Rabbi Yosef Weinstock
On the one hand, staying up all night on Shavuos is a time honored and beloved minhag Yisrael. In the absence of the Beis Hamikdash, the only unique features of Shavuos are its customs such as decorating our homes and shuls with flowers, eating dairy, and staying up all night. Minhag should not be easily dismissed, and we even have an expression “Minhag Yisrael – Torah.”
Some will argue that we should reconsider staying up all night if it will adversely impact the rest of our Yom Tov, including the fulfillment of other holiday mitzvos. While the logical argument against staying up is strong, I believe that on Shavuos the emotional argument should win out.
Think of other instances when people stay up later than they should – whether it’s at the beginning of a dating relationship or for a big test. Logically we are usually better off with a good night’s sleep. But when you are committed or in love, you can’t help yourself but do extreme things. As Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught us (Bereishit Rabba 55:8) “Ahavah mekalkeles es ha’shura – love can make us do crazy things.” Shavuos is a time to show our love for Torah. A memorable and poignant way to show this love, especially for young people, is by staying up all night. Whether you stay up all night, later than usual, or engage in more learning than on other holidays, Shavuos is the right time for grand gestures that demonstrate that we are crazy for Torah.
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Rabbi Jonathan Muskat
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 Rav Yosef Caro’s 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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Rabbi Steven Pruzansky
From the perspective of classic halacha, the answer is straightforward. Davening is either a Torah or Rabbinic obligation (a mitzvah), whereas staying up to learn Torah on Shavuot night is a custom (minhag). An obligation always supersedes a custom. Consequently, one who stays up all night and thus will not be able to daven with kavanah (concentration) in the wee hours of the morning should forego the discretionary learning and prioritize the mandatory davening. And in Israel where, of course, Shavuot is celebrated just one day, it would seem imprudent and violative of simchat Yom Tov to stay up all night and sleep the day away.
That being said, it is inspiring to prepare for the re-enactment of the majestic moment of kabbalat haTorah by studying the Torah we love, and not just to counter the laxity of the generation that received the Torah who allegedly overslept that morning. Immersing ourselves in a night of intensive and joyous Torah learning while depriving ourselves of sleep in an angelic fashion demonstrates our renewed commitment to the covenant. That is, if we can handle it and if the experience is focused more on learning and less on socializing, noshing, or just staying up.
Thus, the custom should not be lightly dismissed – nor should it be embraced by those whose religious obligations and enjoyment of Shavuot will thereby be compromised. We must calculate the rewards of fulfilling this custom against the potential diminution of our real obligations and decide for ourselves accordingly. Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, calculated that he would lose twenty minutes from his daily learning (which, every day, began at 2:00 a.m.) if he stayed up Shavuot night, so he went to sleep at his regular time. Certainly, we can strive to learn from his example – not that “I will sleep on Shavuot night like Rav Elyashiv did” but “I will endeavor to increase my daily dose of talmud Torah to the maximum of my potential like Rav Elyashiv did.”
That would be a true and most meaningful kabbalat haTorah. Chag sameach!
Rav Steven Pruzansky is Israel region Vice President of the Coalition for Jewish Values and author of six books, including “Road to Redemption,” now available at Kodeshpress.com.
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Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet
Halachically, there is no obligation to stay up all night. It is a custom, albeit a beautiful one. However, the halachic and spiritual priorities of the day include:
Davening with kavanah,
Celebrating Yom Tov with joy,
Learning Torah throughout the day, not just the night.
The goal of Shavuos is not sleep deprivation – it’s spiritual elevation. If staying up all night brings you closer to Torah, wonderful. But if it turns you into a zombie by morning, you may have missed the point.
You may be gaining one spiritual achievement while losing out on others. Rav Moshe Feinstein and other poskim have ruled that if staying up will adversely impact your performance of daytime mitzvos or your overall Yom Tov spirit, it’s better not to stay up.
A meaningful compromise is to:
Learn until a reasonable hour (e.g., 2 or 3 a.m.),
Get a few hours of sleep,
Wake up refreshed to daven and celebrate Shavuos properly.
This keeps the spirit of the minhag while preserving the integrity of the Yom Tov.
Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet is a popular Lubavitch lecturer and rabbi of London’s Mill Hill Synagogue.
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Rabbi Zev Leff
It is a bona fide minhag Yisrael to stay awake all Shavuos night learning Torah by saying “Tikkun Leil Shavuos” or learning Torah in general. Hence, if one is healthy and can do so, it is important to observe minhagim.
However, since it is not a halacha, but rather a minhag, if one is weak or staying up will affect his health adversely, he is exempt from observing this minhag. Likewise, if one knows that by staying up, he will not be able to daven Shacharis properly, which is a Rabbinic mitzvah, or that he will not be able to function properly during the day and thereby impinge on his simchas Yom Tov, which is a Torah command, he likewise is exempt from observing this minhag.
I personally know of a gadol b’Yisrael who went to sleep Shavuos night because he knew it would adversely affect his ability to learn properly for days after Shavuos.
