Cheesecake and All-Nighters

Ice cream sundaes and cheesecake will take center stage during celebrations of the upcoming two-day Shavuot holiday, which will begin this year on Tuesday evening, June 7. Commemorating the giving of the Torah, which began with the transmission of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai more than 3,300 years ago, Shavuot is traditionally celebrated with dairy feasts, readings of the Decalogue and all-night study sessions.

In Asheville, N.C., Chabad-Lubavitchh Rabbi Shaya Susskind is planning to erect a large tent behind the city’s Chabad House so that upwards of 150 guests can listen to the Wednesday afternoon reading of the Ten Commandments. Afterwards, they’ll enjoy a dairy buffet dinner inside while the rabbi explains the numerical, practical and spiritual significances of eating dairy on Shavuot.

“The Hebrew word for milk is chalav, which has a numerical value of 40, representing the 40 days that Moses spent on Mount Sinai,” said Susskind. “We also learn that the Torah was given on the Sabbath, and since we wouldn’t have been able to prepare meat in the proper way on that day, we eat dairy instead. And finally, we know that milk represents the spiritual element of kindness, so it’s best to enjoy milky foods on that day.”

In California, Chabad centers in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard are using milky treats to focus efforts on the youngest members of the community. Thousand Oaks is planning a dairy dinner and ice cream party, while 30 Hebrew school children in Oxnard will perform a skit emphasizing how the children were the guarantors for receiving the Torah from G-d, in addition to their own ice cream celebration.

“Chabad does the best job of educating the young children,” said Evan Forster of Thousand Oaks, who works in entertainment technology. “And if we’re allowed to eat ice cream without getting in trouble, that’s good with me too!”

Cedric Minkin of Oxnard echoed his sentiments.

“I always look forward to celebrating the holiday at Chabad,” said Minkin, a professor at the University of Southern California. “To re-experience the receiving of the Torah is something [special].”

Rabbi Chaim Bryski, director of Chabad of Thousand Oaks, explains to 80 guests every Shavuot that the spiritual energy that was present during the receiving of the Torah is recreated every year on that day. That’s why sharing the experience with family and eating dairy foods are so important.

“We have to do what’s enjoyable for the children, so that the holiday should be memorable for them,” explained Bryski. “Not only do kids love ice cream, but dairy is associated with the giving of the Torah because G-d is a loving parent to us, which is symbolized by mother’s milk. This is a powerful message for children, that G-d is a loving, caring parent for us.”

Jane Brickner also finds inspiration in the holiday celebrations each year.

“Of course I love the ice cream and cheesecake,” said Brickner, who lives in nearby Newbury Park. “And the words of wisdom from the rabbi are meaningful. This is just [the best thing] to do on Shavuot.”

No Matter the Location

Further north on the West Coast, Chabad of Hillsboro, Ore., is planning an ice cream party for at least 200 guests. Located next to the largest Intel operation in the world, the community annually hosts some 300 Israeli families who work at the company. Rabbi Menachem Rivkin, director of the town’s Chabad center, is also planning to celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of a local girl. The girl will receive her Jewish name during services, just like the Jewish people received their identities on the first Shavuot.

All told, thousands of celebrations around the world will ensure that no matter the location, a Torah-reading and festive meal are no more than a walk away. (For more information about Shavuot and to find a celebration near you, click here.)

Chabad of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, N.Y., is scheduling a make-your-own ice cream sundae party, while Chabad of West Monmouth County, N.J., will kick off a community-led tour of Israel by spending the holiday itself in Jerusalem.

Chabad of Rochester, Minn., located near the world famous Mayo Clinic Medical Center, is working to make the holiday accessible to the town’s small Jewish community: Rabbi Dovid Greene, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Rochester, will travel some 80 miles to the Twin Cities in advance of the holiday, all to ensure the holiday’s supply of strictly kosher ice cream.

And Rabbi Yankie Denburg, like thousands of his colleagues, will be up all night Tuesday at Chabad of Southwest Coral Springs, Fla., studying Torah and discussing the Kabbalistic elements of the holiday with his congregation. Children will also participate in a lively game of Jewish bingo, with ice cream cones as the chips.

Back in Asheville, community member Arlene Doloboff said that the holiday means far more than the delicacies.

“We really look forward to the reading of the Ten Commandments and the rabbi’s words,” said Doloboff. “Just being alive and being there to celebrate together is so special. Shavuot is so meaningful for us; it’s the beginning of true Judaism, because on that day, we received the Torah.”