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Shavuot - the Jewish festival of weeks, the giving of the Torah, and the first-fruits offering

Shavuot is a Jewish festival celebrated on the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan, commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the offering of the first-fruits (bikkurim) at the Temple in Jerusalem. The festival marks the conclusion of the seven-week Omer period that begins on Passover.

IL

Religious observancePublished October 18, 2026

At a glanceReligious observance
Observed in
IL
Where observed
When
May - Jun
Frequency
Same date every year
Type
Days off
0 days - cultural observance only
Public status
Religious observance - schools / shops normally open
Last reviewed: October 18, 2026
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Shavuot is a Jewish festival celebrated on the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan, commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the offering of the first-fruits (bikkurim) at the Temple in Jerusalem. The festival marks the conclusion of the seven-week Omer period that begins on Passover. One of the three biblical pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim), observed in Israel and Jewish diaspora communities worldwide.

The one-line summary

A Jewish festival celebrated on 6 Sivan (May-June), commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the offering of the first-fruits (bikkurim) at the Temple. The festival marks the conclusion of the seven-week Omer period that begins on Passover, and is one of the three biblical pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim). Observed with all-night Torah study, the reading of the Book of Ruth, and the eating of dairy foods.

Origin

Shavuot is one of the three biblical pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim), along with Passover and Sukkot. The festival is mentioned in the Torah in several places, including Exodus 23:16 ("the feast of harvest, the first-fruits of your labor") and Exodus 34:22 ("the feast of weeks, the first-fruits of the wheat harvest"). The festival was originally an agricultural celebration, marking the end of the wheat harvest and the offering of the first-fruits at the Temple in Jerusalem.

After the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the agricultural meaning of Shavuot was replaced by a religious meaning: the commemoration of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The rabbinic tradition associated the giving of the Torah with the festival of Shavuot, in part because the Torah was given during the harvest season (Exodus 19:1 indicates that the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai in the third month after the Exodus, which corresponds to Sivan). The two meanings - agricultural and religious - coexist in the modern observance of Shavuot, with the bikkurim ceremony preserved in the reading of the Yom Tov prayers and the religious meaning central to the Tikkun Leil Shavuot study session.

The counting of the Omer

Shavuot is the conclusion of the seven-week Omer period that begins on the second day of Passover. The Omer is a 49-day count, with each day representing one day of the journey from the Exodus to Mount Sinai. The counting of the Omer is a religious obligation, performed each evening with a blessing, and is a central practice of the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot.

The Omer period is also associated with the semi-mourning practices of the 33 days of the Omer (from Passover to Lag BaOmer), a historical commemoration of the death of Rabbi Akiva's students in a plague. The semi-mourning practices include the avoidance of haircuts, weddings, and public celebrations, and are observed by many religious Jews (particularly Sephardic and Hasidic communities). The semi-mourning period ends on Lag BaOmer (the 33rd day of the Omer), which is associated with the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and is celebrated with bonfires, weddings, and other public celebrations.

How it is observed

Shavuot is observed with several distinctive traditions, each with its own history and meaning. The most prominent are: (1) the Tikkun Leil Shavuot, an all-night study session held on the eve of Shavuot; (2) the reading of the Book of Ruth in synagogue on Shavuot morning; (3) the eating of dairy foods; and (4) the decoration of synagogues and homes with greenery and flowers.

The Tikkun Leil Shavuot is one of the most distinctive practices of Shavuot. The custom dates to the 16th century, when Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Arizal) and the Kabbalists of Safed instituted the practice of an all-night study session on the eve of Shavuot. The study session typically includes the reading of the opening portion of the Torah, the Book of Ruth, the Book of Psalms, the Zohar, and a variety of other religious texts, and is attended by both men and women in many communities. The custom is based on the tradition that the Israelites slept through the night of the giving of the Torah and had to be awakened by Moses.

