Shavuot their names and meanings

Shavuot is the second of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals (the other two being Pesach and Sukkot) during which, according to the biblical mandate, every Jew must present himself at the Great Temple in Jerusalem.
In general, this holiday is known by the following names:

1. Zman matan torateinu – Time of the Giving of our Torah
On the sixth day of the month of Sivan (it was a Shabbat day), in the year 2448 after Creation (1312 BCE), God gave us the Torah on Mount Sinai. The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), on the 6th and 7th of Sivan, commemorates this great event.

2. Chag Hashavuot – Feast of Weeks
This festival is so named because it is celebrated at the end of the seven weeks of Sefirat Haomer, whose daily count had been begun on the second night of Pesach.

3. Jag Hakatzir – Harvest Festival.
In the Land of Israel, this was the season of harvest, especially the wheat harvest. The first offerings of the new harvest were made in the form of two wheat loaves—Shtei Halechem.

4. Yom Habikurim – Day of Firstfruits.
The Festival of Shavuot also marked the beginning of the season for offering the "first fruits" (Bikurim) when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem. It also bears this name because of the offering of the "Two Loaves" – which were called the "first fruits" of the wheat harvest.

Symbols and Customs:

-In the Mishnah and the Talmud, the festival of Shavuot is generally called "Atzeret," meaning "solemn assembly," or "closing festival" (not to be confused with Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day of Sukkot). The reason is that this festival is considered to conclude the festival of Pesach, to which it is connected in many ways (just as Shemini Atzeret is the "extension" of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).

-Shavuot was called “Pentecost” (“Fiftieth”) by Greek Jews, because it is celebrated fifty days after the offering of the Omer.
(Excerpts from “Shavuot” by Rabbi Nissan Mindel)

The Breslev Garden wishes you a happy Shavuot Sameach!

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