Jewish Holidays

Our parasha deals with the lot of those who lost the opportunity to offer the Korban Pesach on time. The Torah describes these people as having been impure due to “nefesh adam”. Hashem’s solution was that these people should offer the Korban Pesach a month later.

Of all the holidays of the Jewish calendar year, Shavuot is the shortest – celebrated only for one day. Many times, this holiday somehow leaves people feeling unfulfilled by what they had hoped to be a spiritual and joyful experience.

A magical parable about Shavuot.

This mental process of "stopping" in order to undergo the experience in a deep and personal manner, is very important particularly for our generation, immersed as it is in externals and constant racing.

Once, there was a man who passed away and left just one item to his favorite granddaughter. It was a photograph, clearly a very old photograph, of a young boy standing in a field. The girl was puzzled, "who is this boy, and why is this my inheritance?"

It is a common custom to have special milchig meals in honor Shavuos; thus, I am sharing with you an article on the halachic issue of gevinas akum.

Pesach has Matza, the Seder, the four cups of wine, "Ma Nishtana.…" Succot has the Four Species and the Succah. Shavuot, however, has no single identifying Mitzvah, no recognizable landmark in its scenery. Why?