More than Just Cheesecake: Why Shavuot Is the Most Underrated Holiday
Description
Mijal and Noam explore why Shavuot often feels like the “forgotten” Jewish holiday. Is it just about cheesecake, or is there a deeper reason it remains overlooked? They dive into the biblical origins of Shavuot, its transformation from an agricultural celebration to the festival of receiving the Torah, and the profound (and countercultural) themes of divine commandment and covenant. Whether you’ve celebrated Shavuot for decades or are learning about it for the first time, this episode invites you to reframe the holiday as a powerful moment of sacred obligation and spiritual awakening.
Here are the links to the books and podcasts discussed in the episode:
Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious by Ross Ross Douthat
Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity by Abraham Joshua Heschel
Ruth Ch 3 - At the Threshing Floor Alex Israel, The Tanakh Podcast
Reading Ruth by Leon Kass
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