[Seph. Heb. shah-voo-awt; Ashk. Heb. shuh-voo-ohs, -uh
s] 
| a festival, celebrated on the sixth and seventh days of Sivan by Orthodox and Conservative Jews outside Israel but only on the sixth day by Reform Jews and Jews in Israel, that commemorates God's giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses. |
| Sha·vu·ot also Sha·bu·oth (shə-vōō'ōt', -əs, shä'vōō-ôt') n. Judaism A feast held on the sixth and seventh days of Sivan in commemoration of the revelation of the Law on Mount Sinai and the celebration of the wheat festival in ancient times. Also called Pentecost. [Hebrew šābû'ôt, pl. of šābû'a, week, from šeba', seven; see šbʕ in Semitic roots.] |
Shavuot
("Festival of the Weeks"), second of the three Pilgrim Festivals of the Jewish religious calendar. It was originally an agricultural festival, marking the beginning of the wheat harvest. During the Temple period, the first fruits of the harvest were brought to the Temple, and two loaves of bread made from the new wheat were offered. This aspect of the holiday is reflected in the custom of decorating the synagogue with fruits and flowers and in the names Yom ha-Bikkurim ("Day of the First Fruits") and Hag ha-Qazir ("Harvest Feast").
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