At the First Tikkun Leil Shavuot, the Shekhinah Spoke

The festival of Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah,^[1] and many stay up all night studying, a practice known as תִּקּוּן לֵיל שָׁבוּעוֹת Tikkun Leil Shavuot. As a child in the 1960s I had never heard of the event, but over the years it has become increasingly popular, with many congregations offering a wide selection of lectures or study sessions. The word tikkun (root ת.ק.נ) in this context could mean either “completion,” because it lasts all night, or “repair” as in Tikkun Olam (“repairing the world”); it could also mean “rite” or even “adornment.”

The first mention of Tikkun Leil Shavuot is in the Zohar (13^th century), which likens God’s gift of Torah to the people of Israel to a wedding for which the bride prepares all night. (See appendix.) The first recorded practice of Tikkun Leil Shavuot, however, was by Rabbis Joseph Karo (1488–1575) and Shlomo Alkabetz (ca. 1505–1576) around the year 1534, perhaps in Adrianople (now Edirne, Türkiye).^[2]

The Ottoman Empire and the Jews

The Ottoman Empire was established around 1300 by Turkish tribes in Anatolia, and it lasted until 1922. The Ottomans were proactive in attracting Jews to their newly expanding state, and in March 1492, when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued the Decree of Alhambra, giving Jews just four months to sell their property and to leave unless they became Christians,^[3] Sultan Bayezid II (r. 1481–1512) proclaimed throughout the empire that the refugees were to be welcomed. He went so far as to send the Ottoman Navy under the command of Admiral Kemal Reis to Spain in 1492 to help evacuate Jews safely to Ottoman lands.^[4] Bayezid II is even said to have quipped, “Do you call Ferdinand a wise king, he who impoverishes his country and enriches ours?”^[5]

Jewish communities were established in Rumelia (now Bulgaria) and Anatolia (now Türkiye), including the towns of Constantinople, Salonica, and Izmir; and soon afterwards in Jerusalem and Tzfat (Safed) in the Galilee, all under the Ottomans. Thus, it was that upwards of 60,000 Jews^[6] found themselves living under Muslim rule, as their Arabic-speaking ancestors in Spain had done.

Karo’s Life and Works

Rabbi Joseph Karo (1488–1575) was born in Toledo, Spain, and as a child lived through both expulsions, from Spain and then from Portugal.^[7] Like so many others, his family then moved to the Ottoman Empire, where in 1508 they settled in Adrianople. On his travels in the 1520s he met the young Rabbi Shlomo (Solomon) Alkabetz (ca. 1505–1584) of Salonica,^[8] who also came from a Spanish family.

During their years of travelling together, Karo was working on his Beit Yosef, a huge commentary on the Jewish law code, the Tur,^[9] which took him 20 years. So massive was Karo’s commentary that the Tur is sometimes just a few lines in the middle of the page, with the Beit Yosef all around it.

Upon completion of the Beit Yosef, Karo wrote a brief digest of it, the Shulchan Aruch (“The Set Table”),^[10] which became the guidebook of observant Jewish life. Alkabetz too became an author, writing kabbalistic commentaries on Ruth, Esther, and the Song of Songs, though he is best known for his poem Lecha Dodi (“Come my Beloved”), which became a key part of Friday evening services.^[11]

Selim I (r. 1512–1520) conquered the Mamluk Sultanate in a swift campaign (1516–1517), adding Syria, Palestine, and Egypt to the Ottoman empire. At this point, the Jews realized that not only had they been saved from Spain and Portugal, but could, without any hinderance, settle in the Holy Land.

