The many faces of Shavuot harvest, revelation, and tradition
The Torah is described as the Tree of Life, and there is a legend that Mount Sinai once was a “green mountain” covered with trees and shrubs.
Another biblical name for Shavuot is Yom HaBikkurim (Day of the First Fruits), referring to the joyful pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where the Israelites offered up baskets of their first ripe fruits and bread baked from the newly harvested wheat.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)