weeks since Passover, and the Giving of Torah (Z'man Matan Torateinu), Festival of the First-Fruits (Chag HaBikurim), and Festival of the Harvest (Chag Hakazir).

Shavuoth commemorates the Revelation at Mount Sinai 3,316 years ago when G-d gave Israel the Holy Torah, including the Ten Commandments and the 613 Mitzvah observances.

At Sinai, the Jewish people were charged with the privilege and responsibility to be a "Light to the World."

The Shavuoth holiday is alive with flowers and greenery, highlighted by Torah study, and flavored with the taste of milk and honey.

• Every Friday evening and the evenings preceding a Jewish holiday, women and girls usher and welcome in Shabbat and the holiday by lighting candles, and saying the proper blessing.

• All people, especially children, should hear the Torah reading of the Ten Commandments in the Synagogue on the first day of Shavuoth (Wednesday May 26).

• The Yizkor memorial prayer is recited for departed family members on the second day of Shavuoth (Thursday May 27) and charity is contributed (before or after the holiday) in their memory..

• It is customary to stay awake on the first night of Shavuoth. We read the "Tikkun Lail Shavuoth" anthology; selections from across the Written and Oral Torah.

• On Shavuoth we dedicate ourselves to increase our Torah study throughout the year.

Timeless Torah
The Torah is not a mere collection of human knowledge subject to revision. The Torah represents Divine immutable universal guidelines, tried true and tested by the Jewish people over several millennia in every country and culture throughout the world.
Torah provides a framework for daily living based on the most authoritative moral code. The Torah is a most precise and eternal yardstick against which to measure our deeds and lifestyles.

Hearing the Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments given to Moses at Sinai combine two sets of relationships: Duties between man and G-d, and our inter-personal duties.
Even small children and infants should be brought to the Synagogue to hear the Ten Commandments. Although they do not yet understand the actual words, their souls absorb the message. It also demonstrates that the children are the Torah Guarantors of the Jewish people.

The Children as Guarantors
Before G-d consented to give the Torah to the Jewish people, He demanded guarantors, who would assure the Torah's continuity and transmission over the ages.
Initially, the Jews suggested other possible candidates, such as the patriarchs or the prophets, but G-d was not satisfied, until the little children were offered as the guarantors.
Only Torah educated children can serve as true guarantors and transmitters to ensure Torah for all time.

Ladies First!
To assure that the Torah would be well received and perpetuated, G-d told Moses to first address the women: “Say to the house of Jacob” (referring to the women) was followed by “Tell the sons of Israel” (Exodus 19:3) (referring to the men).

Torah knowledge is also obligatory for women, to learn and know how to fulfill the Mitzvot in a full Jewish life.

The woman influences and affects her home and environment. It is the mother who primarily instills values in her children, encourages her husband to observe and study Torah, and affects others through her hospitality, warmth and teaching.

The Book of Ruth
Some communities read the Book of Ruth on the second day of Shavuoth. A righteous convert to Judaism, Ruth became the grandmother of David, King of Israel. Like Ruth, all of Israel underwent conversion when receiving the Torah on Shavuoth.

In the exceptional story of love, faith, dedication and devotion, Ruth says to her mother-in-law Naomi: "Where You go, I go...Your people are my people, Your G-d is my G-d" (Ruth 1:16).

King David
Shavuoth is the Yartzeit of King David, composer of the Psalms. The line of descent from King David will ultimately lead to the righteous Moshiach who will redeem us from exile.

The Baal Shem Tov
On Shavuoth we also observe the Yartzeit of Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chasidic movement, who revealed the inner secrets of the Torah.

Floral Decorations
It is a Shavuot tradition to adorn the synagogue and home with greenery, fragrant flowers, leaves, boughs and trees.

The greenery recalls the grass on Mount Sinai, when the Jewish people were told: "the flocks shall not graze at the foot of this mountain" (Exodus 34:3).

Trees and branches also recall that Shavuoth is a Day of Judgment of fruit trees, as mentioned in our prayers.

