Shavuot Starts Tonight.....Are You Ready for a Cheesy Holiday? Rabbi Paul Lewin Tells Us Why

Shavuot is the most important Jewish holiday most people have never heard of. One of the three pilgrimage festivals, it doesn't get the attention given to Passover and Sukkot. But it does celebrate the giving and receiving of the Torah. So where are all the songs, jokes, comedy skits and music videos that we share on the other holidays?

They're mostly not there with a few exceptions, including one of our favorites, Mel Brooks as Moses showing us why we have only ten commandments and not fifteen.

From all night lectures and study sessions to mountains of cheese and cheesecake, from Jewish film screenings, decorating our homes with greenery, reading the Book of Ruth, and yoga at dawn, Shavuot finds incredible ways to celebrate receiving the Torah.

But are you ready to eat the four foods commonly served on Shavuot? Rabbi Paul Lewin of Australia's North Shore Synagogue explains what they are and why they are eaten on Shavuot. But why did he not include cheesecake?

Outside of Eretz Yisrael we celebrate two days of Shavuot. We will be observing them tomorrow and Thursday, so there will be no Jewish Humor Central posts on those days. We'll be back on Friday with our usual mix.

We wish you a Chag Shavuot Sameach!

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