The local Jewish community will celebrate Shavuot, the giving of the Torah, on Sunday, June 9, at the Chabad Edelman Jewish Center.

The Ten Commandments will be read aloud from the Torah scrolls at the 10 a.m. service. The center is located at 16830 E. Avenue of the Fountains.

The intent is to “re-enact the Sinai experience,” explained Rabbi Mendy Lipskier.

“Just as the Sinai event was attended by every Jewish man, woman and child, so too every Jewish person should make every effort to hear the Ten Commandments read aloud from a Torah scroll,” said Lipskier.

Children played a pivotal role at the time the Torah was first given to the Jewish people 3,331 years ago on Mt. Sinai. It is for this reason that children gather under the Tallit, prayer shawl, to hear the Ten Commandments read, explained Lipskier.

A dairy buffet consisting of cheesecakes, pastas, cheese lasagna, soufflés, blintzes and a 10-flavor ice cream bar will be served.

“No, it isn't all about the food,” said Lipskier. “What is important is that the community is joining together, hearing the Ten Commandments and celebrating the Torah. But the good food certainly helps.”

Shavuot literally means “weeks” and marks the completion of the seven-week counting period between Passover and Shavuot.

During the seven weeks, Jews cleansed themselves of the spiritual scars of Egyptian slavery and became a sacred nation ready to enter into an eternal covenant with God.

“Our festivals do not merely mark events of the past. We are enjoined to relive the historic occasions and make them relevant and meaningful today,” he said,

Shavuot customs include all-night Torah study, listening to the recitation of the Ten Commandments, reading the Book of Ruth, eating dairy products and adorning the synagogue and home with flowers.