Shavuot - 5784

Shavuot - 5784

Rabbi Hal Miller

Although short of halachot, the holiday of Shavuot has plenty of minhagim, customs

that we follow to celebrate the festival. As with all other minhagim, the Shavuot ones

are practiced differently in every community. Last year we looked at the minhag of

spreading greenery in the synagogue and in our homes. Here are a few other customs,

some reasons behind them, and the laws of practicing them.

- delaying ma'ariv

Usually we are able to begin early on Shabbat or a holiday. We often daven ma'ariv

a little early to enable folks to get home for dinner before the kids fall asleep and to

allow us just that little bit of extra festive time. Shavuot is an exception, and in fact

instead of early, we delay ma'ariv just a bit. The Taz explains that this is because we

were commanded to count 49 days and 7 weeks, not 48 and a half or just a bit less

than 7 weeks. We must fully complete the omer count before beginning Shavuot. We

follow these comments of the Taz on Vayikra [23:15] and wait until after dark.

- reading the Book of Ruth

Rama on 490:9 brings Avudraham that it is the practice to read Ruth on Shavuot. "At

the beginning of the barley harvest (Ruth 1:22) and Shavuot is called chag ha'katzir,

the holiday of the harvest. King David was born and died on Shavuot. The end of

Ruth traces his lineage." Avudraham also mentions that Ruth's conversion is the

culmination of the conversion of the entire people at Sinai.

Magen Avraham explains that Ruth shows that Torah is only obtained through difficulty

and affliction. Peninei Halakha writes that this comes from Pirkei Avot [4:9], "Anyone

who keeps the Torah while poor will eventually keep it while rich, while anyone who

ignores the Torah while rich will ultimately ignore it while poor." It also explains how

great are the benefits given to those who display kindness.

While Ruth is usually read at Shacharit, many people do so at another time to ensure

they are fully awake to hear it.

- eating chalavi

There is a wide-spread custom to eat dairy on Shavuot, but as with all other minhagim

there is a huge variance in how this is done, everything from all meals being dairy to

none of them, with iterations along the way. More or less unrelated, some people have

the custom to eat meat meals on holidays based on the comment in the Gemora that

we are commanded to be joyous on holidays and that meat and wine is defined as joy.

That also is not a halacha rather a custom, but it does impact some of the practices on

this holiday.

Rama notes the practice of eating dairy and explains that it may be related to the two

cooked foods eaten on Pesach in remembrance of the Pesach and Chagiga offerings.

He also notes a possible tie to the two breads, that our table substitutes for the Altar where

they brought the two breads and we now eat dairy then meat at this meal. Mishneh Berurah

concurs but adds a third "correct reason" that upon receiving the Torah the people now knew

they had some work to do before they could properly prepare meat under the new rules of

kashrut, so they only had dairy available to them that day. Mishneh Berurah then bring Shir

HaShirim [4:11], "Honey and milk are underneath your tongue" as an allusion for Torah

relating to dairy.

Rav Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard finds a different source,  an allusion in Shemot [23:19], "The

first fruits of your land you shall bring to the House of Hashem your God. You shall not seethe

a kid in its mother's milk" which ties dairy to bikkurim, the Torah-declared base for this holiday.

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed in Peninei Halakha gives another explanation. He notes that "the

custom goes back over 600 years to the time of the Rishonim, originated in France and

Germany and spread from there. Many do not follow it, such as those from Libya, Iran, Yemen.

Rav Kook said that both milk and honey are foods that originate in something tamei, honey

from bees and milk from blood. Because both involve the transformation from tamei to tahor,

they symbolize tikun ha'olam, as does Torah."

For those who eat only dairy or only meat, no particular rules of practice are involved. For those

whose custom is to eat both, one begins with the two breads, using one and setting the other

aside, eat the dairy meal, then clear the table (including tablecloth) and bring out the second

bread and the meat meal. Between the meals, some eat a pareve food, some wash out their

mouth, some wait an hour although Mishneh Berurah says the delay is not necessary, nor are

the blessings after a meal if you go right into the second part.

- all-night Torah study

There is a widespread custom to remain awake all night studying Torah, or at least to spend

some portion of the night learning more than one would usually do. Some relate this to the

Jews having slept in late the morning of the giving of the Torah and our wanting instead to

show our enthusiasm, citing Yeshayahu [50:2], "When I came there was no man waiting, I

called but there was no answer." Some cite the Zohar that it is to ensure that we properly

prepare ourselves to receive the Torah. Arizal said that one who studies all night is guaranteed

to live out the year and is protected from harm.

Peninei Halakha brings Ben Ish Chai that "those who stay up must dedicate the time to Torah, not

wasting the time on frivolous matters." He brings two questions, what if one cannot properly daven

after this or properly enjoy the rest of the holiday, and secondly, what should one study all night?

To the first he answers that if someone cannot remain sufficiently alert to daven or to learn the

following morning or will be otherwise too tired to enjoy the day, he need not stay up all night

but should learn more than usual then sleep. Do what serves God best.

To the second question he notes two customs and says either one is fine. First, the kabbalists

set forth a specific course of learning, including first and last three verses of every parsha and

books of Tanach, etc., then second custom that each person should study whatever they want

provided it is not "frivolous". In our times, most people follow this second option, including

attending lectures, studying with a partner, or just reading on their own.

So long as we keep in mind the sanctity of the day and make use of the time to learn Torah so

that we can practice it better, we are doing the right thing.