Friday, May 21, 2010

Is learning all night Shavuos a Tikkun for sleeping before Mattan Torah?

In a previous post, I discussed the sources for staying up the first night of Shavuos learning Torah. The source is the Zohar, which speaks particularly about this being the practice of Chassidim HaRishonim, but the Magen Avraham explains the popular practice of the Hamon Am doing this as a tikkun, based on a midrash that they slept the night before Mattan Torah and had to be woken up.

In a parsha sheet this Shavuos, I see that in Pri Tzadik, Rav Tzadok HaKohen MiLublin asks on this derivation from the Midrash. To cite the parsha sheet:
וְיֵשׁ שֶׁנָּתְנוּ לַמִּנְהָג טַעַם עַל פִּי הָאָמוּר בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים רַבָּה א-נז): "יָשְׁנוּ לָהֶם יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל אוֹתוֹ הַלַּיְלָה, לְפִי שֶׁשֵּׁינָה שֶׁל עֲצֶרֶת עֲרֵבָה וְהַלַּיְלָה קָצָר, וַאֲפִילוּ יַתּוּשׁ לֹא עָקַץ בָּהֶם. בָּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּמְצָאָן יְשֵׁנִים, הִתְחִיל מַעֲמִיד עֲלֵיהֶם מְעוֹרְרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: "וַיְהִי
בַיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בִּהְיֹת הַבֹּקֶר וַיְהִי קֹלֹת וּבְרָקִים
" וְהָיָה משֶׁה מְעוֹרֵר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּמוֹצִיאָם לִקְרַאת מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, כַּכָּתוּב: "וַיּוֹצֵא משֶׁה אֶת הָעָם לִקְרַאת הָאֱלֹקִים", וְהָיָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם עַד שֶׁהִגִּיעוּ לְהַר סִינַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: "וְהַר סִינַי עָשַׁן כֻּלּוֹ". וְאָנוּ נֵעוֹרִים כְּדֵי לְכַפֵּר כִּבְיָכוֹל עַל אוֹתָהּ שֵׁינָה.

בְּרַם, אֶחָד מִגְּדוֹלֵי הַמַּחְשָׁבָה הָאַחֲרוֹנִים, הַגָּאוֹן הַקָּדוֹשׁ רַבִּי צָדוֹק הַכֹּהֵן מִלֻּבְּלִין זַצַ"ל, עוֹרְרָנוּ, כִּי מִלְּשׁוֹן הַמִּדְרָשׁ לֹא נִשְׁמַעַת טְרוּנְיָה עַל אוֹתָהּ שֵׁינָה. לְהֵפֶךְ, "שֵׁינָה שֶׁל עֲצֶרֶת עֲרֵבָה", וְהֵם זָכוּ לְחִבָּה מְיֻחֶדֶת וְלִשְׁמִירָה מִמָּרוֹם שֶׁשְּׁנָתָם לֹא תֻּפְרָע: "אֲפִילוּ יַתּוּשׁ לֹא עָקַץ בָּהֶם". יֶתֶר עַל כֵּן, אֲנוּסִים הָיוּ, חַיָּבִים לִישׁוֹן. שֶׁכֵּן הֵכִינוּ עַצְמָם בְּסִלּוּדִין שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים, נִטְהֲרוּ וְהִתְקַדְּשׁוּ בִּקְדֻשָּׁה שֶׁל מַעְלָה שְׁלֹשֶׁת יְמֵי הַהַגְבָּלָה לַיְלָה וָיוֹם, וְאֵין אָדָם יָכוֹל לְהִשָּׁאֵר עֵר שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים רְצוּפִים, וְכִכְלוֹת כֹּחָם קָרְסוּ וְנִרְדְּמוּ". (פְּרִי צַדִּיק)

The same in English, here:
However, one of the great Jewish philosophers of the previous generations, the saintly Rav Ssadok Hakohen zs"l, notes that a careful reading of the Midrash indicates that Hazal here do not condemn Benei Yisrael for this sleep. To the contrary, "The sleep of Shavuot is pleasant," and they merited special affection from the Almighty, that even insects did not disturb their slumber. Additionally, they had no choice but to sleep. After all, they spent three days intensely preparing themselves spiritually, purifying and elevating themselves in sanctity day and night. Whereas no one can remain awake for three days (Nedarim 15a), their bodies simply collapsed, and they fell asleep.
Thus, nowhere in this Midrash do Hazal criticize our forefathers, the "generation of knowledge" that prepared itself with awe and reverence for receiving the Torah. One question, however, calls our attention. Why did Hashem conduct Matan Torah in such a manner? Why did He arrange it that He would have to wake them from their sleep in order to receive the Torah?
That is, elements of the midrash, such as sleep of Atzeres is sweet, and the Divine protection that not even a mosquito bit them, indicated that this was not a bad thing that they did. And furthermore, they had to sleep, after these days of preparation, for who could remain three days without sleep?

You can read this inside Pri Tzadik here, though I don't see it argued out in full there.

I will close by saying that I disagree with Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen MiLublin here. Indeed, I agree that aspects of the midrash in question do indicate that it was not a bad thing. However, that same Midrash closes with the words of Rabbi Yitzchak. And that reads:
The word שמקנתרן  means criticism. So at least according to Rabbi Yitzchak, this merited criticism at the hands of the prophet Yeshaya. Even if certain language of the midrash indicates otherwise, it would be at most a machlokes.


Even so, I think that the Zohar is the source for this, and for the reasons the Zohar gives; together with a popularization of the idea since the chag is for mattan Torah, as per Chazal, and this is an ideal way to celebrate that. And so I would disagree with Magen Avraham as putting forth this midrash as a source for this widespread practice.

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