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The Shavuot holiday that falls on the sixth of Sivan, begins at sundown on Thursday, May 16th this week, and continues until sundown the following day. In the Diaspora it is customary to celebrate the holiday for one additional day. Shavuot is the holiday of Torah receiving and it commemorates the giving of the ten commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai. The holiday is also called the holiday of offerings, bringing offerings of sweats made of wheat in commemoration of the offering brought to the Holy Temple. Today, the significance of the holiday has expanded to include the first fruits of the summer. This is also the holiday of harvest, the harvest of cereals. The name Shavuot comes from the count of 49 days, or 7 Weeks (7 shavuot), beginning the count on the day following the first Shabat after Passah. It is customary to begin count on the day following the night of the Seder rather than following the Shabat after Seder night. Pesah marks the personal and physical freedom of the Jewish people while Shavuot-the Torah receiving holiday, marks the spiritual freedom of the Jewish people. Shavuot is the second pilgrimage out of the three that start with Pessah and end with Sukkoth. The holiday calls for eating milk products. This tradition is said to be linked to the sources that refer to the "land of milk and honey" that received the Israelites upon their arrival to Israel. It is also customary to read Ruth's Megila on the day of the holiday and there are a few reasons: it is believed that Ruth's story took place between the time of harvest of the barley and the harvest of the wheat, in other words, during harvest season. According to tradition, King David was born and died on Shavuot. Ruth's Megila recounts the beginnings of the House of David, for she was the mother of King David's grand-father. Tradition also tells that as Israelites received the Torah at the time of this festival, thus Ruth the Moabian accepted the Torah at the time of this festival also.
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