Why Do We Eat Dairy Foods on Shavuot - Rabbi Zamir Cohen

There are several reasons why we eat dairy foods on the holiday of Shavuot. The simple reason is that when the people of Israel arrived at Mount Sinai, until then, they only had the seven Noahide laws and the commandment of circumcision. They had eight commandments. They were commanded about Shabbat at Marah, but they had not yet been commanded regarding eating carcasses and non-kosher animals. Until the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, they would eat meat and milk together and eat everything just like the gentiles did. They had not been commanded about this. Only at Mount Sinai were they commanded regarding all the kosher food laws. When they returned from Mount Sinai to their tents, all their utensils, now, if they wanted to cook in those utensils, everything was non-kosher. These utensils had been used to cook meat and milk together, to cook sheep that was slaughtered improperly or other things. So, what would they eat on the holiday of Shavuot? They ate dairy foods, which didn't require cooking with meat or anything else until they could get organized. That's why to this day, it is customary to eat dairy foods on Shavuot. But, there is a mitzvah to eat meat on the holiday. For men, there is a mitzvah to eat meat on the holiday, meat and wine. There is no joy except with meat and wine. As for women, every husband must take care of his wife before the holiday. If someone hasn't done this yet, he still has tomorrow. He must make her happy on the holiday, buy her jewelry, nice clothes, something she likes. It is an obligation for every man to take care of his wife, to make her happy. For the children, buy them what they like. If they like fancy sweets, buy them a fancy sweet. If they like a certain game, buy it for them.