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Shavuot

Home Living Humanistic Judaism Celebrate Holidays Shavuot

Shavuot is a minor, ancient pilgrimage festival that marked the harvest of wheat. Shavuot literally means “weeks,” so named because the festival is exactly seven weeks (plus one day) from the second night of Passover.

In North America, Shavuot is a time to celebrate educational achievement. The Reform movement holds Confirmation on Shavuot. In Israel, Shavuot became a holiday celebrated with eating dairy foods because the Bible says that Israel was a land flowing with milk and honey and all night Torah study.

Humanistic Jews can celebrate Shavuot with picnics featuring fresh loaves of bread, dairy products and fruit. For many communities and congregations, the picnics also include the celebration of education and the end of the school year.

Humanistic Blessing Over Bread

B’rukhim hamotziim lehem min haaretz.

Blessed are those who bring forth bread from the earth.

–

Latest on Shavuot
6.12.2024
Shavuot 2020/5780 Online Study Session Playlist

This playlist is the first online Humanistic Shavuot Study Session/Tikkun Leil Shavuot, jointly offered by the Society for Humanistic Judaism, Tmura-IISHJ in Je

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6.10.2024
Rabbi Jeffrey Falick presents a distinctly Humanist take on Shavuot

This lecture took place on Friday, June 2, 2017 at the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit (formerly the Birmingham Temple) Farmington Hills, M

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3.5.2024
Interview with Abby Stein

Abby Stein, transgender Jewish activist and author of Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman, joined Rabbi Denise Handlarski of

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Read all Shavuot entries

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Humanistic Judaism Makes Life Better

Thankfulness and mindfulness without dogma. Faith in our fellow people. Modern meaning in ancient traditions. Using only the words that match our beliefs. Humanistic values of equality, honesty, and integrity. Good food. Jewish humor. Links to a fascinating history and peoplehood. Support from like-minded sojourners. Powerful lifecycle events. Rituals to keep us grounded. Rich cultural heritage. Fun holidays. Connection to the natural universe. Ethical values in action. Bringing light through learning and laughter. AND… celebrating our full diversity, including Jewish, Jew-ish, not yet Jewish, never gonna be Jewish; atheist, agnostic, secular, humanist, freethinker, spiritual-not-religious; in-married, intermarried, interculturally married, single, divorced, nontraditional, polyamorous; multiracial, people of color, all heritages and backgrounds; people with and without disabilities and neurodiversity; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, heterosexual, nonconforming; and all who come in kindness and sincerity!

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