There is a popular and admirable custom to stay awake and learn the entire night of Shavuot. It recalls the Midrash that the Jewish people overslept on the morning of Matan Torah and had to be awakened by Moshe. We thus show our enthusiasm for Torah by embracing this custom.
But that point – that it is a custom – cannot be understated. A minhag cannot supersede or jeopardize the fulfillment of essential halachot. One who stays up the entire night and thus cannot recite Keriat Sh’ma or daven with any kavanah, falls asleep during the Torah reading, or is so exhausted that he subsequently sleeps the day away without the sublime experience of simchat Yom Tov – especially compelling in Israel where, of course, Shavuot is just one day – has forfeited the primary fulfillment in exchange for an ancillary one.
Too often, the focus on Shavuot night becomes “staying awake,” and less and less actual learning occurs. In many places, it becomes a night of socializing, in which case it is tartei l’re’uta – a double whammy: no Talmud Torah followed by sheer exhaustion. Each person must know himself or herself, and the question is not “can I stay awake?” but rather “what is the optimum way for me to serve Hashem?” Learning all night is not for everyone and should not be idealized.
The great sage Rav Yosef Elyashiv, zt”l, once calculated that if he stayed awake all Shavuot night, the disruption to his rigorous schedule would actually cause him to lose time for Talmud Torah! We are not on his level – but we should prioritize how we can best learn Torah, daven, fulfill chatzi l’Hashem v’chatzi lachem, and enjoy the holiness and beauty of this Yom Tov of Kabbalat Hatorah. Chag sameach!
– Rav Steven Pruzansky is rabbi emeritus of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun (Teaneck, N.J.), senior research associate at the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy (Jcap.ngo), and author of “Repentance for Life” and “Redemption for Today” (Kodesh Press).
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Observing bona fide minhagim, such as Tikkun Leil Shavuot (learning all night the first night of Shavuot), is of great importance. Minhagim that have been adopted by Klal Yisrael or a segment of Klal Yisrael receive halachic status. Rav Yitzchok Elchonon Spector of Kovno, zt”l, explained the Midrash that the customs adopted by the Jewish people are compared to a heap of nuts, that if you tamper with one of them, they all fall. He asked why they are compared to nuts specifically as this holds true of a heap of any spherical object. He explained that sometimes a nut is empty inside, but even tampering with a minhag that lacks apparent meaning and importance endangers the entire observance of Torah.
Therefore, one should make every effort to fulfill this minhag. One should rest well on erev Shavuot, eat a light meal on Shavuot night (some say that is why we eat dairy), drink coffee during the night, etc.
However, if staying up all night will cause one great discomfort or ruin one’s Yom Tov and cause one not to be able to learn properly during Shavuot and its aftermath, then there are halachic grounds to be lenient and to go to sleep Shavous night. In fact, I knew a very prominent rosh yeshiva who did so since the factors mentioned above applied to him.
– Rabbi Zev Leff is rav of Moshav Matisyahu and a popular lecturer and educator.
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There is a widespread minhag to remain awake all night on leil Shavuot in order to study Torah. It is brought in the name of the Arizal that this is a segulah not to be harmed in the coming year. It is true that as a matter of halacha it would be better to remain awake on leil Pesach in order to continue the mitzvah of sippur yetzias Mizraim, as is paskened in Shulchan Aruch. But in practice the minhag of “staying up” on Shavuot was embraced, and regarding the din of leil Pesach we rely on various kulos and go to sleep.
Many wonder what is to be gained by staying awake all night; would it not make more sense to sleep at night and learn while well rested during the day. Even in terms of time spent learning, it does not seem like we are making the best use of our time. After all is said and done and after all the hachanos, the whole night is not more than five hours, and that’s assuming one is learning the entire time.
The idea is that we want to show Hashem that we are excited for Torah to the point that we might do something somewhat illogical. We demonstrate a chavivus for Hashem and His Torah, we fight the sleep in order to attach ourselves to Torah on the holy night of kabbalas HaTorah. In fact, this is the essence of Zman Matan Torasainu, to celebrate how fortunate we are to have the Torah and through that to renew our commitment to the life of the Torah Jew.
– Rabbi Yehoshua Heber is rav of Khal Tomchai Torah at Yeshiva Torah Vodaath and dayan at Bdatz Mishptai Yisrael.
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Every Jewish holiday brings its own set of challenges. On Yom Kippur, I endure a day of fasting. Sukkot involves eating outdoors in often chilly weather. Pesach gives me indigestion from all the matzah, and I stay up late for the Seder on the first two nights. Shavuot, however, initially seemed like a chance to relax and enjoy good food with family. That is, until I learned about the custom of staying up all night studying Torah. This practice is rooted in the Zohar, which likens the Torah to a bride and the Jewish people to her groom, preparing for a symbolic wedding.