Jerusalem was a popular destination, but Karo and Alkabetz chose Tzfat, which was near the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the ancient scholar whom they believed had written the Zohar. Both of them were enthusiastic kabbalists, which involved study and meditative practices in order to hasten the arrival of the Messiah.^[12]

Karo and Alkabetz’s Shavuot Tikkun

Alkabetz wrote a letter, almost certainly in Ladino, to his family and friends in Salonica, which contains the first known historical account of a Tikkun Leil Shavuot. The letter was first published in Hebrew translation as an introduction to the 1646 edition of Karo’s diary, Maggid Mesharim, and is also included in R. Isaiah Horowitz’s (ca. 1555–1630) kabbalistic compendium, שני לוחות הברית The Two Tablets of the Covenant, known as the Shlah.^[13]

The letter begins with Albaketz’s general explanation of what they were planning to do:

דעו לכם כי הסכמנו החסיד נר"ו (=נטריה רחמנא וברכיה) ואני עבדו ועבדיכם מהחברים, לעמוד על נפשנו ליל שבועות ולנדד שינה מעינינו, ותהלה לאל עלה בידינו כי לא הפסקנו רגע, רק אשר תשמעו "ותחי נפשכם" (ישעיה נה:ג).

Know that the pious one (=Karo), may God protect him and bless him, and I (=Alkabetz), his humble servant, and your servants among our companions, agreed to stay up all night, and to banish sleep from our eyes on Shavuot. We succeeded, thank God, so that we ceased not from study for even a moment, as you will hear “and your souls will be enlivened” (Isa 55:3).^[14]

The Biblical Passages

Alkabetz then lays out their study program, beginning with many pieces of the Bible, apparently chanted:

וזהו הסדר שתקנתי וסדרתי בלילה ההוא:

This is the order I fixed (tikkanti) and arranged for that night:

ראשונה תורה, קרינן מפרשת בראשית עד "ויכלו" בנעימה בקול גדול.

First the Torah, we read from Parashat Bereishit through the Shabbat verses (Gen 1:1–2:3),^[15] with a pleasant melody and loud voice.

אחר כך "בחדש השלישי" עד סוף סידרא.

After that, the Sinai pericope through the end of the sidra^[16] (Exod 19–20).

עוד מפרשת משפטים "ואל משה אמר" עד סוף סידרא.

Then in Parashat Mishpatim from God’s command to climb the mountain until the end of the sidra (Exod 24).

עוד מפרשת ואתחנן "ויקרא משה אל כל ישראל" עד סוף פרשת "שמע ישראל."

Then in Parashat Vaetchanan from when Moses begins his next speech until the end of the first paragraph of the Shema (Deut 5:1–6:9).

עוד מפרשת וזאת הברכה "ויעל משה" עד "לעיני כל ישראל".

Then from Parashat Vezot Haberakhah, from when Moses goes up the mountain until the end of the Torah (Deut 34).

עוד ההפטרה "ויהי בשלשים שנה", והפטרה "תפלה לחבקוק הנביא".

Then the haftarah of the vision of the chariot (Ezek 1, read on the 1^st day of Shavuot) and the haftarah of Habakkuk’s prayer (Hab 3, read on the 2^nd day of Shavuot);

ואחר כך מזמור "השמים מספרים", ומזמור "יקום אלהים", ואלפא ביתא בלא השירות.

Then Psalm 19 and Psalm 68 and the alphabetic acrostic (probably Psalm 119)^[17] without the songs.^[18]

אחר כך כל מגילת שיר השירים וכל מגילת רות.

Afterwards all of Song of Songs and all of Ruth;^[19]

ואחר כך פסוקים אחרונים של דברי הימים.

Afterwards the final verses of Chronicles (Cyrus’ decree, 2 Chron 26:22–23).

וכל זה באימה ביראה בניגון ובטעם לא יאומן כי יסופר.

All this we did in dread and awe, with quite unbelievable melody and tunefulness.

Mishnah and Kabbalah

Following their learning of Bible, they turn to other texts:

ואחר כך למדנו משנה כל סדר זרעים, ואחר כך, למדנו על דרך האמת.

And afterwards we studied the whole of the order of Zeraʿim in the Mishnah and then we studied in the way of truth [kabbalah].^[20]

This brings about a miraculous turning point in the evening:

ובעת שהתחלנו ללמוד המשנה, ולמדנו שתי מסכתות, זיכנו^[21] בוראנו ונשמע את קול המדבר בפי החסיד נר"ו, קול גדול בחיתוך אותיות, וכל השכנים היו שומעים ולא מבינים, והיה הנעימות רב, והקול הולך וחזק, ונפלנו על פנינו ולא היה רוח באיש לישא עיניו ופניו לראות מרוב המורא.

