As you and your family are enjoying a nice BBQ of beef I’ll probably be having a slice of cheesecake. This is not because I became a dairytarian (made up word) but because it’s Shavuot (a real word). Shavuot celebrates the anniversary when G-D gave the entire Torah to the Jewish people so you can imagine it’s a pretty big deal and we spend a great deal of time studying and discussing the greatest of books. We also eat a great deal of cheesecake and dairy products during this time here are several reasons (below). As you can see (below) we as Jews find plenty of ways to discuss and debate the why,what, when and even where of many issues even to this day.
1. A sage discovered that the initials of the four Hebrew words in Numbers 28:26, which describe the sacrificial meal offering on Shavuot, spell mei halav (from milk), suggesting that dairy food is the acceptable dinner for the festival
2. At Sinai, the Israelites were considered to be as innocent as newborns, whose food is milk.
3. Some derive the practice directly from scripture, saying we eat dairy to symbolize the “land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8) promised to the Israelites, or that “milk and honey are under your tongue” (Song of Songs 4:11).
4. These passages, along with “The precepts of the Lord are… sweeter than honey” (Psalm 19:9-11) also indicate we should eat honey, which is customary in some communities.