Though the Shulchan Aruch does not mention this custom, the Magen Avraham (494:1) acknowledges that it is widely practiced by scholars. As the rabbi of my shul, I feel obligated to set an example and stay up all night, even though it disrupts my sleep schedule and leaves me exhausted for much of the holiday. I sometimes wonder if I would be more productive by sticking to a normal schedule and learning during the day.
Critics argue that this custom is impractical and that many people who stay up all night don’t actually learn much Torah. Yet, traditions that endure for hundreds of years usually have intrinsic value. My rebbe, Rav Michael Rosensweig, emphasized that while Torah study is generally about content, Shavuot night is about the experience. It’s a time to join Jews worldwide and from centuries past in preparing for the celebration of receiving the Torah by immersing ourselves in study.
Staying up all night on Shavuot allows us to feel the joy and passion for the Torah. We celebrate not just an obligation but a precious gift, as reflected in the birkot haTorah we recite daily. The first beracha thanks G-d for commanding us to engage in Torah study, while the second is a thanksgiving for the Torah as a gift. We also pray that “v’ha-arev na,” the words of Torah be sweet in our mouths. This Shavuot, let’s embrace the experience, find engaging study topics, and feel the sweetness of Torah, even if it means waking up groggy the next day.
– Rabbi Jonathan Muskat is the rabbi of the Young Israel of Oceanside, a rebbe at Shulamith High School, and a pastoral health care liaison at Mount Sinai South Nassau.
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First of all, generally those who stay up the entire night to learn are probably actually learning for about four and a half hours total, considering that we wait until Tzeis (9:13 p.m. in New York City this year) to begin Maariv and then go home for the Yom Tov seudah, after which we would return to the shul to learn at about midnight. We then follow with Shacharis at Vasikin (Birkas HaShachar at 4:25 a.m. and Shemoneh Esrei at sunrise, 5:25 a.m.) Thus, the total learning is approximately four and a half hours.
Returning home one might take a nap till noon. Thus, the total deficit should be approximately five hours. Now if one rests a few hours erev Yom Tov – let’s say three hours and then another three hours after lunch the first day of Yom Tov – then the lost sleep will be made up.
The above is not halacha, just basic common sense.
Now comes the halacha; the learning material shall be such that piques one’s interest, is meaningful and serves as an inducement to stay up an entire night. Learning Hashem’s Torah that night is a crucial means of us showing appreciation for His having given us the Torah.
Magen Avraham (Orach Chayyim 494) cites the Zohar that the early pious ones would stay awake studying Torah the entire night of Shavuot, and such has become the custom. And to give a reason for this custom he says that Bnei Yisrael before Matan Torah slept and Hashem had to awaken them. Thus, our learning that night is to rectify that iniquity of our forefathers who left Egypt.
This year we should especially dedicate our learning to all our brothers and sisters who are in the Israel Defense Forces, waging Israel’s war for survival and the hostages stuck behind enemy lines. May Hashem grant our people a wonderful Yom Tov and peace and security in Israel and the Diaspora.
– Rabbi Yaakov Klass is chairman of the Presidium of the Rabbinical Alliance of America; rav of Congregation K’hal Bnei Matisyahu in Flatbush, Brooklyn; and Torah editor of The Jewish Press. He can be contacted at [email protected] and [email protected].
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I find it difficult to answer this question. On the one hand, a minhag is considered holy, and typically there are very real reasons and significance behind a minhag that has become accepted in the Jewish nation. This one especially is an ancient minhag that goes back many hundreds of years.
In that sense, a person should treat it with utmost respect. On the other hand, it is a simple reality that we are far weaker than previous generations and staying up all night, for many of us, will have serious consequences, often including health consequences. For many years as a high school rebbe, I would stay up each night, and I would find myself at 2 or 3 a.m., punch drunk while giving shiurim that I realized I was often not able to follow myself. Nevertheless, I stayed up. There was a certain point when it began impacting my health and I knew that I would lose two or three days because I would get sick. At that point I stopped staying up.
I think that might be the simple balance – if a person can stay up, and certainly if they are productive, they should, even if it means sleeping a little bit more during the rest of the chag. But if it would impact their health, or if they would lose a few days of learning because of it, I think it would be ok to learn for a while and then go to sleep, recognizing that this is the right approach.
– Rabbi Ben Zion Shafier is founder of The Shmuz and author of 10 Really Dumb Mistakes That Very Smart Couples Make (available at theshmuz.com).
