By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

“Now that we are done with Passover, it’s time to think about Shavuot.” I’m not sure the head of the room was thrilled with that statement. As part of my chaplaincy work, we’ve been making Jewish food for her individuals and members of the staff. Last year, we (OK, the other staff) made a matzah brei that was very different than any I have ever had. (It was more like eggs and matzah, rather than a matzah pancake, but it still was good.) Last year and this year, I made the traditional Ashkenazic charoset (apple, walnuts, lots of cinnamon and grape juice, rather than wine). Rather than matzah brei, we made chicken soup with matzah balls, which was a big hit. The main course was grilled cheese sandwiches, but, hey, we did this before Passover, so that was fine. (It’s been a really long time since I had a grilled cheese sandwich and it was so good.)
After I mentioned Shavuot, I did let the staff person know that we have a bit of time before we needed to worry about that. After all, Shavuot arrives 50 days after the second day of Passover. (Those who count the omer will know how I immediately knew that number.) Last year, we made blintzes. That was after I’d mourned the fact that it’s rare to find homemade blintzes. (If you want to read my whining about that... I mean, my thoughts about that, you can find them at www.thereportergroup.org/features/on-the-jewish-food-scene-mourning-the-blintz.) The staff thought of a blintz as a dessert, although, in my family, they were always the main course.
To make the meal complete (and as a way of ensuring we had something good to eat if the blintzes bombed), I brought not-homemade cheesecakes. (There is a really good version in the freezer section of the grocery store, so no need to create one of my own.) Fortunately, the blintzes were a success, but no one complained about having cheesecake for dessert.
The cheesecakes also proved a success at the other program where I do chaplaincy work. We had not planned a Shavuot program or food, but I thought, “Why not let them celebrate, too?” I brought two cheesecakes and, after placing them in the kitchen, made an announcement over the loudspeaker: “This is Rabbi Rachel. I am celebrating a holiday you never heard of, but we eat dairy on it and there are cheesecakes in the kitchen for all who want some.” That celebration was also a success.
What will I/we do to celebrate Shavuot this year? I have time, but, at a minimum, am considering bringing cheesecakes, even if we have no other ritual foods. I might even look to see if there are other interesting recipes on the web, but, over the years, I’ve been happy with what I consider the big three foods of the celebration: blintzes, cheesecakes and, of course, ice cream!