List of Jewish Festivals

Jewish Festival of Shavuot

Feast of Weeks is what Shavuot is often referred to because it is linked to Passover and therefore always begins exactly 50 days (or 7 weeks) after Passover. The Jewish holiday celebrates God giving the ten commandments to the Jews or the giving of the Torah. Shavuot is typically one of the lesser known Jewish festivals, but certainly not less significant.

In addition to the Torah being given to the Jewish nation, Shavuot is also the grain season for Israel. During ancient times the harvesting of the grain lasted about seven weeks and was the season of gladness due to the reaping of the grains. Typically, the harvest season began with barley during Passover and then ended with wheat harvesting, which was during the time of Shavuot.

Moreover, during the festival people could enter the Temple in Jerusalem with their first fruits of their harvest. While the ten commandments and the Torah were given to the Jewish people thousands of years ago, the festival is still a very important remembrance of what God brought to the people. Finally, the Torah is read during this time as well as the Book of Ruth because of its detailed account of the barley and wheat seasons.