Shavuot, or Shvues, is a wonderfully Jewish holiday. It celebrates the day that Moses received the Ten Commandments atop Mount Sinai, as well as the annual grain harvest, and from Israel to Islip, Jews celebrate with food, music and family gatherings.
As with all Jewish holidays, said food plays an instrumental role. While Chanukah makes most people think of latkes and sufganiyot and Passover brings up thoughts of matzo and gefilte fish, Shvues has its own delicious treat: cheesecake.
While tradition dictates that any dairy product will do, modern western interpretation often calls for the delicious, rich cake to round out a traditional Shavuot meal. There are a handful of theories as to why we eat dairy on Shavuot, with some having to do with the root of a Hebrew word for Mount Sinai, Israel’s status as “the land of milk and honey” and even a kabbalistic reference to the time Moses spent atop the mount.
A widely accepted theory has to do with the laws of kashrut, according to Paul Spangler, who owns Lipkin’s Deli and Bakery in Overbrook Park.
“The 49 days we say is the counting of the omer, meaning sacrifice. It was leading up to our ability to make sacrifices to our God, and the significance of the cheesecake really lies in the fact that we had not received permission from God to be able to eat meat,” he said. “We didn’t have the laws in place because we had not received the Torah, and so as a symbol of not being able to eat meat at this time, we eat dairy [today].”
However, for many, the cheesecake itself has taken on more meaning than the actual dairy. For kosher Jews, it is easier to observe the holiday with a symbolically cheesy cake: Meaning, they eat one that is made with dairy substitutes. Spangler said that the cheesecakes that Lipkin’s sells are just that.
“We start with the basic parve cheesecake — parve meaning that it is actually not a dairy cheesecake, even though the holiday is really predicated mostly on cheese,” he said. “[We do that] because it’s easier for most people in observance of kashrut laws.”
From there, the toppings are varied. While Spangler, a self-professed “chocoholic,” usually goes with a marble cake or chocolate chip one for his own home, people also opt for fruit toppings like apple, cherry and lemon.
Spangler said that the substitute they use is a plant-based one from a company called Daiya, although that is not necessarily industry standard. There are a number of substitutes that people use for their Shavuot cakes, including tofu.
The holiday is celebrated by all Jews, and the staple of the meal being a simple cheesecake means that it is accessible to all economic brackets. Spangler said that Lipkin’s prides itself on being more affordable than regional and national chains; just like Shavuot celebrates Jewish law, Jewish custom dictates that we help each other.
“Part of the mission of the store that we have is to be a resource for the kosher Jewish community,” he said.
Spangler added that, while there is no rule in the Torah that tells us to eat cheesecake, our customs are just as important to us as Jews.
“We look at traditions much the same as we do law. Traditions are extremely important to us because it is a complete carrying on of our families’ and our communities’ practices, so it doesn’t just honor the holiday, it honors our heredity and and our individual family customs,” he said.
As the owner of a Jewish business, Spangler said he is proud to serve the community in his own way.
“Being able to provide the products that are associated with the holidays is in itself its own joy,” he said.
As for those who don’t like cheesecake, there is another, lesser-known traditional food that might be worth trying: cheese latkes. Lipkin’s makes them, but only to order. Not many Jews opt for the potato and cheese pancakes, but those who do love them. Spangler pointed out that the ones they make aren’t exactly like the ones of hundreds and thousands of years ago, as those were likely made with goat cheese. Today, people opt for more palatable and neutral cheeses like cheddar.
Whether you celebrate Shavuot with a dairy-free cheesecake, traditional New York-style packed with cream cheese, cheese latkes or something else, celebrate it all the same. After all, the holiday teaches us that we should appreciate what we have been given. Whether that be food, family or something else, it’s worth gathering and smiling for.
