Shavuot
Discuss & Discover. Shavuot celebrates the spring harvest, while also serving as a reminder of the occasion when the ancient Israelites received the Torah at Mount Sinai.
Shavuot, a Jewish holiday whose name literally means “weeks,” is an ancient Jewish holiday with both agricultural and historical associations. It celebrates the end of the barley harvest and the start of the wheat harvest, while also serving as a reminder of the occasion when the ancient Israelites received the 10 commandments at Mount Sinai. The customs associated with the holiday include a tikkun leil Shavuot (Jewish mystical tradition of staying up all night studying Torah), eating dairy products and a public reading of the Biblical Book of Ruth.
Shavuot begins at sunset, June 1 // Observed June 1 – 2, 2025
Celebrate Shavuot
So how does the JCCSF celebrate this festival of weeks and peaks? Like all your favorite Jewish festivals – with food! Flip through the book below for nosh-worthy recipes, thought-provoking questions and other ideas to bring your Shavuot celebration to life.
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Moments of Discovery from Sinai to San Francisco: Tikkun Leil Shavuot
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