No sooner had we studied two tractates of the Mishnah then our Creator graced us so that we heard a voice speaking out of the mouth of the saint, Karo, may the Merciful One protect him and bless him. It was a loud voice with letters clearly enunciated. All those nearby heard the voice but were unable to understand [what was happening]. It was an exceedingly pleasant voice, becoming increasingly strong (Exod 19:19).^[22] We all fell upon our faces and none of us had any spirit left in him^[23] to lift his eyes and face to see because of our great dread.^[24]

A Divine Being Speaks Through Karo

The voice, Alkabetz reports, begins by complimenting the people doing the tikkun, noting that this learning has restored this divine being’s importance:

והדיבור ההוא מדבר עמנו והתחיל ואמר: "שמעו ידידַי המהדרים מן המהדרים, ידידַי אהובַי, שלום לכם, אשריכם ואשרי יולדתכם, אשריכם בעולם הזה, אשריכם בעולם הבא, אשר שמתם על נפשכם לעטרני בלילה הזה. אשר זה כמה שנים נפלה עטרת ראשי ואין מנחם לי, ואני מושלכת בעפר חובקת אשפתות, ועתה החזרתם עטרה ליושנה.

The voice began to address us, saying: “Friends, choicest of the choice, peace to you, beloved companions. Happy are you and happy those that bore you. Happy are you in this world and happy in the next that you resolved to adorn Me on this night. For these many years had My head been fallen with none to comfort Me. I was cast down to the ground to embrace the dunghills but now you have restored the crown to its former place.

The being promises that this Torah study has gone all the way to heaven, catching the attention of all sorts of angelic beings, and even God:

התחזקו ידידי התאמצו אהובי, שמחו ועלצו ודעו כי אתם מבני עליה. וזכיתם להיות מהיכלא דמלכא וכל תורתכם והבל פיכם עלה לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא, ובקע כמה אוירים וכמה רקיעים עד שעלה, ומלאכים שתקו, ושרפים דממו, והחיות עמדו, וכל צבא מעלה והקדוש ברוך הוא שומעים את קולכם.

Be strong, My beloved ones. Be courageous, My friends.^[25] Rejoice and exult for you belong among the spiritual elite (lit. “the people of ascent”). You have the merit of belonging to the king's palace. The sound of your Torah and the breath of your mouth have ascended to the Holy One, blessed be He, breaking through many atmospheres and many firmaments until it rose upwards. The angels were silent, the seraphim still, the beasts stood, and all the host of heaven, together with the Blessed Holy One, heard your voices.

Who Is the Being Speaking through Karo?

To a modern reader, the voice seems more like that of Karo’s own conscience speaking through him, but to Karo himself and his followers, this was a Maggid, “one who tells,” what Karo called the mysterious divine voice which came out of his mouth that night, and on and off for the next 50 years of his life. Indeed, Karo recorded many of their conversations in his diary, which was posthumously published as Maggid Mesharim.^[26] In this first appearance, the voice announces that it is the persona of the Mishnah itself:

והנני המשנה הא[ם]^[27] המייסרת את האדם, באתי לדבר אליכם.

Behold, I am the Mishnah, the mother who chastises her children, and I have come to converse with you.

First, the voice notes that only a few of the scholars, not even a full minyan (quorum of 10), stayed up to participate in the tikkun:

ואם הייתם עשרה הייתם מתעלים יותר ויותר. אבל עם כל זה נתעליתם.

Had you been ten in number you would have ascended even higher^[28] but you have reached a great height, nonetheless.

Then, the voice compliments them on giving up their sleep for Torah study:

ואשריכם ואשרי יולדתכם ידידי אשר נדדתם שינה מעיניכם. ועל ידיכם נתעליתי הלילה הזה ועל ידי החברים אשר בעיר הגדולה, "עיר ואם בישראל" (שמואל ב כ:יט), ואין אתם כאותם "השוכבים על מטות שן" (עמוס ו:ד) שינה שהוא אחד מששים במיתה, "וסרוחים על ערסותם" (שם).

