Among all the major holidays on the Jewish calendar, why is Shavuot the most likely to be overlooked?

“The simple answer is that Shavuot is short,” Rabbi Gil Marks says. He’s a chef, and the author of several Jewish cookbooks; his latest is Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World.

Though every Jewish holiday is important, Shavuot is crucial because it commemorates the time when God gave the Torah to the Jewish people. Without this monumental event in our history, where would we be?

Along with Passover and Sukkot, Shavuot is a pilgrimage holiday, one of three festivals when the ancient Israelites traveled to Jerusalem to offer thanks to God for bountiful crops.

Like a quiet child, Shavuot draws less attention than its more flamboyant siblings. Passover and Sukkot are both seven-day festivals and both include emotional rituals and objects. Passover has matzah, the bread of affliction, and Sukkot is associated with charming huts full of dangling produce. Lacking dramatic ceremony, Shavuot is at a disadvantage from a marketing perspective.

The holiday’s one distinctive ritual revolves around bread. “Shavuot was the only time leavened bread was used in the temple,” Marks says, explaining that waving two special breads was part of the temple service.

Because chametz, or leavened bread, is mandated on Shavuot, the holiday plays counterpoint to Passover, when leavened bread is not permitted. The sages referred to Shavuot as the conclusion of Passover, an indication that the holiday was not seen as an entity in itself.

The pilgrimage holidays are tied to agricultural cycles. Passover marks the beginning of the barley season. At Shavuot the barley season ends and the wheat crop begins, which explains the holiday’s emphasis on bread. The agricultural year’s final harvest is celebrated at Sukkot.

In today’s urban society, though, “we have no connection to nature,” Marks says, explaining that because produce is flown across the country and around the world, no food is ever out of season. We eat peaches and melons year round. “Shavuot has lost its meaning, because we’re no longer aware of local harvests,” he says.

“It’s important to become acquainted with the rhythms of nature,” Marks adds. He learned this lesson as a child, when his family owned a farm. He explains that at Passover, farm animals -- cows, sheep and goats -- often give birth. By Shavuot their babies are newly weaned and the mothers have a surplus of milk. That’s why dairy products are plentiful and inexpensive at this season, and that’s one reason why Shavuot is linked to dairy products.

There are other reasons too. Traditionally the purity of the Torah has been compared to the whiteness of milk.

Some historians speculate that when the children of Israel returned to their camp after receiving the Torah, they were hungry and had no time to roast meat. It’s possible that their milk had soured, turning to cheese, which they ate.

Risking an identity crisis, Shavuot goes by many names.

Besides the Festival of the Giving of the Torah, the holiday is called the Festival of the First Fruits of the Seven Species. These seven include wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and honey. Marks emphasizes the importance of those species in the title of his book. In ancient times, farmers tied red ribbons around samples of these crops and they brought them on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

While other Jewish holidays are celebrated on specific dates, Shavuot is not firmly anchored on the calendar. Passover is always on the 15th of Nisan, and Sukkot is always on the 15th of Tishrei. Shavuot arrives seven weeks after Passover and so is called by a third name, the Festival of Weeks. Tethered to another holiday, Shavuot comes with built-in ambiguity.

Contrary to popular opinion, receiving the Torah was not an end but merely a beginning for the Jewish people. The experience became the first step in an ongoing process of defining laws, social customs, and Jewish unity. It was an energetic launch, opening issues that Jews are still hammering out today.

“Like life, Shavuot is a learning process,” Marks says, explaining that there’s no time like the present to explore this multifaceted holiday, which falls this year on June 13.

But how do first time observers get started?

“Throw a dinner and invite family and friends,” Marks says. Although any dairy menu would be appropriate, Jews from every region of the world have favorite Shavuot dishes.

Ashkenazi Jews often start the Shavuot meal with a chilled soup, primarily because the weather is beginning to get warm. In concert with the holiday’s first fruits theme, fruit soups are popular, as are schav -- sorrel soup -- and green bean soups, which symbolize greenery.

Rich but light, Hungarian green bean soup captures the essence of early summer’s tender young green beans. The subtle zest of lemon or tarragon vinegar creates a refreshing contrast to the soothing texture of sour cream.

Sephardi stuffed artichokes, brimming with breadcrumbs, parsley, dill and Parmesan cheese, are drizzled with olive oil. Savored by Jews throughout the Mediterranean region, this tasty dish can be either a hearty appetizer or a main course.

