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          • Naso - Action Leads To Feeling
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          • Pesach - G-d's Powerful Love For Each Of Us
          • Vayikra - Greater Than The Angels
          • Pekudei - The Privilege of Mitzvos
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          • Yisro - The Power Within Us
          • Beshalach - Always Drawing Closer
          • Bo - G-d Is Always With Us
          • Va'eira - The Power Of G-d's Kindness
          • Vayechi - Standing Alone
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          • Toldos - Let's Say It
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          • Shoftim - The Gift of the Oral Law
          • Re'ei - Fulfillment and Happiness? We Have the Recipe!
          • Eikev - Open Our Eyes and We'll See It's Hashem!
          • Devarim - We're Starting From Here!
          • Korach - The Power To Protect
          • Shlach Let's Do What We Can!
          • Beha'aloscha - Everything Is From Hashem!
          • Shavuos Looking For Happiness? We Have It In The Torah!
          • Emor - Blessings from Hashem
          • Acharei Mos - Dress The Part
          • Shmini - Being In Control
          • Pekudei - The Jewish Nation - Eternally Holy
          • Vayakhel - Doing Mitzvos - What a Privilege!
          • Ki Sisa- Sensitivity To Feelings - How Far Do We Go?
          • Tetzaveh-Hashem Loves Us! Again and Again
          • Terumah-The Impact of One Deed
          • Yisro - What A Priceless Treasure We Have!
          • Bo - Hashem Loves Me!
          • Va'eirah - Nothing Is Too Difficult For Hashem
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          • Toldos - The Source Of Our Strength
          • Vayeirah - The Time Is Now
          • Lech Lecha - Torah - A Beacon Of Truth When The World Has Lost It's Way
          • Noach - The Power of our Mitzvos - Israel
          • Bereishis - The Situation in Israel Light through the Darkness
          • Soldiers Eishes Chayil
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          • Shabbos Shuva - Yom Kippur The Keys To Growth - We Have Them!
          • Rosh Hashana - A Father's Love
          • Nitzavim- Vayeilech - A Small Step - An Enormous Accomplishment
          • Ki Savo - Say It To Feel It
          • Ki Seitzei - Together - With Sensitivity
          • Re'ei - Intellect or Emotion - Do I Need Both?
          • Eikev- Thinking Of Hashem At All Times? Is That Possible?
          • Devarim- When It's So Important We See It Differentlly
          • Pinchas - The Pendulum of our Emotions
          • Chukas - How Valuable is one mitzvah?
          • Beha'aloscha - Always With Gentleness
          • Shavuos - Pause To Change Our Lives
          • Bamidbar - Moving Forward With Joy!
          • Behar - Bechukosai I'm Great - And I Need To Know It!
          • Emor - It's In My Mind or It's Who I Am?
          • Tazria-Metzorah - Let's Be Uniters
          • Acharei Mos-Kedoshim - Kindness and Love - One Without The Other?
          • Shabbos Hagadol - Why So Many Rituals?
          • Vayakhel - Pekudei - But I have a good Reason!
          • Ki Sisa - Relationship With God - Look What I've Got!
          • Tetzaveh - Purim - Always With Gentleness
          • Mishpatim - Choosing Our Influencers
          • Beshalach - Mitzvos - Just How Priceless Are They?
          • Shemos - Mitzvos With Joy
          • Vayechi - Our Relationships with People - Our Relationship with G-D
          • Toldos - The Power Within Us
          • Chayei Sarah - Through Someone Else's Eyes
          • Vayeirah - Every Spiritual Success - A Priceless Treasure
          • Lech Lecha - Influenced By My Surroundings? Not Me!
          • Noach - The Two Deeds Look The Same, But Are They?
          • Sukkos - Key to Happiness
          • Vayeilech - Shabbos Shuva - One Small Step in Man's Eyes - One Giant Leap in Hashem's
          • Nitzavim - Rosh Hashana - My Relationship With Hashem
          • Shoftim - The Dignity of Every Human Being
          • Devarim-Tisha B'Av - Dignity - Key To Growth
          • Matos-Masei Past Misdeeds - A Source of Encouragement?
          • Pinchas - Seeing is Believing
          • Chukas - Torah-A Gift for All of Us
          • Korach- Strength of Unity
          • Shlach- The Power of Speech
          • Naso - The Path to Internal Peace
          • Shavuos - Our Purpose - The World's Purpose
          • Balak - The Greatness of Torah Study
          • Korach- Capacity for Growth
          • Beha'aloscha - Mitzvos - The Greatest Gift and Opportunity
          • Naso -New Stage - New Opportunities
          • Tzav / Pesach - From Generation to Generation
          • Chayei Sarah - Kindness and Respect
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          • Naso - Every Mitzvah is a Big Mitzvah
          • Yisro - What A Priceless Treasure We Have!
          • Yisro - Finding Happiness with what we Have
          • Vayechi - Seeking Advice
          • Bereishis - Greatness of Humanity
          • Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement- A Time to Thank
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          • Ki Savo - My Idea or Yours?
          • Ki Savo - Every Day a New Opportunity
          • Va'eschanan-Nachamu - Hashem is Always with Us
          • Tisha B'Av - A Day of Mourning, A Day of Hope
          • Matos-Masei- It's Not "Just Words"
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Shavuos
Picture
Shavuos, the Festival of Weeks, commemorates the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai seven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt.
G-d offers the Torah to the Jewish People, promising a special relationship with Him if they accept it. “We will do and we will hear,” declare the people, committed to do what G-d asks even before they hear what it is.
When the great day arrives, Mount Sinai is aflame and wreathed in smoke, while thunder, lightning and the sound of a Shofar announce the momentous event. G-d Himself speaks to the entire nation – the only time in history that this occurs. After G-d utters the Ten Commandments, Moses ascends the mountain, where he stays for forty days to hear the rest of G-d’s teachings.

Like other Biblical holidays, Shavuos is a day of rest like Shabbat, with allowance for certain activities associated with food preparation.


Several time-honored customs enhance the beauty of this holy day:

All night Torah study

The night before the Torah was given, the Jews went to sleep, and had to be awoken the next morning for their rendezvous with Hashem. To rectify this mistake, it is customary to study Torah all night, reciting the morning prayers at daybreak before going to sleep.

Eating Dairy
It is customary to eat
dairy on Shavuos, for several reasons:
 The Torah is compared to milk and
honey.

 We eat a dairy meal in addition to
the standard holiday meat meal
requiring two different loaves of
bread. This commemorates the Two
Loaves, a special Shavuos offering
brought in the Temple in Jerusalem.

After receiving the Torah, the Jews
were suddenly faced with the need
for Kosher m eat a complex and
time consuming process. For the
short term, they opted for dairy
instead.

Leaves and Flowers
Synagogue and home are adorned  with leaves and flowers, signifying:
  • Mount Sinai, which was adorned by greenery.
  • The story of Moses: on this day, he was placed in a basket among the reeds of the Nile.
  • A king who spares an entire garden because of one beautiful rose. So, too, Hashem allows the whole world to endure because of the Torah.