Holidays at Schara Tzedeck
You can download a printable PDF of the Shavuot Schedule below
Shavuot Primer 5786 / 2026
Shavuot is the second of the Shalosh Regalim (the Three Pilgrimage Festivals). Its central theme is Matan Torah – the giving of the Torah. The holiday falls on the 6th of the Hebrew month of Sivan, traditionally marking the revelation at Mount Sinai. On Shavuot, we read the account of this event, including the Ten Commandments, from Parshat Yitro.
Shavuot also has an important place in the biblical agricultural cycle. It marks the beginning of the wheat harvest and is associated with the mitzvah of bringing Bikkurim (first fruits) to the Temple. While this practice is not observed today without a Temple, our tradition teaches that Shavuot is a time of judgment regarding the produce of trees.
On a deeper level, this idea of trees is often understood spiritually. The Torah is called a “Tree of Life,” and its “fruits” are the insights and growth we gain through learning. Shavuot, then, is a time when we receive our portion in Torah for the coming year. This helps explain the custom of increased Torah learning on Shavuot, especially the practice of staying up to learn on the first night (Tikkun Leil Shavuot).