Happy are those who bore you, My friends, in that, by denying yourselves sleep you have ascended so far on high. Through you I have become elevated this night and through the companions in the great city,^[29] “a mother city in Israel” (2 Sam 20:19). You are not like those “who sleep on beds of ivory” (Amos 6:4) a sleep which is a sixtieth of death,^[30] “who stretch themselves out upon their couches.”^[31]

As the voice continues to compliment the study partners, it refers to itself in terms generally used for God:

ואתם נדבקתם בידו"ד והוא שמח בכם. לכן בנַי התחזקו, אמצו ועלצו באהבתי בתורתי וביראתי.

But you cleave to the LORD and He rejoices in you. Therefore, My sons, be strong and firm and rejoice in My love, rejoice in My Torah, rejoice in the fear of Me.

The Mishnah is the spiritual mother who rebukes her children, representing the Shekhinah, the feminine presence of God.

Raising the Shekhinah out of the Dirt with Torah Study

The voice then returns to the imagery of how low he has been, ostensibly because of insufficient Torah study or piety:

ואילו הייתם משערים אחד מאלף אלפי אלפים ורוב רבי רבבות מהצער אשר אני שרויה בו, לא היתה נכנסת שמחה בלבכם, ולא שחוק בפיכם בזוכרכם כי בסיבתכם אני מושלכת בעפר.

If you could only imagine one millionth of the anguish which I endure, no joy would ever enter your hearts and no mirth your mouths, for it is because of you that I am cast to the ground.^[32]

As Rachel Elior notes, this Tikkun took place not long after the martyrdom of R. Shlomo Molcho in Mantua in 1532, who was burnt at the stake at the command of the Pope as he would not renounce his belief in the immanent coming of the Messiah,^[33] a belief inspired by the need to explain the expulsion from Spain and Portugal as the persecution that heralds the messianic age. Karo, through the voice of the Maggid, expresses how these events show how the Shekhinah is cast down because Israel has neglected Torah.

Through their own study together, however, the companions have begun the work of restoration. Just as in the Zohar passage on Tikkun (see appendix), Karo and his companions are adorning the Bride/Shekhinah by means of their night’s study. Now that proper Torah study is taking place, the study group is invited to act as if it were Yom Kippur, reciting the barukh shem phrase out loud:^[34]

לכן חזקו ואמצו ועלצו בנַיי ידידַי המהדרים ואל תפסיקו הלימוד, כי חוט של חסד משוך עליכם, ותורתכם עריבה לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא. לכן עִמדו בניי ידידי על רגליכם והעלוני, ואמרו בקול רם כיום הכיפורים 'ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד.'"

Therefore, O My dear sons, be strong and of good courage and rejoice. Cease not from studying, for a thread of mercy is stretched out over you, and your Torah study is pleasant to the Blessed Holy One. Therefore, my sons, my friends, stand upon your feet and raise Me up, saying in a loud voice as on the Day of Atonement ‘Blessed be the name of His glorious Kingdom for ever and ever.’”

The friends comply and recite the line:

ועמדנו על רגלינו וקטרי חרצינו משתרין, ואמרנו בקול כאשר נצטוינו.

We then rose to our feet with the joints of our loins loosened and we proclaimed it out loud as we were commanded.

Move to Israel!

At this point, the message takes a major turn. Instead of highlighting the importance of Torah study or the centrality of Mishnah or kabbalah, the voice tells them that, in addition, they must move to Israel:

וחזר ואמר: "אשריכם בני, שובו אל לימודיכם ואל תפסיקו רגע. ועלו לארץ ישראל, כל לא כל העתים שוות, 'ואין מעצור להושיע ברב או במעט' (שמואל א יד:ו).

He then repeated: "Happy are you my sons. Return to your studies, not interrupting them for one moment. Go up to the land of Israel, for not all times are opportune. ‘There is no hindrance to salvation, be it much or little’ (1 Sam 14:6).^[35]

The voice admonishes them not to worry about finances, but to trust in God. Ironically, it starts by quoting the verse in which Joseph admonishes his brothers not to worry about their goods in Canaan and to trust him and move to Egypt. Now the message goes the other way:

'ועיניכם אל תחוס על כליכם' (בראשית מב:כ), כי טוב הארץ העליונה תאכלו, 'ואם תאבו ושמעתם, טוב הארץ ההיא תאכלו' (ישעיה א:יט), לכן מהרו ועלו, כי אני המפרנסת לכם, ואתם שלום, ובתיכם שלום, וכל אשר לכם שלום (שמואל א כה:ו). 'ה' עוז לעמו יתן ה' יברך את עמו בשלום' (תהלים כט:יא)."

