The sweet dishes of Shavuot

(JNS) — Historically, Shavuot is the celebration of the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai, beginning seven weeks after the first day of Passover. Agriculturally, it commemorates the time when the first fruits were harvested and brought to the Temple, thus the “Festival of the First Fruits.”

Indeed, fresh fruit and flowers are the hallmark of the holiday, as is wearing white clothing. It symbolizes the purity, joy and the spiritual “marriage” between God and the Jewish people.

This year, the holiday starts at sundown on May 21 and ends the evening of May 23. Traditional dis...