Shavuot
The festival of Shavuot (or Shavuos, in Ashkenazi usage; Shabhuʿoth in Classical and Mizrahi Hebrew Hebrew: שבועות, lit. “Weeks”) is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan (late May or early June). Shavuot commemorates the anniversary of the day G-d gave the Torah to the entire Israelite nation assembled at Mount Sinai, although the association between the giving of the Torah (Matan Torah) and Shavuot is not explicit in the Biblical text. The holiday is one of the Shalosh Regalim, the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals. It marks the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer.
1:
· 6 p’sukim
2:
· 7 p’sukim
3:
· 6 p’sukim
4:
· 20 p’sukim
5:
· 9 p’sukim
Maftir:
· 6 p’sukim
Haftarah Part 1:
· 28 p’sukim
Haftarah Part 2:
· 1 p’sukim
1:
· 6 p’sukim
2:
· 7 p’sukim
3:
· 6 p’sukim
4:
· 20 p’sukim
5:
· 9 p’sukim
Maftir:
· 6 p’sukim
Haftarah Part 1:
· 28 p’sukim
Haftarah Part 2:
· 1 p’sukim
1:
· 5 p’sukim
2:
· 3 p’sukim
3:
· 5 p’sukim
4:
· 4 p’sukim
5:
· 5 p’sukim
Maftir:
· 6 p’sukim
Haftarah:
· 19 p’sukim
1:
· 8 p’sukim
2:
· 18 p’sukim
3:
· 5 p’sukim
4:
· 3 p’sukim
5:
· 5 p’sukim
6:
· 4 p’sukim
7:
· 5 p’sukim
Maftir:
· 6 p’sukim
Haftarah:
· 19 p’sukim
About Shavuot
Beyond marking the giving of the Torah, Shavuot carries a dual identity that gives the day its depth. In the Torah itself it appears as an agricultural festival — Chag HaKatzir (the Festival of the Harvest) and Yom HaBikkurim (the Day of First Fruits) — celebrating the wheat harvest and the bringing of first fruits (bikkurim) to the Temple in Jerusalem. The rabbinic tradition layered onto this the theme of Matan Torah, calling the day Zman Matan Torateinu, "the season of the giving of our Torah," and framing it as the culmination of the Exodus: the people who left Egypt at Pesach reach their purpose seven weeks later by accepting the covenant at Sinai. As one of the Shalosh Regalim (the three pilgrimage festivals, with Pesach and Sukkot), Shavuot historically drew Jews to the Temple. Its themes — revelation, covenant, conversion and belonging (echoed in the Book of Ruth), and the spiritual harvest that follows the agricultural one — make it a meditation on what it means to receive and live by the Torah. Note that the explicit link between Shavuot and the giving of the Torah is a rabbinic teaching rather than a statement found in the biblical text.
When it’s observed
Shavuot falls on 6 Sivan, in late May or early June. Unlike the other festivals, the Torah does not assign it a fixed calendar date but defines it as the fiftieth day counted from the start of the Omer (the second day of Pesach) — which is why it is also known by the Greek-derived name "Pentecost" (fiftieth). In the Land of Israel it is observed for one day (6 Sivan); in the Diaspora it is observed for two days (6-7 Sivan) under the rule of Yom Tov Sheni shel Galuyot, and many Reform and other one-day Diaspora communities observe a single day. By the Gregorian calendar, in 2026 it runs from sunset Thursday, May 21 through nightfall Saturday, May 23, and in 2027 from sunset Thursday, June 10 through nightfall Saturday, June 12.
The readings & trope
On the first day, the Torah reading is Exodus 19:1-20:23 — the theophany at Mount Sinai and the Ten Commandments (Aseret HaDibrot) — with the maftir from Numbers 28:26-31 (the festival offerings); the Haftarah is Ezekiel 1:1-28 and 3:12, the Merkavah (Divine Chariot) vision, chosen as a counterpart to the revelation at Sinai. In the Diaspora, the second day reads Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17 (the laws of the three pilgrimage festivals) with the same maftir, and a Haftarah from Habakkuk (commonly given as 2:20-3:19 or 3:1-19, depending on the rite and machzor). A distinctive feature of Shavuot is the public chanting of the Ten Commandments using the "Ta'am Elyon" (the upper accents/upper cantillation), which divides the passage so that each commandment forms its own verse-unit, rather than the ordinary "Ta'am Tachton" (lower accents) used for private study; the underlying trope motifs are largely the standard Torah tunes, with the difference lying chiefly in verse division and accent placement. The Book of Ruth (Megillat Rut, 1:1-4:22) is also read, chanted in the festival Megillah trope shared with Song of Songs (Pesach) and Ecclesiastes (Sukkot). TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice each of these — the standard Torah trope, the special Ta'am Elyon reading of the Ten Commandments, and the Megillah cantillation of Ruth — at your own pace before you read.
Customs
Beloved Shavuot customs include Tikkun Leil Shavuot, staying up the entire first night to study Torah — a Kabbalistic practice said to "repair" the tradition that the Israelites overslept on the morning of revelation. Many eat dairy foods such as cheesecake, blintzes, and cheese kreplach, explained variously by the Torah being likened to "milk and honey" and by the new laws of kashrut. Homes and synagogues are decorated with greenery, flowers, and leafy branches, recalling the foliage of Sinai and the holiday's harvest roots. In Ashkenazi synagogues the Aramaic liturgical poem Akdamut is recited before the first-day Torah reading. The Book of Ruth is read for its harvest setting and its themes of conversion and covenant, and because King David — Ruth's descendant — is traditionally associated with Shavuot. Yizkor, the memorial service, is recited (in the Diaspora on the second day, in Israel on the single day). Customs around exactly how and when Ruth is read — first day or second, from a scroll or a printed text, with or without a blessing, in the service or as part of the night-time study — vary by community and rite.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shavuot?
Shavuot ("Weeks") is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, a connection taught by the rabbinic tradition. It is one of the three biblical pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim), alongside Passover and Sukkot, and originally marked the wheat harvest and the offering of first fruits at the Temple. It concludes the seven-week Counting of the Omer that begins on Passover.
When is Shavuot?
Shavuot falls on the 6th of Sivan, which lands in late May or early June. It is the fiftieth day counted from the Omer, hence the name "Pentecost." In Israel it is observed for one day; in the Diaspora it is observed for two days (6-7 Sivan), though many one-day communities observe a single day. In 2026 it runs from sunset May 21 to nightfall May 23, and in 2027 from sunset June 10 to nightfall June 12.
What is read on Shavuot?
The first day's Torah reading is Exodus 19:1-20:23 (the Ten Commandments) with a maftir from Numbers 28:26-31, and the Haftarah is Ezekiel's vision of the Divine Chariot (Ezekiel 1 and 3:12). In the Diaspora, the second day reads Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17 with a Haftarah from Habakkuk. The Book of Ruth is also read. The Ten Commandments are chanted with the special "upper accents" (Ta'am Elyon), and Ruth is chanted in the festival Megillah trope.
Why is the Book of Ruth read on Shavuot?
The Book of Ruth is read on Shavuot for several reasons: its story unfolds during the grain harvest, mirroring the holiday's agricultural origins; Ruth's wholehearted embrace of the God and people of Israel parallels the nation's acceptance of the Torah at Sinai; and Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David, who by tradition was born and died on Shavuot.
Where to go next
Open a sample reading with Hebrew text, trope marks, and audio to see how TropeTrainer works.
How the Haftarah, the Five Megillot, and the High Holiday Torah readings are chanted.
Guided lessons on Torah cantillation, from the basic symbols to advanced phrases.