Flowers for Shavuot
Shavuot Flowers
Ramah: We have the custom to spread out plants on Shavuot in the synagogue and in houses, as a memory for the happiness of the receiving of the Torah.
(Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 494:3)
Rabbi Yaakov ben Moshe Halevi Moelin (the Maharil) suggested the custom to arrange grass and sweet fragrant flowers on the floor in honor of Shavuot. This custom is to celebrate the miracle that Mount Sinai, in the middle of the desert, bloomed lusciously with flowers at the giving of the Torah.
It is the custom of many to adorn their shuls and homes with fragrant, fresh flowers on the holiday of Shavuot.
Additionally, Shavuot is known as the festival of the Harvest. Shavuot marked the beginning of the Bikkurim (first fruits) Offerings to the Temple. We would adorn our baskets with flowers and greenery (Sefer Ziv Haminhagim, Sivan 7.). Now that we do not have the Beit HaMikdash, our homes become our mini-temples, and our tables become the alter to bring our fruit and flower offerings.
Fragrance
”His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as banks of sweet herbs; his lips are lilies dripping with flowing myrrh”
(Shir Ha Shirim)
“From each and every utterance that emerged from His cheeks, i.e., the mouth of the Holy One, Blessed be He, the entire world was filled with fragrant spices.”
(Shabbat 88b:5)
Love Poem
“Like a lily among thorns,
So is my darling among the maidens.”
(Song of Songs 2:2)
Impermanence
“What shall I proclaim?”
“All flesh is grass,
All its goodness like flowers of the field:
Grass withers, flowers fade
When the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Indeed, man is but grass:
Grass withers, flowers fade—
But the word of our God is always fulfilled!”
(Isaiah 40:6)
Ritualize Shavuot!
-
Just like Mt. Sinai bloomed with flowers, visualize flowers blossoming within your heart center. Sense the array of foliage with different colors, textures, and energies budding within you. Appreciate how just like G-d created so many unique types of flowers, the people of Israel are diverse and special in all their unique forms.
-
Grab your favorite basket, and go out into the fields with your family or friends. Go on a search for wild flowers. When you find some, open your eyes to the beauty and appreciation of G-d’s beautiful world. Ask the flower if you can harvest it. Cut from the bottoms of the stems and arrange them in your basket. What colors stick out to you? What textures, shapes and sizes are you finding?
-
Bring the flowers to your home and decorate any way that you desire. Place the flowers in mason jars or vases, spread the petals on your Shavuot festive table, tuck them into books and shelves, and invite people into your home to enjoy!
-
Grab a friend or send out an invite-list for a flower-art circle. Lay out your flowers in the center and choose an activity:
Create Flower Crowns (see here for tutorial)
Dry, press, and Modge-Podge your flowers onto a canvas or journal page.
Arrange flower bouquets and deliver them as gifts to your community.
Get out your watercolors and use the flowers as your muse for a paint party.
Join the Jewish Yoga Course to explore the energies of Sivan in our body, mind, and breath!
or
