GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Shavu'ot, the Festival of Weeks, is the second of the three major festivals with both historical and 
agricultural significance (the other two are Passover and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it commemorates the
time when the first fruits were harvested and brought to the Temple, and is known as Hag ha-Bikkurim (the Festival of the First Fruits).
Historically, it celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and is
also known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah).
Shavu'ot is also sometimes known as Pentecost, because it falls on the 50th day. The counting reminds us of the important connection between Passover and Shavu'ot:
Passover freed us physically from bondage, but the giving of the Torah on Shavu'ot redeemed us spiritually from our bondage to idolatry and immorality.
Shavu'ot is not tied to a particular calendar date, but to a counting from Passover. Because the length of the months used to be variable, determined by observation, and there are two new moons between Passover and Shavu'ot, Shavu'ot could occur on the 5th or 6th of Sivan.
However, now that we have a mathematically determined calendar, and the months between
Passover and Shavu'ot do not change length on the mathematical calendar, Shavu'ot is always on the
6th of Sivan (the 6th and 7th outside of Israel.