Rabbi Zev Leff is rav of Moshav Matisyahu and a popular lecturer and educator.
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Rabbi Yisrael Motzen
Staying up all night is an incredibly irrational thing to do. One will inevitably be tired, likely grumpy, and unable to properly function. For all those reasons, it is one of the most beautiful minhagim we have. People do crazy things when they are in love. They stay up all night talking and travel around the world for their loved one.
We may not feel in love with the Torah or Hashem, but as the Sefer HaChinuch writes, and as behavioral psychologists later affirmed, our emotions follow our actions, not the other way around. There is no greater day than Shavuos to exercise our love for Hashem through the Torah.
Of course, one should not feel compelled to stay up, and if they will not be able to function or be a good spouse/parent/friend for all of Yom Tov, they most definitely should not. But if it can be done, even with some extra coffee the next day, what would a person not do for love?
Rabbi Yisrael Motzen serves as rabbi of Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley Synagogue in Baltimore, MD. He also serves as the Director of ASHIVA-OU and special assistant to the EVPs of the Orthodox Union. He is a graduate of Ner Israel Rabbinical College and holds an M.A. in Clinical Community Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.
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Rabbi Asher Baruch Wegbreit
As my chavrusa Rabbi Daniel Travis, rosh kollel of Toras Chaim in Yerushalayim, put it: “It depends on what other mitzvah might be disrupted.”
Staying up all night is a cherished minhag rooted in preparing ourselves to receive the Torah anew. But halachically, if it will disrupt your ability to remain awake and focused during Shemoneh Esrei, it’s better to get a nap beforehand.
And what about the mitzvah of “V’samachta b’chagecha” (Devarim 16:14)? How can one feel true simcha when running on fumes? One answer lies in reframing – if your fatigue reminds you that you were moser nefesh for Torah, it can actually deepen your joy.
If you realize the right move is to rest so you can daven properly, there’s still great news:
Whichever path you choose, you can fulfill powerful mitzvos, when done with kavanah:
Sleeping to preserve your davening expresses Ahavas Hashem b’chol levavecha – loving Hashem with your Yetzer HaTov by choosing halacha over impulse (Rashi to Devarim 6:5)
Staying up and davening well fulfills the mitzvah of minhagei Yisrael, which the Gemara (Pesachim 50b) ties to “Al titosh Toras imecha” – a binding Torah tradition from divrei kaballah.
Pushing through fatigue to learn demonstrates Ahavas Hashem b’chol nafshecha – with your very life-force (Rashi to Devarim 6:5). That’s mesiras nefesh.
If you look at life through a mitzvah consciousness, either choice becomes a heartfelt expression of ahavas Hashem – a mitzvah deOraisa (Devarim 6:5) – and a step toward deveikus, which is the purpose of our creation (Ramchal, Mesillas Yesharim, ch. 1).
That’s what kavanah l’mitzvos is all about – helping you see each moment as a mitzvah discovery.
Rabbi Asher Baruch Wegbreit is an author of four sefarim and founder of Kavana L’Mitzvos Foundation (kavanahlmitzvos.com), an initiative offering tools for deepening our connection to Hashem. He can be reached at RabbiWegbreit@gmail.com.
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Rabbi Nathan Dweck
Shavuot is uniquely known as Zeman Matan Torateinu – the time of the giving of the Torah. Tradition teaches that on this night, Bnei Yisrael were spiritually preparing to receive the Torah at Har Sinai. This is the night of divine revelation, and it is only fitting that we honor it by engaging in Torah study.
For centuries, Jews around the world have embraced the custom of staying up throughout the night learning Torah. In Sephardic tradition, this includes the Tikkun Leil Shavuot, a structured reading of selections from Tanach and foundational texts. The energy of a beit midrash on this night is electric – filled with passion, connection, and reverence for Torah. Late-night learning carries a unique spiritual intensity that leaves a lasting impact.
That being said, we must ask an honest and practical question: what if staying up all night will negatively impact one’s observance and joy of the Yom Tov day? What if it leads to exhaustion, missed tefillah, or even sleeping through Keriat HaTorah?
This is not a hypothetical concern; it’s a very real experience for many. For some, particularly those with family responsibilities, staying up all night may not be the best choice. In such cases, I would recommend engaging meaningfully with Torah – perhaps by learning for a few hours or attending a late-night Tikkun – and then getting enough rest to participate fully in the day’s tefillot, meals, and celebration.
That said, the minhag of staying up all night is deeply moving. It reflects a yearning to relive that awesome moment of Sinai – eyes wide open, minds and hearts immersed in Torah. The atmosphere of a beit midrash at midnight on Shavuot is unlike anything else: sincere, sacred, and filled with spiritual energy. For many, it becomes one of the most inspiring nights of the year.
If one can embrace it without compromising the rest of the day, the experience of Torah learning on this night can deepen one’s connection to Torah for the whole year to come. Whether for an hour or until dawn, the key is to engage with sincerity and joy – and to remember why we’re up in the first place: to receive the Torah anew.