The reading of the Book of Ruth on Shavuot is one of the most distinctive features of the festival liturgy. The Book of Ruth is a short narrative about a Moabite woman who converts to Judaism and becomes the great-grandmother of King David. The book is read on Shavuot for several reasons: the harvest setting of the book (which parallels the agricultural meaning of Shavuot), the conversion of Ruth (which parallels the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people), and the ancestry of David (which connects Shavuot to the messianic tradition). The book is read in full in synagogue on Shavuot morning, and is one of the five Megillot (Scrolls) read in the Jewish festival calendar.

The custom of dairy

The custom of eating dairy foods on Shavuot has several explanations, none of which are universally accepted. The most common explanation is that the Land of Israel is described in the Torah as "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8), and dairy foods are associated with the land. Another explanation is that the Jewish people had not yet received the kosher laws when the Torah was given, and so they ate dairy (which is always kosher) until the laws could be properly observed. A third explanation is that the Torah is compared to milk in the Song of Songs ("honey and milk are under thy tongue"), and the dairy foods commemorate the sweetness of the Torah.

Whatever the explanation, the custom is widely observed. Cheesecake, blintzes, cheese-filled pastries, and other dairy dishes are central to the Shavuot meal, and many synagogues and Jewish organizations host dairy-themed Shavuot events. The custom has been adopted by Jewish communities worldwide, and is one of the most distinctive culinary traditions of the Jewish festival calendar.

Related observances

Shavuot is one of three biblical pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim), each of which was associated with a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem during the period of the First and Second Temples. The other two pilgrimage festivals are Passover and Sukkot. Shavuot is also associated with several other Jewish observances, including the counting of the Omer (the 49-day period from Passover to Shavuot), the Yom Tov (festival day) liturgy, and the Simchat Torah celebration of the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle. The festival is observed in Israel and Jewish diaspora communities worldwide, and is one of the most widely observed Jewish festivals.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is Shavuot in 2026?

Shavuot 2026 begins at sunset on Friday, May 22, 2026 and ends at sunset on Saturday, May 23, 2026 (6 Sivan 5786). The festival is observed on the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan, which falls in May or June of the Gregorian calendar. In Israel, Shavuot is observed for one day; in the diaspora, it is traditionally observed for two days.

What is the meaning of Shavuot?

Shavuot means "weeks" in Hebrew, and the festival marks the conclusion of the seven-week Omer period that begins on the second day of Passover. The festival has two main meanings: the agricultural meaning of the first-fruits offering (bikkurim), and the religious meaning of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The two meanings are connected by the rabbinic tradition that the Torah was given during the harvest season, and that the giving of the Torah is the "first-fruit" of the Jewish people's relationship with God.

How is Shavuot observed?

Shavuot is observed with several traditions: (1) the Tikkun Leil Shavuot, an all-night study session held on the eve of Shavuot; (2) the reading of the Book of Ruth in synagogue on Shavuot morning; (3) the eating of dairy foods, particularly cheesecake and blintzes, in commemoration of the Land of Israel being "a land flowing with milk and honey"; and (4) the decoration of synagogues and homes with greenery and flowers, in commemoration of Mount Sinai being covered in greenery when the Torah was given.

Is Shavuot a public holiday?

Shavuot is not a public holiday in any country, but is a major Jewish religious observance. In Israel, Shavuot is a school holiday and many businesses close early on the eve of the festival. The day is widely observed in Israel and in Jewish diaspora communities worldwide, with the largest public celebrations in Israel, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Argentina. The festival is one of the three biblical pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim), along with Passover and Sukkot.

What is the connection to dairy foods?

The custom of eating dairy foods on Shavuot has several explanations. The most common is that the Land of Israel is described in the Torah as "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8), and dairy foods are associated with the land. Another explanation is that the Jewish people had not yet received the kosher laws when the Torah was given, and so they ate dairy (which is always kosher) until the laws could be properly observed. The custom is observed by the eating of cheesecake, blintzes, cheese-filled pastries, and other dairy dishes.

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