The Jewish Festival Nobody Fully Understands (But It Involves Cheesecake)

The Jewish Festival Nobody Fully Understands (But It Involves Cheesecake)

For thousands of years, Jews have celebrated Shavuot. But one of its best known traditions remains a mystery.

Judaism is one of the world’s oldest living traditions, with roots stretching back thousands of years. Over that time, Jewish communities have developed a vast number of customs, rituals, laws, and traditions. Some are observed by almost all Jews, some are followed only within particular communities, and others have faded over time or evolved into new forms.

But not every custom comes with a clear explanation. Some practices are rooted in biblical commandments. Others developed centuries later. Some are observed strictly, some loosely, and some not at all. As with many aspects of Jewish life, individual Jews make different choices about which traditions are meaningful to them.

The festival of Shavuot, which is being celebrated now, is a good example.

We know what the festival itself commemorates, but the reason for the custom related to this festival is not clear. That custom is to eat dairy foods during this time, particularly cheesecake, blintzes, and other milk-based dishes.

Various explanations have been suggested over the centuries as to why we do this, but there is no definitive answer. Perhaps that is part of the charm. After all, if a festival gives you an excuse to eat milky foods, there are worse traditions to preserve. I love milk!!!

At its heart, Shavuot is one of the oldest festivals in the Jewish calendar and reflects Judaism’s origins among an ancient people whose lives revolved around agriculture, livestock, and the rhythms of the seasons. Long before modern cities, universities, and technology, the ancestors of today’s Jews were farmers, shepherds, and agricultural communities living in the Land of Israel.

Originally, Shavuot was an agricultural festival marking the wheat harvest. Farmers would bring the first fruits of their harvest to the Temple in Jerusalem as an expression of gratitude for the land’s produce and the success of the growing season. The name Shavuot means “Weeks” because it occurs seven weeks after Passover, reflecting the agricultural period between the barley harvest and the wheat harvest.

Over time, the festival also became associated with one of the most significant events in Jewish tradition: the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

It is at this is when Gd gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites.

As for why we eat dairy foods, several theories have been proposed. One suggests that when the Israelites received the Torah, they also received dietary laws, and dairy foods were the simplest option until they could prepare meat according to those new requirements. Another suggestion is that biblical passages compare spiritual wisdom and Torah to nourishing milk. A third reason could be the frequent description of the Land of Israel as “a land flowing with milk and honey.”

We cannot be certain which explanation, if any, is correct and like many ancient customs, the original reason may simply have been lost over the centuries.

Today, Shavuot is a blend of history, agriculture, religion, and culture. It is a reminder of Judaism’s ancient roots in Israel, its spiritual traditions, and perhaps most importantly, its ability to preserve customs for thousands of years, even when nobody can quite remember why and when cheesecake became involved.

I gave this to perplexity to check and I got these comments….

Small clarifications

• “Giving of the Ten Commandments”: Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah as a whole, not just the Ten Commandments, though those are central to the narrative.
• • “Nobody knows why”: While it’s fair to say there’s no definitive origin, the dairy custom is well-documented in medieval Jewish writings, so it’s not entirely mysterious – just not conclusively explained.
• • “Almost all Jews”: Observance varies quite a lot today; some Jews celebrate Shavuot fully, others minimally, and some not at all.