Shavuot（五旬節）
[ 2002-04-26 01:00 ]
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| the 5th day of Sivan
, fifty days after Passover (Jewish
world) |
 The Yom Tov begins at sundown of the 5th day of Sivan (息汪月,
即猶太教歷3月,猶太國歷9月,在公歷5、6月間,共30天), exactly fifty days after Passover
(猶太教的逾越節).
Shavuot, the Feast of the Weeks, is the Jewish holiday celebrating the
harvest season in Israel. Shavuot, which means "weeks", refers to the
timing of the festival which is held exactly 7 weeks after Passover.
Shavuot is known also as Yom Habikkurim, or "the Day of the First Fruits",
because it is the time the farmers of Israel would bring their first
harvest to Jerusalem as a token of thanksgiving.
Shavuot also commemorates the anniversary of the giving of the Ten
Commandments to Moses (十誡, 猶太教、基督教的誡條) and the Israelites at Mount Sinai
(西奈山,基督教《圣經》中記載的上帝授予摩西十誡之處).
 Many of the traditions and customs of Shavuot have
evolved from the legends and stories describing the experiences of the
Israelites at Mount Sinai. According to tradition the Israelites actually
overslept on the morning of God's visit. To compensate for this
negligence, Jews hold a vigil on the eve of Shavuot. They stay awake from
dusk to dawn, keeping themselves busy with the readings of the Torah
(律法，圣經舊約之首五卷) and the Talmud (猶太法典). A digest of readings has evolved
called Tikkun Leil Shavuot, the "Restoration of Shavuot Eve," which
includes selections from the Torah, the Prophets, the Talmud, and the
Zohar (《光明篇》,猶太教神秘主義對摩西五書的注疏).
Another Shavuot custom is the eating of dairy foods. One explanation
states that this comes from a passage in the Torah which reads: "And He
gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey".
 Another explanation comes from a legend stating that
before the visit from God the Jews did not keep kosher
(指食物、飲食店等合禮的,符合猶太教規戒律的) or follow the Kashrut (dietary) laws. It was on
this first Shavuot that they found out that their utensils were nonkosher
and thus unfit for use. So finding themselves without kosher meats or
utensils the Israelites were forced to eat only dairy foods. Today Jews
celebrate Shavuot by eating blintzes, cheesecake, and other dairy
dishes.
Another legend tells the story of the Israelites finding Mount Sinai
blooming and lush with greenery and flowers. From this legend grew the
custom to decorate the Jewish home and synagogue with tree branches and
flowers. Some temples decorate the Torah scrolls with wreaths of roses.
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