The holiday of Shavuot is celebrated on the 6th of Sivan, 50 days after the end of Pesach, and commemorates the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Shavuot is a festive holiday, where synagogues and homes are adorned with flowers and greenery, people read the Megillah Ruth, and pull all-nighters studying Torah in a practice known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot.
In fact, the lead-up to Shavuot is marked by a special Mitzvah known as counting of the Omer, a daily “count-up” of the days from the end of Pesach to Shavuot. The Omer is a period of spiritual refinement leading up to the occasion where we received the Torah over 3000 years ago. The Omer also marks the transition from spring into summer, the time where the Israelites traveled from Egypt to Mt Sinai.
While Shavuot is a celebration of the Torah, it is also one of three harvest festivals in the Jewish calendar, marking the end of the spring harvest and welcoming the summer wheat harvest. The Torah commands us to celebrate the “Feast of Weeks” or Chag HaShavuot and bring the first fruits of our labor as an offering.
Shavuot is arguably one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar because it marks the anniversary of the verbal gifting of the ten commandments, the foundation of every moral and religious text we have today. So, why does Shavuot hold meaning beyond just the gift of the Torah?
Before the Torah was given, God promised to lead the Jewish people to a land of milk and honey, one of sustenance and abundance. In the spirit of this promise, dairy desserts are a hallmark of Shavuot. Milk represents God’s promise and contrasts spiritual nourishment with physical nourishment. Dairy also has key agricultural significance, as the Israelites brought their livestock out of Egypt with them during the Exodus. In a time where cultivating plants was difficult, the Jewish people relied on these shepherds to provide milk from their sheep and goats.
The commandment for the Jewish people to celebrate the harvest is to not only indulge in the new pilgrimage, but to also give thanks for the land, the labor, and the opportunity to grow and self-sustain. God spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai and told him that the people of Israel will gather together and work in the fields, pruning vineyards and living off the yield of the land. More importantly, God says that the people must provide for the redemption of Israel.
We are commanded to work as a community to tend to the land, and defend the land as it provides for us. We must also acknowledge the hands of those who labor in the fields, and the divine source that makes their work possible.
This commandment is a reality across Israel, where farmers and volunteers sew the land and provide for the nation.
Yosi Chen of Modiin, Israel is a volunteer with Hashomer Hachadash, an organization that works to protect the land of Israel and its harvest. Chen volunteers at the Beko’a moshav in central Israel, pruning and protecting olive trees.
Yosi told Mitzpeh that agriculture is a Zionist value. “I think that agriculture is something very very important, specifically in our day and age, and especially the last couple of years. Agriculture is something that is common all around the world and, because of that it’s really hard for the farmers to deal with small plots of land, it’s hard for them to build a solid relationship with the marketers.” Even after a 77 year history, farmers in rural Israel struggle with establishing themselves as foundational providers in a world full of agricultural trade.
“Furthermore, it’s really important that we protect agriculture here and that Israel is protected, and that we share as much as possible with the volunteers in this line of work because this is something that can strengthen our government. It’s important that people should settle in different regions and it’s not smart to just come live and spend time in the mountains, but it’s important to also go and live in other areas that are different.” Chen asserts that agriculture is one of Israel’s strong suits, and preservation of these practices makes Israel all the more important to the Jewish people.
“I was very fortunate in the past couple of years to volunteer and help farmers with my kids. The feeling afterwards is very wholesome, and agricultural work in general is just a wholesome experience and gives you a good feeling inside. You also feel connected to the ground, and it has a very very big impact on Israel, especially after being exiled for over 2,000 years, and that is something that really connects the people to the state of Israel and agriculture is one of its pillars.”
Agricultural stewards are truly at the heart of Shavuot. Then, farmers in ancient Israel would first bring the bikkurim, or first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. Today, farmers sustain our everyday lives. This act is not only a commandment, but an expression of gratitude and connection to the land of Israel. From the kibbutzim and moshavim in Israel, to the family-owned farms nestled in our own backyards, we are nourished by the work of those who care for the land and provide for us.
Shavuot is a joyous celebration of God’s gift to the Jewish people and provides time for us to appreciate those who grow the bounty of life. This Shavuot, thank a farmer, and do a mitzvah by planting a seed that will grow for generations to come.
