Jewish holidays

The many faces of Shavuot harvest, revelation, and tradition

The Torah is described as the Tree of Life, and there is a legend that Mount Sinai once was a “green mountain” covered with trees and shrubs.

 Another biblical name for Shavuot is Yom HaBikkurim (Day of the First Fruits), referring to the joyful pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where the Israelites offered up baskets of their first ripe fruits and bread baked from the newly harvested wheat.
 ‘BOAZ AND RUTH’ by Rembrandt, circa 1637-40. Through acts of kindness, dedication, and determination, Ruth becomes the worthy great-grandmother of King David.

Shavuot 2025: Diving into the Book of Ruth, a reminder tradition can grow

 PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG attends a ‘Book of Esther’ reading wearing a protective mask, at the Ahavat Tzion synagogue in Beit Shemesh in 2022. ‘God is hiding His face, and we are experiencing a world in which it seems that God is absent,’ says the writer.

Shavuot 2025: Why do we group Jewish holidays together?

 SHAVUOT, ONE of the three pilgrimage festivals, marked the wheat harvest in biblical Israel. It concludes the seven-week period beginning at Passover

Shavuot in 1948: Harvesting the first fruits of Israeli statehood under siege


Reaccepting the Torah: Looking back the first Shavuot after the fall of Nazi Germany

For many Holocaust survivors, May 18, 1945 was the first Shavuot they were able to celebrate after years of war.

 AMERICAN CHAPLAIN Rabbi Herschel Schacter conducts religious services at the liberated Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945

Snapping Tel Aviv: Alex Levac on capturing the city that never sleeps - interview

Israel’s city that never sleeps was founded over Passover, 1909, during the counting of the Omer leading up to Shavuot.

 CANINE GRACE personified

Confirmations on Shavuot's first day helped preserve American Jewish identity

Most Atlanta synagogues held a confirmation on the first day of the Shavuot holiday - unusual by then for many American Jewish communities.

 CONFIRMATION AT the Orthodox Temple Beth Shalom in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1954. Center, Rabbi Jacob Kraft. Fourth from left, Ruth Weinstein.

Shavuot's special significance: Recognizing those who converted to Judaism

This identification of Israel with the Almighty is so profound that Shavuot was transformed into the concept of a spiritual marriage between God and the Jewish people.

 READING FROM the Torah in synagogue: Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments. These commandments, like the Torah, offer stories, insights, values and actions as ways in to God

Wine talk: Celebrating Shavuot in white and pink

Many wine folk will be organizing wine & cheese parties for Shavuot, and for this a variety of white and rosé wines are recommended.

THOUGH WHITES are the norm, choose red if that is what you prefer

A Zionist holiday: By celebrating Shavuot, we celebrate resettling Israel - opinion

By celebrating Shavuot, we celebrate our connection to the land and our ability to make the desert bloom. It is our Garden of Eden.

PREPARING FOR Shavuot in Mevo Horon

Here’s how New York is celebrating Shavuot in 2025

Here is how the Jewish community across New York City will be celebrating the holiday, from low-key flower arranging classes and study sessions to all-night ragers.

 Guests at a rooftop concert during the 2023 Paul Feig Marlene Meyerson Tikkun Leil Shavuot. )

Say Cheese: Halachic clarity for Shavuot dairy delights

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Diving int water: A guide to water attractions and slides for the Shavuot holiday

VR slides on luxury cruises, water parks in Eilat, and pools in central Israel—discover top attractions to make your long Shavuot weekend a fun, refreshing, and wet family vacation.

 Water slides on the deck of MSC Euribia

Dairy dreams and delights: Trending Israeli cheesecakes ahead of Shavuot

Cheesecake isn’t just a dessert, it’s a Shavuot essential. And this year’s offerings are a testament to its versatility.

Dairy dreams, delights, and daring

In the kitchen with Henny: Dishing out Shavuot comfort, dairy-style

This year, Shavuot begins on Sunday night, which means there’s not a lot of prep time after Shabbat. Here are tips so you can plan in advance and start the holiday feeling calm and ready!

 A cheesecake