Shavuot (Pentecost) (Das Wochen- oder Pfingst-Fest)

Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and falls exactly seven weeks after the second day of Passover. In biblical times, it was a harvest festival, so it is customary to decorate the synagogue with garlands of flowers, fruit, and plants.

Here, the rabbi, Torah, and Torah ark occupy center stage. Oppenheim adds spice to the solemn gathering of male worshipers with his depiction of a dizzying collection of hats, including an exotic turban. Ever the realist, he contrasts the behavior of two boys-one raises his hand in prayer while the other plays with flowers.

Source: The Jewish Museum, New York, 2000.