TIKKUN LAIL SHAVUOT
All night Study of texts - Divrei Torah
When G-d gave us the Torah, He gave us more than just a set of
Laws. He gave us a new faith, a set of beliefs to which we have
clung over many centuries, sometimes at the risk of our lives.
What exactly do we believe? Maimonides set out the basic Jewish
doctrine in his Thirteen Principles of
Faith.
The Torah was given at daybreak. Our tradition relates that the
Jewish people did not rise early to be prepared for that revelation,
and that it was necessary for G-d Himself to awaken them. To
compensate for their behaviour it is customary to stay up the
entire first night of Shavuot studying Torah. This custom is
called "Tikun Lail Shavuot."
