The Giving of the Torah: A Gift of Waking Up!

Written by: Current Mayanot Men's Program Student Jonathan Stebbins Shavuot is the one of three nights a year we stay up all night. On purpose! Loud arguments, gentle prayers, long readings, a nation of words finding its voice. So what was it like to be there? On the ground-reporting 3,300 years ago? “The Day of the Giving of the Torah..” (deep announcer voice) On this, the most momentous day in history, the Jews OVERSLEPT….. In honor of this occasion, it is a custom, to stay awake all throughout the night learning Torah. Not to repeat the mistakes of our past. There is much to be derived from the idea of sleeping and our People having overslept. They say the deepest sleep is right before daybreak. Our generation is on the eve of the Redemption. What that means to me, the increase in justice, prosperity, and peaceful revelation are signs of the times, the world in a sense, preparing itself for a new reality. But we’re still asleep, our G-dly core h