Shavuot Bikkurim painting

Shavuot - Hag ha'Bikkurim or Festival of the First Fruits.

In the Bible Shavuot is called Hag Matan Torateinu, Hebrew for the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah, or Hag ha-Bikkurim which is Hebrew for Festival of the First Fruits, as well as Hag ha-Katzir or the Festival of the Harvest
Shavuot was also the first day on which individuals could bring the Bikkurim (first fruits) to the Temple in Jerusalem . The Bikkurim were brought from the Seven Species for which the Land of Israel is praised.

Jewish farmers would tie a reed around the first ripening fruits from each of these species in their fields. At the time of harvest, the fruits identified by the reed would be cut and placed in baskets woven of gold and silver. The baskets would then be loaded on oxen whose horns were gilded and laced with garlands of flowers, and who were led in a grand procession to Jerusalem.

Bikkurim offering painting and border

Meghillat of Ruth and paper case

The Book of Ruth is recited as part of the program of study for Shavuot night. Additionally, in many synagogues it is read publicly on the second day of Shavuot. There are several reasons for this custom:
Shavuot is the birthday and yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of King David, and the Book of Ruth records his ancestry. Ruth and her husband Boaz were King David’s great-grandparents.
The scenes of harvesting described in the book of Ruth are appropriate to the Festival of Harvest.
Ruth was a sincere convert who embraced Judaism with all her heart. On Shavuot all Jews were converts,having accepted the Torah and all of its precepts.

Illustrated Meghillat of Ruth paper case

IIlustrated meghillat for children case made with roll of paper towels covered with wrapping paper.
Download the illustrations HERE 

Shavuot greetings "bags"

It is customary to eat dairy foods on the first day of Shavuot. There are a number of reasons for this custom. On the holiday of Shavuot, a two-loaf bread offering was brought in the Temple. To commemorate this, we eat two meals on Shavuot, first a dairy meal, and then, after a short break, we eat the traditional holiday meat meal.
With the giving of the Torah, the Jews became obligated to observe the kosher laws. As the Torah was given on Shabbat, no cattle could be slaughtered nor could utensils be koshered, and thus on that day they ate dairy.
The Torah is likened to nourishing milk. Also, the Hebrew word for milk is chalav, and when the numerical values of each of the letters in the word chalav are added together 8 + 30 + 2—the total is forty. Forty is the number of days Moses spent on Mount Sinai when receiving the Torah.
On Shavuot we therefore eat dairy products and then take a break before eating meat in order to demonstrate our commitment to this mitzvah.

Pom pom ice cream cones greetings

Making pom poms is a favorite amusement for kids. It’s easy and you can choose your favorite colors. With pieces of an egg carton turn the pom poms into to ice creams greetings for Shavuot.
You need yarn, scissors, egg cartons, acrylic paint and a brush. You will also need glue, we have use a glue gun.

Flower crafts for Shavuot

Shavuot is a special time for adults and children. Shavuot is automatically associate with two things; cheesecake and flowers!
Flowers are a wonderful way to bring the spirit of the holiday into your home. These flowers crafts are very easy to make. They will look stunning as a decorative addition to your Yom
Tov home and table.

Felt flowers and tags

Historically for most Jewish communities, Shavuot is celebrated in part by bringing in fresh flowers and other botanicals into the home and synagogue, but in Eastern Europe another tradition developed around  the 18th C. There, the Jews began to create paper cuttings for Shavuot. As the tradition developed, the paper cuts became more and more imaginative.

Rice paper flower and decorated pot

1. Fold a single piece of square sheet like you were going to cut a snowflake
2. Cut the edge of the folded sheet so it is rounded like an ice cream cone
3. Open the sheey back up
4.  Separate the layers carefully and place them back on top of each other askew, but this is optional.
5. Pinch the end of the sheet and twist it.

Shavuot challà cover

Handmade Challà cover for Shavuot

Behar - Bechukotai

This week's double reading, Behar-Bechukotai, speaks about the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, laws regulating commerce and the redemption of slaves. It also contains a vivid description of the rewards for observing G‑d's commandments and the series of punishments that will befall us if we choose to disregard them. The Torah then discusses different types of gifts given to the Temple, and the animal tithe.
We are promised incredible blessing if we diligently study Torah and observe the mitzvot. The blessings include plentiful food, timely rain, security, peace in the land, the elimination of wild animals from the land, and incredible military success. And more blessings: An overabundance of crops and G‑d's presence will be revealed in our midst. 
With this we conclude the Book of Vaiykrà.

Home abundance of plants

 Painted stones

Emor - the omer

After making brief mention of the Shabbat, the Torah talks about the holiday of Passover and the mitzvah of eating matzah. On the second day of this holiday, an "omer" barley offering is brought in the Temple. This is followed by a seven-week counting period that culminates with the holiday of Shavuot. After discussing the Shavuot Temple service, the Torah briefly interrupts the holiday discussion to mention the obligation, when harvesting fields, to leave certain gifts for the poor.

