Shavuot

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Shavuot, The Feast of Weeks, is the day when the Jewish People received the Torah on Mt. Sinai. This year, Shavuot starts tonight, June 7th, at sundown and lasts until June 9th at sundown. The Torah, however, does not give us a set date for Shavuot. Instead, we are instructed to count 49 days from Passover, this is called The Counting of the Omer. On the 50th day, we celebrate Shavuot.

For Messianic Believers and Christians, Shavuot is also when God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell with us. You will most likely know it as Pentacost.


Here's a video with an overview of Shavuot:




Larry Huch TV programs on Pentacost - You can watch online the 5 programs that aired on tv


There are no commandments in the Bible for how to celebrate Shavuot, but there are a few customs.

• Eat dairy meals
• Decorate the Synagogue with flowers and greenery
• Stay up all night studying the Torah
• Read the Book of Ruth

In our celebration of Shavuot, we will start with a dairy dinner at sundown tonight. I picked some of my families favorite foods to serve. We're having macaroni & cheese, yellow squash casserole (made with Ranch Dressing & mozzarella cheese), and vanilla & chocolate pudding for dessert.

We will also be going over the 10 Commandments. We have memorized these as a family, but we will still review them, and say them aloud together from memory. We will also read aloud the Book of Ruth.

Today, I will also be reading aloud the Shavuot section from Jewish Holidays and Festivals, this is a great book that tells in simple language the stories, significance, practices, ceremonies and prayers of the Jewish Holidays. There are also questions at the end of every section. I love this book, it was the first book I purchased on the Jewish Holidays, and the first book I go to when preparing for each holiday.



Shavuot / Pentecost from Torah Class on Vimeo.



Here are some websites to help you learn more about Shavuot:

Shavuot Prep 101 Web Series
Shavuot The Feast of Weeks
Shavuot at Chabad.org
Shavuot Inspiration by Diane
Green Cheesecake at Midnight?
Shavuot on Jewish Virtual Library

Shavuot at Judaism 101

Shavuot 101 at My Jewish Learning

Video - The Giving of the Torah

Shavuot - Pentacost The Basics and Beyond
Shavuot at Light of Mashiach
Shavuot Placed In The Middle
Shavuot at United with Israel
Shavuot at Restoring the Way Ministries - Nice overview, includes Bible verses and a nice little study

Shavuot for Kids

Torah Tots Shavuot
Shavuot for Children
How to Make Shavuot Special for Children
Shavuot Crafts
Free Shavuos Lap-book & more!



Chag Sameach!  Happy Holiday!