Why do we stay up the night of Shavuot studying Torah?

The Zohar* is the original source for the custom of being awake the night of Shavuot to study Torah. According to the Zohar the Torah studied is compared to ornaments which the groom sends to the bride prior to her wedding.

The Zohar also compares studying Torah on Shavuot night to the mother of the bride preparations for her daughter who is going to her chuppah the next day.

 Another explanation for the custom of being awake is explained with a Midrash*  that states the following:

“When G‑d came to give the Jews the Torah, He found them in a deep slumber, and had to rouse them. This is alluded to in the pasuk ‘Why did I come when no one was there? I called, and there was no answer’ (Isaiah 50:2).

‘Thus,’ the Magen Avraham* says “to compensate for the nation’s slumber on the night before the giving of the Torah, it is customary to remain awake on the first night of Shavuot, studying Torah.”

Schedule of all night lectures - Torah Study

With all night open Tea Room

11:30 pm - 3:30 am

11:30 PM — Rapid Fire
Join us for an exciting round of fast-paced questions directed to our panel of Rabbis.

12:15 AM — Ruth: Love, Loyalty, and the Birth of Royalty
Mrs. Chanie Krasnianski

12:50 AM — 49 Day Journey to Self-Perfection
Rabbi Ben Tzion Krasnianski

1:30 AM — Rules of Engagement: The Torah’s Ethics of War
Rabbi Moshe Krasnjansky

2:15 AM — Choosing Judaism: Let’s Talk Conversion
Rabbi Yosef Y. Krasnianski

3:00 AM — Going Up? The Fascinating Debate Over Elevators on Shabbat
Rabbi Shlomo Gutnick