 Wheat drawing

... and my daughters too did their wheat drawing, in brown and green.

CD case Omer counter

Meditative wheat drawing about counting the omer
Chose a simple drawing that is  related to the theme of Counting the Omer…wheat. Drawing a stalk of wheat is just a few basic shapes that don’t need to be perfect. 

Saw at CHAI AND HOME

 

Lag b'omer crafts

Lag BaOmer, this year, May 7, 2015, is a festive day on the Jewish calendar, celebrating the anniversary of the passing of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar. It also commemorates another event. In the weeks between Passover and Shavuot, a plague raged amongst the disciples of the great sage Rabbi Akiva. 

On Lag BaOmer the dying ceased 

Crochet framed Lag b'Omer bonfires

 

Wood bow and arrow

 Reshaped toy bow

Recycled boxes

Polka dot recycled boxes

Cereals boxes, salt and medicament empty boxes recycled as nice polka dot boxes. Just put on reverse the boxes and cut and paste on them somo recycled polka dot gift paper in different colours.

Achare Mot - Kedoshim

The High Priest is instructed to only enter the Holy of Holies chamber of the sanctuary once a year, on Yom Kippur; and even on this holiest day of the year, the entry into the Temple's inner sanctum must be accompanied by a special service and specific offerings which are detailed in this reading. The High Priest was only permitted to enter amidst a cloud of burning incense. Also, special white garments were worn by the High Priest on this day. While offering the day's sacrifices, the High Priest would "confess" on behalf of the entire nation, attaining atonement for the past year's sins. This section continues with a description of the "scapegoat" ceremony procedure. 

Paper roll scapegoat 

 An easy to make scapegoat from paper roll and wool. This child made one was very funny to put together.

Tazria Metzorah

We learn the laws of tzara'at which appears following a burn to the skin. We discover that tzara'at can also affect the areas on the body covered by hair. The symptoms and laws of such a tzara'at are quite different than standard tzara'at. This section concludes with the laws of a person afflicted by multiple dull white areas on his skin. 

Shea Butter Hand Cream 

Talk about skin care , how about making a body butter together?
See some instructions here
Then choose a jar and a nice label for it .

Yom HaAtzmaut homemade kit

Yom HaAtzmaut cookies

 Homemade kit for Yom HaAtzmaut

Yom Haatzmaut is on 4 Iyyar (Apr 23)

Israel’s Independence Day is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the State of Israel, when members of the “provisional government” read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948.
Most of the Jewish communities in the Western world have incorporated this modern holiday into their calendars, but some North American Jewish communities hold the public celebrations on a following Sunday in order to attract more participation. In the State of Israel it is a formal holiday, so almost everyone has the day off.

Yom Haatzmaut Pins from bottle caps

Israel inspired handmade bracelet

This year Map of Israel made of cereals and legumes for Yom HaAtzmaut

Israel map made of rice (blue colored with acrilyc paint) for Mediterranean Sea and Kinneret. Cereals and legumes for Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt .

Yom Hazikaron is on 3 Iyyar (Apr 22)

The fourth of Iyar, the day preceding Israel’s Independence Day, was declared by the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) to be a Memorial Day for those who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the establishment of the State of Israel and for all military personnel who were killed while in active duty in Israel’s armed forces. Joining these two days together conveys a simple message: Israelis owe the independence and the very existence of the Jewish state to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it.
Yom Hazikaron, the Israeli Memorial Day, is different in its character and mood from the American Memorial Day. For 24 hours (from sunset to sunset) all places of public entertainment (theaters, cinemas, nightclubs, pubs, etc.) are closed. The most noticeable feature of the day is the sound of siren that is heard throughout the country twice, during which the entire nation observes a two-minutes “standstill” of all traffic and daily activities. The first siren marks the beginning of Memorial Day at 8:00 P.M., and the second is at 11:00 A.M., before the public recitation of prayers in the military cemeteries. All radio and television stations broadcast programs portraying the lives and heroic deeds of fallen soldiers. Most of the broadcasting time is devoted to Israeli songs that convey the mood of the day.

Tin can candle holder

I saw this idea on Chai&Home about making luminaries out of tin cans and I thought it was perfect to make it for our Yom Hazicaron lights.

Shemini

G‑d gives the commandments of Kosher, explaining how to distinguish between kosher and non-kosher animals, fish, and birds. Kosher animals must chew their cud and have cloven feet. The Torah lists four animals that have only one of these attributes, but not both, and are therefore non-kosher. Kosher fish must have fins and scales. The Torah then gives a list of species of non-kosher birds, and species of kosher locust. The Torah then discusses the ritual impurity caused by coming in contact with the carcass of a non-kosher animal, as well as certain species of rodents and amphibian creatures.

Kosher / no kosher collage