Why Eat Dairy on Shavuot?

Thirteen various explanations for a custom nobody’s fully certain about, and how to cover all of them anyway.

Q. Is it proper to eat dairy on Shavuot?

In general, for those who enjoy meat, it’s preferable to eat meat on all Shabbatot and holidays. On the other hand, the custom of eating dairy on Shavuot is wide-spread, and many rabbis have offered different possible explanations for this questionable tradition. I found 13 reasons, for example: after receiving the Torah on Shavuot our forefathers needed much time to prepare kosher meat; The Torah’s likened to milk- the basic nourishment for life; Moshe was weaned on Shavuot (he was born exactly 3 months before); the Torah was given on Shabbat when slaughtering’s forbidden; at Sinai, milk was allowed (before, it was considered prohibited); Sinai’s nicknamed: Gavnun (“cheese”, Tehilim 68); a sign of humility, needed for accepting the Torah. Although the very number of so variant explanations (none of which are totally convincing), seems to place the custom in doubt, one can say contrarily, “the custom of our fathers is Torah” (M’nachot 20b), and the fact that so many justifications have been written over the generations, proves it all the more. In short, it’s preferable not to change from the custom, and if you really want to fulfill all factors and opinions, you can do like the Rama who says first eat dairy, and then, after washing one’s mouth and hands, eating something hard (or brushing one’s teeth), and obviously changing the tablecloth and dishes (some say davka to start a new challa, in memory of the “2 loaves” of Shavuot in the Beit haMikdash), then feast on your regular holiday meat! Chag Same’ach!