As the farmer and his entourage passed through cities and towns, they would be accompanied by music and parades. At the Temple in Jerusalem, each farmer would present his "Bikkurim" to a Kohen in a ceremony that followed the text of . This text begins by stating: "An Aramean tried to destroy my father," referring to Laban's efforts to weaken Jacob and rob him of his progeny (Rashi on Deut. 26:5)—or by an alternate translation, the text states "My father was a wandering Aramean," referring to the fact that Jacob was a penniless wanderer in the land of Aram for 20 years (Abraham ibn Ezra on Deut. 26:5). The text proceeds to retell the history of the Jewish people as they went into exile in Ancient Egypt and were enslaved and oppressed; following which God redeemed them and brought them to the land of Israel. The ceremony of "Bikkurim" conveys gratitude to God both for the first fruits of the field and for His guidance throughout Jewish history (Scherman, p. 1068). Nowadays in the post-Temple era, Shavuot is the only biblically ordained holiday that has no specific laws attached to it other than usual festival requirements of abstaining from creative work. The rabbinic observances for the holiday include reciting additional prayers, making kiddush, partaking of meals and being in a state of joy. There are however many customs which are observed on Shavuot. A mnemonic for the customs largely observed in Ashkenazi communities spells the Hebrew word "aḥarit" (, "last"):  The "yahrzeit" of King David is traditionally observed on Shavuot. Hasidic Jews also observe the "yahrzeit" of the Baal Shem Tov. The "Aqdamut" () is a liturgical poem extolling the greatness of God, the Torah, and Israel that is read publicly in the synagogue right before the morning reading of the Torah on the first day of Shavuot. It was composed by Rabbi Meir of Worms, whose son was murdered during the First Crusade in 1096. Rabbi Meir was forced to defend the Torah and his Jewish faith in a debate with local priests and successfully conveyed his certainty of God's power, His love for the Jewish people, and the excellence of Torah. Afterwards he wrote the "Aqdamut", a 90-line poem in Aramaic that stresses these themes.