Rabbi Nathan Dweck is the mashigah ruchani and Judaic studies teacher at Barkai Yeshivah’s Middle School in Brooklyn, NY. He serves as the high school minyan rabbi and Torah programming director at Congregation Beth Torah. He is also the executive director of Tebah Educational Services.
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Rabbi Yitzchak Sprung
In general, doctors and rabbis seem to place an equal premium on sleep: “It’s enough for a person to sleep for a third (of a day), which is eight hours” (Rambam, Hilchot De’ot 4:4). The implication seems to be that to sleep more than eight hours would be too much but that less than this would be insufficient.
Rabbi Menashe Klein addressed the more specific question of choosing learning or going to bed on time in a letter to his nephew: “I will also request from you that you go to bed on time and wake in the morning without trying to stay awake for too long because this confuses the mind. Make use of the time that you are awake without wasting a moment and that will be enough” (Mishneh Halachot 6:165). Good rest is necessary for good learning. Of course, it is also essential for shalom bayit, parenting, davening, friendship and pretty much anything important that we do.
At any rate, if you stay up on Shavuot and then sleep through davening and your meals, snap at the kids, ignore your spouse, or generate nasty looks from your in-laws, you ought to simply sleep. But if you won’t cause damage in these areas, staying up can be spiritually refreshing and enlivening. Many faces shine uniquely and brightly at the end of a night of hard work in the beit midrash. That shine is worth the pain and more and we should not give up on this willy nilly. This goes doubly for those of us who do often waste time, stay up too late, or who do all right when we go for a little while without sleep. If we stay up late to chat or watch movies, should we not do so for a night of learning?
Rabbi Yitzchak Sprung is the Rabbi of United Orthodox Synagogues in Houston, Texas (UOS). Visit his Facebook page or UOSH.org to learn about his amazing community. Find Rabbi Sprung’s podcast, the Parsha Pick-Me-Up, wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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Rabbi Ezra Schwartz
Staying up all night on Shavuos is fundamentally akin to participating in Daf Yomi. While it is far more beneficial to learn Torah during the daytime – both because there are more hours available and because people can concentrate better in the light – there’s a significant communal aspect to staying up all night. This shared experience of talmud Torah is crucial. We should strive for the same intensity of learning on Shavuos during the day that we witness at night, yet this is not currently happening.
It’s essential to address a point that may not be popular: this situation reflects the issues surrounding Daf Yomi as well. Mastering Gemara and practical halacha is undeniably the path to becoming a greater talmid chacham. However, the hurried pace of Daf Yomi is simply not suitable for most learners. Much of the content is intricate and not relevant to everyday life. Nevertheless, the large number of people engaged in Daf Yomi makes it challenging to propose a different, more effective approach.
When contemplating whether to stay up all night on Shavuos, we must also focus on other critical questions: Is it worth jeopardizing my family’s Yom Tov experience? Will this choice add unnecessary strain on my wife? Will my children suffer because I’m a tired, disengaged father instead of an active one who can enrich their understanding of the holiday during our meals together? These considerations about the impact on my family are equally, if not more, vital than those regarding my own talmud Torah. It’s time to prioritize what truly matters.
Rabbi Ezra Schwartz is a Rosh Yeshiva at Rabbi Issac Elchanan Theological Seminary, where he hold the Harry Rabin Chair in Talmud and Jewish Law. He also serves as the Associate Director of the Semicha Program and teaches halacha at GPATS.
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Rabbi Eliyahu Raskin
As every good Jew knows, you answer a question with a question. So, why do we stay up on the first night of Shavuos?
The Midrash (Shir HaShirim) relates that when the Jewish people finally reached the base of Mount Sinai in preparation for receiving the Torah, they went to sleep. During their slumber, a miracle occurred: not even the mosquitoes bit them. However, this angered G-d Almighty, as stated in Tanach (Yishayahu 50:2): “Why have I come and there is no man…?”
To rectify this misstep, we stay up all night learning the holy Torah.
Think about it. If you were excited for a big trip or an important flight, would you sleep like a baby? Or would you be restless with anticipation? So why did the Jews go to sleep?
According to Likkutei Sichos, they wanted to connect to Hashem in a spiritual way, beyond the limitations of the physical body. When we sleep, our soul partially ascends, detaching from the physical world. Their intention was lofty – but it was a mistake. Because the whole purpose of Matan Torah was to unite G-dliness with physicality, bringing and connecting holiness down into this world.
So based on the “sin” we’re trying to rectify, how could we not stay up at night and learn Torah, which is the very act of fusing the spiritual and the physical?
Suggestion: If needed, go to sleep after reciting Tikkun, get a few hours of rest and daven Shacharis after.
Rabbi Eliyahu Raskin is a devoted community leader, educator, and advocate for Jewish life in Brooklyn Heights. He serves as the rabbi of Chabad of City Tech College and runs Chabad of Brooklyn Law School. Rabbi Raskin also offers weekly Torah classes at Long Island University, and is the founder and director of the Jewish Conversion Academy.
