Last updated 8:05 p.m. ET on 10 May 1999.

Shavuot in the Home

At Beit HaChatulim, our primary home observance for Shavuot is to prepare a special dairy meal that always includes blintzes.

There are a number of interesting reasons given as to why dairy foods are traditional for Shavuot. The two stories we describe below both come across as rationalizations after-the-fact rather than as reasons, but they make for interesting discussions.

• Moses sets the tone at an early age.
  Moses has a strong connection to Shavuot for two reasons. Tradition says that Moses was drawn from the water on the day that later became Shavuot. And, of course, it was on Shavuot that Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah. We found a story that suggests the following Moses-based reason for eating dairy on this holiday: Moses was nursed by a Hebrew woman (his biological mother, Yocheved). As Moses "chose" to have milk, so we also choose milk products on this holiday.
• Early kashruth considerations.
  Among the laws we received when we received the Torah at Mt. Sinai were the laws of kashruth. Realizing that none of their dishes and utensils were kosher, the children of Israel ate dairy foods until appropriate meat dishes and utensils and properly-prepared meat could be obtained.

Apart from the dairy meal and attending services at our synagogue, Shavuot is a time for us to relax, get together with friends, and maybe study a little. The weather is usually nice, so as we walk to the synagogue, we get to greet our neighbors. In the afternoons, we'll usually have guests or (if it's really warm) walk down to the lake and sit on the beach.

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