Shavuot Seder Seder of the Seven Prophetesses
A new way to celebrate Shavuot that combines dairy and Tikkun Leil
Introduction to the Seder
While I was putting together the Rosh Chodesh Guide for Sivan a years ago, I had an idea for a Shavuot seder. According to the Kohenet wheel of the year, Sivan is the month of the Prophetess. It makes sense, as this is the month of prophecy and the revelation at Mt. Sinai and according to the Babylonian Talmud there are seven prophetesses in Jewish tradition
And the seven prophetesses that prophecied to Israel, who were they? Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah and Esther.
This combined with two Shavuot traditions and became the basis for the idea of this seder. The two traditions are: 1) Tradition of studying Torah all night of Shavuot eve and 2) Tradition of eating dairy on Shavuot. Neither of these is halachah, or Jewish law, both are minchagim – traditions or customs - which sometimes outweighs halachah. The tradition of staying up all night to study Torah is to prepare us for the personal revelation received at Sinai on Shavuot day. It is said that at Sinai we each, individually, heard the voice of G!d/dess speak to us in our own way.
The full texts for each prophetess are NOT included in the seder. The texts can be found in any Tanach, Chumash or for free at Sefaria.org. The suggested texts are just a few texts that you could include. I highly encourage you to explore a variety of modern and ancient commentary and midrash on each of the prophetesses.
There are a many reasons given for the tradition of eating dairy on Shavuot; everything from agrarian to kabbalistic. I invite you to choose whichever one (or ones) are relevant and resonant for you. For the purposes of this seder, choose a different cheese, dairy product, or dairy dish for each of the seven prophetesses. This, I think could be a great deal of fun and intellectual work. I’d love to hear what dairy (or dairy-like) product you think should be assigned to each prophetess. And, of course, try to use local, ethically farmed dairy products.
Decide for yourself if you want to nibble as you study; eat the representative food at the end of studying about each prophetess; or begin each section with a bite of food and wine. Remember that this is also the end of the counting of the Omer and the wheat harvest, so adding good bread/or wheat crackers would be an appropriate addition.
As an additional element you could also make Ushpizot cards or flags for Sukkot featuring the seven prophetesses. It’s a great way to tie the cycle of the seasons together. An easy way to do this might be to make print out a page for each with key texts about and using the words of the prophetesses and make little scrolls out of them. You could write the name of the prophetess on the back of the scroll so it is visible when you roll it up.
You could also add first fruits of the season to your seder, as Shavuot is also the Feast of First Fruits. Needless to say, without wine there is no blessing — so go find a few good bottles of wine to compliment your cheese.
I hope you will share your experience with this seder!
Order of Service
1. Light Candles
2. Blessing over Torah Study
3. Blessing over Wine and Foods
4. The Prophetesses
5. Blessing of Ushpizot Scrolls
6. Closing Prayers
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