COVER STORY: A Shavuot renaissance
Israelis celebrate Shavuot more than any other Jewish community in the world. On Erev Shavuot, religious, secular and traditional Jews from all over the country will join in the tens of thousands to study in various and incredibly diverse programs of Tikkun Leil Shavuot. What was once the inheritance of primarily the Orthodox has now become the inheritance of many.
COVER STORY Torah for all: Shavuot’s lesson for modern Judaism
Among the Jewish holidays known as the Shalosh Regalim, (the Three Festivals), Shavuot has somewhat of lonely sibling status.
Whereas Pesach and Sukkot come with a specific set of laws and traditions, Shavuot is largely lacking in such a character (with the exception, of course, of the well-known custom to eat dairy foods during the holiday). On the surface, Shavuot is primarily defined by the requirement to refrain from many activities, much as we do on Shabbat. There are a limited number of positive commandments linked to the holiday.
