A Festival Of Many Customs

Shavuot is probably the Jewish holiday with the fewest distinctive practices. It is a Chag or Yom Tov, but there is no matza, seder, sukkah, shofar, lulav, etrog, or other special mitzvah connected to it. In the times of the Beit Hamikdash - the Holy Temple - Shavuot was distinguished by the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and its accompanying festivities.

After the destruction of the Temple, the pilgrimage aspect disappeared, and the focus of the holiday switched to its other facet, the anniversary of the "Giving of the Torah" - Matan Torah. Today, Shavuot's special customs combine the dualistic nature of the holiday by celebrating both physical and spiritual "harvests" that have occurred at this time.