     THE HOLINESS OF SHAVUOT NIGHT by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
New York, 5748.

     On the night of Shavuot, Jews stay up all night learning the Torah. One of the
reasons we stay up all night is because on the night prior to the revelation on Mount
Sinai all the Jews went to sleep and had to be awakened by Moshe Rabbeinu.
In remembrance of this event, we remain awake  all Shavuot night. The Alexandrer
Rebbe asks a very interesting question. "How is it possible," he wonders, "that the
Jewish people went to sleep on the night before revelation? After all, we learn from
other sources that for forty nine days they prepared themselves spiritually in the
deepest possible ways, counting the Omer every night so that they would be ready to
receive the Torah. After working so hard to prepare themselves, why should they
suddenly falter?

     "They slept that night," the Alexandrer Rebbe answered, "because of their great
humility. They had learned humility from Moses who was the most humble man on
Earth. On the night before the revelation each family member thought to himself, "G-d
will reveal himself to all the Jews but not to me and my family because we really
don't deserve it" All the parents told their children on the night of Shavuot, "let's not
go tomorrow morning to the revelation we will be the only ones who will be sent home
by Moses, telling us that we are not ready yet."

     The Alexandrer Rebbe then asks a second question. "Why do we behave as if their
decision to sleep that night requires correction. After all, we have just said that their
decision to sleep was based on humility, which would seem praiseworthy. Yet we
commemorate. their action by staying awake as if we were connecting an old mistake.
Why should we stay awake if their sleep had such holy meaning?"

     The Alexandrer Rebbe explains that what our forefathers did not understand is that
no one can prepare himself well enough to actually deserve the Torah. It is solely a gift
from heaven. We stay awake all Shavuot night in order to tell ourselves and our
children, "It's true we have not prepared ourselves properly and it's true that we don't
deserve to receive the Torah but G-d wants to give me a gift and I'd better be there on
time."

      Some of our sages explain their decision to sleep in a slightly different way. They
say that we can compare our ancestors to a bride and groom. When do a bride and groom
most feel like calling off a wedding. A few minutes before the wedding is when a bride
and groom suddenly how awesome a marriage is and become frightened. In the same
way our ancestors became frightened that the Torah would be too much for them. When
we stay up all Shavuot night and learn Torah we give ourselves the strength to be
fearless and to face everything that G-d puts in front of us. Let this Shavuot mark a
new beginning to give us strength to begin our Yiddishkeit all over again. Let us not
flinch from the responsibilities which this gift carries with it. Let us remember that
the precious gift of the Torah is given to us not because we deserve it, but because it
is indicative of G-d's great love for us.