Jewish Shavuot Resources for Parents, Home-Schoolers, Educators

The Jewish festival of Shavuot honors giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. It's celebrated in Sivan on the Hebrew calendar. It's a 3-day observance that falls in May or June on the Western calendar. Shavuot is Sivan 5-7 and May 14-16 in 2013. G-d gave the Torah (including the 10 commandments) to the nation of Israel, via Moses.  Shavuot or Matan Torah, is one of the Shalosh Regalim, the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals. It concludes the Counting of the Omer.The date of Shavuot is set by Passover (Pesach). The Torah mandates a seven-week Counting of the Omer, beginning the second day of Passover.  The counting of days and weeks imitates the anticipatory countdown to the Giving of the Torah. The people of Israel were freed from slavery on Pesach and on Shavuot they received the Torah and became a nation. This article was written about Sukkot, but all the links provided have lesson plans for shavuot, too. Jewish Sukkot Resources for Parents, Home-Schoolers, Educators