Sunday, May 27, 4 pm
Dairy Dinner Buffet

Please click on the "complete information" link below for a full schedule of services and events.

Celebrate the holiday at Chabad with a variety of services and events, including the 9th Annual Dairy Dinner Buffet with ice cream and cheesecake bar!  Complete information

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The agricultural origin of the festival is still remembered and highlighted in the Book of Ruth that is read on Shavuot. The story takes place during the seasonal harvest associated with the holiday. Ruth, a Moabite woman who chose to join her mother-in-law Naomi's people, is seen as the paradigmatic convert to Judaism. In a sense, she was the first to reject her own ancestral faith and willingly take on Jewish law and tradition. In this way the book reflects both the agricultural as well as the historical significance of the festival.

In post-biblical times, the rabbis calculated that the sixth of the month of Sivan, the day of Shavuot, was the day the Israelites received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. Thus, Shavuot became the festival marking the reception of Torah, when the Israelites had experienced Revelation.

Shavuot was consequently transformed into a festival that not only had agricultural significance, but also marked the birthday of the covenant between God and Israel. For traditionalist Jews who believe in "Torah min hashamayim" (direct revelation of God to the Jewish people on Mt. Sinai), Shavuot marks a specific historical anniversary. All branches of Judaism view the Torah as a divine gift -- whether inspired or revealed. Thus, for every Jewish denomination, Shavuot is a festival that highlights the fundamental truth and importance of the moral law of Torah. Full article

Dairy foods such as cheesecake, cheese blintzes, and cheese kreplach among Ashkenazi Jews are traditionally consumed on the Shavuot holiday. Visit our recipe page for more ideas.