Shavuot is a major festival. It is the second of the three major festivals and comes exactly 50 days after Passover. It marks the giving of the Torah by G-d to the entire Jewish people on Mount Sinai 3,317 years ago.

In Hebrew, the word "Shavuot" means "weeks" and stands for the seven weeks during which the Jewish people prepared themselves for the giving of the Torah. During this time they rid themselves of the scars of bondage and became a holy nation ready to stand before G-d.

The giving of the Torah was far more than an historical event. It was a far-reaching spiritual event - one that touched the essence of the Jewish soul then and for all time. Our Sages have compared it to a wedding between G-d and the Jewish people. We became His special nation and He became our G-d.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SHAVUOT TODAY

Each year, Shavuot is the special time for us to reawaken and strengthen our special relationship with G-d. We can do so by rededicating ourselves to the observance and study of the Torah - our most precious heritage

The Torah is composed of two parts: the written law and the oral law. The written Torah contains the Five Book of Moses, the Prophets and the Writings. Together with the written Torah, Moses was also given the oral law which explains and clarifies the written law. It was transmitted orally from generation to generation and eventually transcribed in the Talmud and Midrash.

Throughout the generations our people have studied these works, commenting upon them, clarifying their meanings, deriving practical applications of these principles and codifying the laws derived from them. Thus, a continuous chain of tradition extends throughout the generations, connecting the scholars of the present day to the revelation at Mount Sinai.

CHEESECAKE

The custom of eating dairy foods on Shavuot dates back 3,300 years, to the period immediately following the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.

The newly received Torah contained detailed laws concerning the preparation of meat foods. Until they had mastered these laws, the Jewish People stuck to eating dairy foods, which were governed by much simpler regulations. Hence the custom of eating cheesecake and other dairy foods on the anniversary of the giving of the Torah.