It's Shavuot... Say Cheese!

Q.

What’s the deal with cheesecake on Shavuot? Is that the official food of the holiday?

A.

Not quite, although it has become something of a Shavuot mascot, the tradition is to eat dairy foods in general, not just cheesecake. 

Why dairy, you ask? Well, it’s actually hotly debated if historically we started eating dairy so that the men staying up all night studying Torah could have coffee with their meal, or if the women cooking the food wanted to expand their repertoire.  

Ok, you’re right, those aren’t actually the reasons. And It’s a great question and deserves some exploration. On the one hand, the sages generally guided us to celebrate occasions with meat to honor and enjoy the holidays, so this is a clear departure from that, and I think an even deeper element that requires attention here is why so much focus on food at all? Isn’t the holiday about receiving the Torah? Why does it matter which foods you eat with it?

Firstly, a quick peek into the historical facts surrounding the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Up until that point the Jews actually were not required to observe the commandments outside of the seven Noahide laws. The forefathers, interestingly, did observe them (they weren’t given the Torah yet, but were able to intuit the will of God through intellectual processes, which is a story for a whole other issue!). So, imagine the Jews, plodding through the desert toward Sinai, carrying pots that were used in Egypt, maybe even by Egyptian families -- those were very un-Kosher utensils! They go through this momentous occasion of receiving the Torah, they are returning to their tents to celebrate their incredible blessings, and at the doors to their tents they stop short. Because they realize their pots need to be “koshered” before they can make their celebratory feast! Except it’s also Shabbat, so they can’t actually carry out the koshering process, either! Or cook! And their leftover meat from yesterday is also non-Kosher! 

It seems as if they’re in a bind. Was it a trap? A trick? A test? Maybe. But I don’t think they even thought twice about it. They pulled out their milk and made a huge L’chaim! Nothing was going to stop them from celebrating the Torah, and they made the most of what they did have. 

We have seen echoes of this great mindset even in the most tragic times in Jewish history. Celebrate what we can with whatever we have. Which I think is a comforting approach in this moment as well, considering last week’s tragedy in Meron. We don’t ignore the pain, but we also acknowledge our blessings. That interwoven experience of hurt and joy is a uniquely human capacity that we’ve held since our creation. 

Food is and will continue to be a central piece of how we celebrate Jewish occasions. Why the focus on food during Jewish holidays at all? 

As we’ve explored in the past, the Torah-oriented approach to celebrating holidays is intended to be not just ceremonious, but experiential and centered on growth in the present. Actions we take in the present connects us to the past in a way that’s more than just intellectual, but actually helps us get in the mindset of re-experiencing the events as they occurred originally. 

Eating dairy on Shavuot has the capacity to help us get in touch with the celebratory attitude of the original recipients of the Torah - if we do it mindfully, and with the awareness of the potential connection that it holds. 

So grab your highly caffeinated iced coffee, make a hearty L’chaim, stay up all night and soak up the joy of the Torah for as many hours as you can. 

Not sure what there is about the Torah to celebrate? Check out last year’s blog post! 

Chag Sameach!