Greens & flowers – Shavu’ot
Long established custom decorates homes and synagogues on Shavu’ot with green branches and flowers.
One explanation is that when the Torah was given on Sinai, the barren mountain responded to the privilege by sprouting greenery.
Another view is that, as we see in Mishnah Rosh HaShanah, the month of Sivan when Shavu’ot occurs is a time of Heavenly judgment of the fruit of the trees. Hence decorating homes and synagogues with greenery reminds us to take Shavu’ot seriously… otherwise it seems to be the poor relation in the Jewish calendar.
In many places it is the lily of the valley that is the favourite flower, symbolic of the beauty and majesty of the Divine commandments.