‘Let not your eyes have pity on your worldly goods’ (Gen 45:20), for you will eat of the goodness of the higher land. ‘If you will but hearken, of the goodness of that land will you eat’ (Isa 1:19). Make haste, therefore, to go up to the land, for I sustain you here and will sustain you there. ‘To you will be peace, to your household peace, and to all that is yours peace’ (1 Sam 25:6).^[36] ‘The Lord gives strength to His people. The Lord will bless His people with peace’ (Ps 29:11).”

On the Second Night, Those Who Missed the Tikkun Want to Join

Having received this surprise revelation, the friends react with awe and excitement:

את כל הדברים האלה דבר אלינו ושמעה אזנינו, ורבות כהנה וכהנה מענייני החכמה, כמה וכמה הבטחות גדולות. וכולנו געינו בבכיה מרוב השמחה, וגם בשמעינו צרת השכינה בעוונותינו, וקולה כחולָה מתחננת אלינו, התחזקנו עד אור הבוקר ולא פסק גירסא מפומנא "בגילה ורעדה" (תהלים ב:יא).

All these things he said to us, and we heard with our ears and much more of a like nature, all matters of wisdom and many great promises. We all broke into tears at the great joy we had experienced and when we heard of the anguish of the Shekhinah because of our sins, Her voice like that of an invalid in her entreaties. We strengthened ourselves until daybreak so that our mouths did not cease from study “in joy and dread” (Ps 2:11).

In the morning Karo and Alkabetz rebuke their friends who had not been present and told them what they missed:

ויהי בבקר הלכנו וטבלנו כאשר עשינו שני ימים קודם, ושם מצאנו לשלשה החברים אשר לא נמצאו שמה בלילה ההוא, וגערנו בהם ונספר להם את כל הטובה אשר עשה ה' עמנו, "וימת לבם בקרבם" (שמואל א כה:לז) וסטרו פניהם וגעו בבכיה. וגם אנחנו התחזקנו כנגדם יען בסבתם לא זכינו עוד, והפסדנו, כאשר אמרנו למעלה.

In the morning we immersed ourselves,^[37] as we had done on the previous two days. There we met the three companions who had not been present on that night and we rebuked them. We told them of all the good the Lord had wrought on our behalf so that “their heart died within them” (1 Sam 25:37).^[38] They smote their own faces and wept aloud. We persisted in our criticism of them since it was because of them that we didn’t merit more, and missed out, as we said above.

The others now want to join too, and make the minyan, hoping to experience another revelation:

ויאמרו מי יתן והלילה הזאת השניה נתחבר ביחד ונהיה עשרה, והסכמנו לעשות כן. ועם שבלילה הראשון שינה בעינינו לא ראינו אפילו רגע, כמימריה, וגם ביום לא הונח לישן, כי דרוש דרש החסיד נר"ו אחר המנחה וישבנו שם. ועם כל זה שנסנו בעוז מתנינו, ועשינו בלילה השניה כסדר הראשון.

So we said: "Let us join one another this second night and we shall be ten in number." It was agreed. Now although we did not sleep at all, not even for one moment, on the first night, and although we were unable to sleep even during the day, since the saint, may his light shine, expounded the Torah in the afternoon and we all listened, yet we girded our loins to repeat the program of the first night on the second.

The Revelation During the Shema

This time, the voice appeared even before the Mishnah study began:

ומרוב השמחה שהיינו עשרה, לא המתינה עד עת קריאת המשנה, ולא עד חצות כמו בלילה הראשון שהיה ממש בחצות הלילה, רק תיכף שהיינו קוראים דברות של משנה תורה, בהגיענו אל פרשת שמע, קול דודינו דופק, והתחיל: "שמעו ידידים המהדרים מן המהדרים, 'הקיצו ורננו שוכני עפר' (ישעיה כו:יט), בסוד עפר העליון שני ההי"ן וכו'," ודברים רבים של חכמה אמר הנה.