Ask Iraqi Jews about their favorite dairy dish. They’re likely to say noodle omelets. Made with cheese and angel hair pasta, these elegant omelets can be fried in butter and served as individual pancakes, or the batter can be baked in Pyrex pans as if they were kugels.

Both Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews adore rice puddings at Shavuot. Marks says he’s never tasted one he doesn’t like, but his all-time favorite recipe comes from his Lithuanian grandmother. Full of creamy custard, her baked rice pudding is a cross between the best noodle kugel and the richest rice pudding. With enough sugar, it becomes a decadent dessert.

Marks sees Shavuot as an opportunity to prepare dishes calling for bread, fruit, green vegetables and dairy foods. The rabbi in him encourages observation of Shavuot because it’s the soul of the Jewish people. But he is drawn to the holidays for deeply personal reasons as well.

“I’m a Shavuot baby,” he says. “I’ve always had a fondness for Shavuot because it’s my birthday.”

Like Israel, his life began at a special time of year, the season when milk and honey flow.

Recipes from “Olive Trees and Honey” by Gil Marks:

HUNGARIAN GREEN BEAN SOUP

4 cups water

1 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon table salt

1 pound slender young green beans, trimmed and chopped into pea-sized pieces

3 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1 to 3 teaspoons tarragon vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Drop of honey (optional)

For garnish, chopped fresh chives or dill, or sweet paprika

In a large pot, combine the water, onion, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the beans and simmer, uncovered, until very tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, stir the flour into the sour cream. Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot bean mixture into the sour cream. Add the sour cream mixture to the soup, beating constantly. Simmer, stirring constantly, over low heat without boiling, until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the vinegar (or lemon) to taste. If too tart, add a little honey. The soup should be tart and sour, not sweet. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours. Ladle into chilled bowls and garnish.

Yield: 5-6 servings

SEPHARDI STUFFED ARTICHOKES

1 lemon, halved

4 large globe artichokes

Stuffing:

1½ cups fresh bread crumbs

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup chopped fresh dill

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon table salt

Ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 cups water

3 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling

Squeeze the lemon halves into a large bowl of cold water and add the lemon shells. Cut off the stems at the base of the artichokes so they stand upright. Remove the loose, tough outer leaves. Cut about 1 inch off the top of each artichoke, then, using scissors, snip off the thorny tips of each leaf individually. Scoop out the fuzzy chokes with a grapefruit spoon or melon baller. Store artichokes in the lemon water. Drain well before stuffing.

Stuffing: In a medium bowl, combine all the stuffing ingredients and stir to blend. If the artichokes are tightly closed, bang to top of each one on a flat surface. Beginning at the top of each artichoke, spread the leaves open with your fingers as much as possible, then gently pack the stuffing between the leaves, then into the center of the artichokes. Do this inside the stuffing bowl so the excess falls inside.

Pour the 2 cups of water into a nonreactive saucepan (non-aluminum or iron) large enough to hold the artichokes in a single layer. Place the artichokes upright in the saucepan and drizzle with the oil. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, adding more water as needed, until the artichokes are tender and the outer leaves pull off easily, about 50 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

IRAQI NOODLE OMELETS (Edjah Shiriyya)

1 pound broken angel hair pasta

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 to 1½ cups grated or shredded muenster, cheddar or gouda

About ¾ teaspoon table salt

Ground white pepper to taste

1½ teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)

2 to 3 tablespoons oil or butter for frying, or more if necessary

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until tender but firm, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.

In a large bowl, toss the noodles with the eggs, cheese, salt, pepper, and caraway seeds.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat a thin layer of oil or butter over medium-low heat. In batches, drop the noodle batter by ½ cupfuls to form 4-inch pancakes. Fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. The omelets can be kept warm on an ovenproof platter in a low oven for up to 30 minutes.

Yield: about 8, four-inch omelets

VARIATION: Middle Eastern Baked Noodles (Macarona al Horno). Spoon the pasta mixture into a greased 9-by-13 inch baking dish and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until firm and golden brown, 20-30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Yield: 6-9 squares

ASHKENAZI BAKED RICE PUDDING (A Creamy Dessert)

4 cups water

2 teaspoons table salt

2 cups medium or long-grain rice

1 stick unsalted butter

8 large eggs

1 cup sugar

3 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

About 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

In a large saucepan, combine the water and 1½ teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a boil and add the rice. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the butter to the hot rice and let melt.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat the eggs, sugar and milk together until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the vanilla, and the zest. Stir in the rice.

Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Bake until golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 6-9 squares

© JTA. Reproduction of material without written permission is strictly prohibited.