Bringing the "Bikurim" First Fruit offering to the Holy Temple on Shavuoth, the horns of the leading ox were dressed with luxuriant olive leaves, and the fruit baskets were ornamented with wreaths.

The greenery also recalls Moses’ mother hiding him in a basket among the Nile reeds to save him from Pharaoh's drowning Hebrew babies (Exodus 2:1-3). This occurred on Shavuot, 7th of Sivan, three months after Moses was born on the 7th of Adar.

Roses are Shavuoth favorites. The verse “The decree (dat) was proclaimed in Shushan” (Esther 8:14) is interpreted 'the Law was adorned with a rose (shoshan).

A book of customs states: “It is customary to scatter spices and roses on the synagogue floor to celebrate the festival.” Beautiful paper flower cutouts called ‘Shevuoslekh, ’Reizelekh’ or ‘Shoshanta’ were pasted on windowpanes facing the street. The intricate folk art creations included motifs and patterns about Shavuoth and the Torah.

Milk and Honey
Shavuoth dairy culinary customs evolved over the generations, and various reasons are given for this tradition.

Dairy Foods
It is customary to eat dairy foods such as blintzes and cheesecake (why not some Kosher Pizza?) on Shavuoth. Full dairy courses can be served as the main meal, or as a lighter snack followed by a traditional meat dinner.

One explanation for eating dairy is that when the Jews received the Torah on Shavuoth, they had no Kosher utensils for meat preparation, so they ate dairy, which is relatively easier to prepare.

Torah is compared to milk and honey. The verse “honey and milk under your tongue” (Song of Songs 4:11) implies that words of the Torah are as dulcet to our heart and sweet to our tongue as milk and honey. David, King of Israel, declares “The Divine precepts are sweeter than honey” (Psalms 19.9-11).

Another explanation is based on the First Fruit observance being juxtaposed with the law separating milk from meat (Exodus 23:19).

The custom of dairy on Shavuoth is also derived from the verse: “Minhah hadashah la-Hashem be-Shavuotekhem” (your Feast of Weeks, when you bring an offering of new grain; Numbers 28.26). The four Hebrew word initials spell “me-halav” (from milk).

The Kabbala mystics note that the numerical equivalent of halav (milk) is forty, the number of days Moses spent on Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai is called 'Har Gavnunim' (Psalm 68) a word related to 'gvinah,' Hebrew for cheese.

Shavuot “blintzes” are rolled pancakes filled with cheese. Other tempting tidbits are cheese knishes, butter cakes, cheesecakes, and three-cornered cheese kreplakh, based on the Talmudic triangle: “G-d gave the threefold Law [Torah, Prophets, Scriptures] to a tripled people [Kohen, Levi, Israel], through a third born [Moses, third child of his parents] in the third month [Sivan].”

Sephardic women take pride in baking a seven-layer Shavuoth cake called 'Siete Cielos' (Seven Heavens), representing the seven celestial spheres the Torah traversed to arrive on Mount Sinai. Fashioned in seven circular rising tiers, it is decorated with symbols such as a Star of David, the rod of Moses, the two tablets, manna, Jacob's ladder, and the Ark. Others top the cake with a seven-rung ladder to recall Moses ascending Mount Sinai.

Similar elaborate 'Sinai' pastries allude to the mountain. A large cake or bread with raisins, known as 'pashtudan' or 'floden' baked for Shavuot was also called Sinai. Some Sephardic women bake 'baklava,' a sweet cake of nuts, sugar and honey.

Kurdistan Jews prepare large quantities of butter and cheese for Shavouth. Their dish is ground wheat cooked in sour milk with butter and flour dumplings.

In Tripoli, women baked wafers in various shapes: a ladder, to recall Moses’ rise up Mount Sinai; a hand, denoting hands extended to receive the Torah; the two tablets of the Law; eyeglasses, to see the words of the Torah, and other symbolic forms.

In North African communities it was customary to serve Passover matzah leftovers shredded into bowls of milk and honey, as Shavuoth culminates the Exodus from Egypt. Yemenite Jews bring choice condiments such as spiced coffee or candy gor those reading “Tikun” in the synagogue on Shavuot night.