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As we all know, we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai on Shavuot, which transformed our relationship with Hashem. One of our favorite minhagim on Shavuot is eating dairy, but to add meaning, we should explore the origins of this seemingly odd Minhag.
According to the Orthodox Union, the most famous reason is that once the Torah was given, Bnei Yisrael were required to follow the Halachot of Shechita and Kashrut. Since we didn't have time to prepare Kosher meat or to Kasher Keilim, we ate dairy instead. This demonstrates that receiving the Torah had a major impact on the way we live our lives.
Rav Aton Holzer M. D. in HaKirah explores another connection: the Gematria of the word Chalav (milk) is 40, which represents the 40 days Moshe spent on Har Sinai. He also says that just as milk supports a baby and allows it to grow, the Torah nourishes our Neshamot, allowing us to flourish.
The Sefarim Blog traces the history of this Minhag, noting that it became widespread in the Ashkenaz practices of the Middle Ages. Some suggest that because the Torah is compared to "milk and honey," we eat dairy to taste the sweetness of the Mitzvot.
By knowing the origin of this Minhag, we gain Kavanah before we eat. It’s not just about eating some cheesecake, rather, we are recognizing that the Torah is our source of life. When we search for the reason behind eating dairy, we perform the minhag with more Ruchniut.