Definition

Proper noun 1. A Jewish festival: Shavuoth is a major Jewish holiday that occurs on the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan. It commemorates the giving of the Torah, specifically the Ten Commandments, to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. It also has agricultural origins, marking the conclusion of the counting of the Omer and the wheat harvest in ancient Israel.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • Our community gathers to study Torah all night during Shavuoth.
  • It is traditional to eat dairy foods, like cheesecake, on Shavuoth.
  • Shavuoth is one of the three pilgrimage festivals mentioned in the Torah.

Advanced Usage

• "The Festival of Weeks": This is a common alternate name for Shavuoth, referring to the seven weeks (or "a week of weeks") counted from Passover.

  • Shavuoth, the Festival of Weeks, concludes the period of the Omer.

• "Yom HaBikurim" (Day of the First Fruits): This name highlights the holiday's agricultural aspect of bringing the first harvest offerings to the Temple.

  • In ancient times, Shavuoth was known as Yom HaBikurim.

Variants and Related Words

• Shavuot: The more common modern Hebrew transliteration of the word.
• Pentecost: The name used in Hellenistic Judaism and Christianity; the Christian holiday of Pentecost occurs at the same time but has a different significance.
• Feast of Weeks: An English translation of "Chag HaShavuot."

Synonyms

• Festival of Weeks
• Feast of Weeks

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Receiving the Torah": This phrase is intrinsically linked to the central theme of Shavuoth.
  • Shavuoth celebrates the receiving of the Torah at Sinai.

Noun

1. (Judaism) Jewish holy day celebrated on the sixth of Sivan to celebrate Moses receiving the Ten Commandments