Shavuot Marks Giving of Torah at Sinai

Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. According to the account, the event occurred amid thunder and lightning with the sound of a shofar, and the Ten Commandments were revealed to the Jewish people. The holiday is described as the conclusion of seven weeks of counting the Omer that begins after the second day of Passover.

The term "shavuot" refers both to weeks and to oaths, linking the festival to the pledge "Na'aseh venishma" made after the commandments were given.

Jews recite the Modeh Ani prayer each morning upon waking.

The prayer acknowledges a living and eternal King who restores the soul with compassion. The Shema is also recited daily and includes the declaration of God's oneness. In the traditional text, enlarged letters in the words Shema and ehad form the Hebrew word ed, meaning witness or testimony.

A statement of loyalty to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state is administered to naturalized citizens, non-Jews seeking citizenship, diplomats, and civil servants. Some legal experts have questioned requiring non-Jews to affirm allegiance to a religion not their own.

The writer suggests that individuals may voluntarily recite a sentence or two each day affirming residence in the State of Israel and the ability to live Jewishly without fear.