In the great rejoicing that we were ten in number, She did not wait until the time for the Mishnah reading nor did they wait until midnight, like on the previous night, when it happened exactly at midnight, but no sooner did we begin to read the Decalogue [tikkun selection] of Deuteronomy (Deut 5:1–6:9), when we got to the paragraph of the Shema [which was the end of this passage], then the voice of our Beloved^[39] knocked at the door. It began to speak: “Hearken unto me, O my beloved ones, choice ones. ‘Awake and sing you who dwell in the dust’ (Isa 26:19), according to the mystery of the supernal dust, the two letters heh,”^[40] etc. And he spoke many words of wisdom here.

אחר כך אמר: "אשריכם ידידי, אשריכם המעלים אותי, כמה וכמה נתעליתם שאתם עשרה לכל דבר שבקדושה. אשריכם בעולם הזה אשריכם ואשרי יולדתכם, אל תיראו חרפת אנוש, ומגדופם אל תחתו, כי אתם המעלים לכנסת ישראל. ודעו כי אתם מבני עליה וכו' כדלעיל.

Afterwards he said: "Happy are you, My beloved ones. Happy are you in that you have elevated Me. I have become most elevated now that you are ten in number, the quorum for all sacred matters. Happy are you in this world, happy are you and happy those who gave you birth. Fear not the reproach of men and have no dread of their insults, for you have elevated the Community of Israel and know that you are the chosen few, etc.” as above.

Again, the praises are free flowing, and the people are invited to recite the Barukh Shem line out loud as on Yom Kippur:

ואתם מתדבקים בי, והכבוד חופף על ראשיכם, וחוט של חסד משוך עליכם. ואלמלי ניתן רשות לעין, הייתם רואים האש הסובבת הבית הזה. לכן חזקו ואמצו ואל תפסיקו הקשר והעלוני בקול רם 'שמע וישראל' ו'ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד' כיום הכפורים." ודברים אחרים כמו חצי שעה. וחזרנו לסוד הלימוד.

“To Me you cleave^[41] and the Glory is above your heads and there extends over you a thread of mercy. If permission had been granted for the eye to see, you would see the fire surrounding this house.^[42] Be strong and mighty, therefore. Do not allow the bond to be broken.^[43] Elevate Me by reciting in a loud voice: ‘Hear, O Israel’ and ‘Blessed be the name’ as on the Day of Atonement.” And other things for about half an hour and we then returned to the secret of our studies.

The Voice Returns at Midnight

At midnight the voice returned, quoting Deuteronomy about how amazing they should feel that the divine is speaking with them:

ואחר כך כחצות הלילה, חזר הדיבור פעם שנית ודיבר שיעור שעה ויותר, וחזר לשבח ענין הלימוד ההוא ואמר: "ראו, 'השמע עם קול מדבר ככם' (דברים ד:לג)?! 'שאל אביך ויגדך זקניך ויאמרו לך' (דברים לב:ז), אם זה כמה מאות שנה שמעו או ראו הדבר הזה, ואתם זכיתם.

At midnight the voice returned, speaking for over an hour, repeating the praises of our studies. The voice said: “See! ‘Did any people ever hear the voice speaking as you did?’ (Deut 4:33) ‘Ask your father, he will inform you, your elders, they will tell you’ (Deut 32:7), whether during these many hundreds of years they have heard or seen such a thing and yet you have been worthy of it.

לכן מכאן והלאה תהיינה עיניכם פקוחות על דרככם, 'ואיש את רעהו יעזורו ולאחיו יאמר חזק' (ישעיה מא:ו), 'והחלש יאמר גיבור אני' (יואל ד:ו), והחזיקו עצמכם לגדולים כי אתם מבני היכלא דמלכא, וזכיתם לפרוזדור, השתדלו ליכנס לטרקלין ולא תצאו מהפרוזדור כי אשר יצא מפתח שער הפרוזדור דמו בראשו.

Therefore, let your eyes be upon your ways from now onward. ‘Let each help his neighbor and say unto his brother, be strong’ (Isa 41:6). ‘Let the weak say, I am mighty’ (Joel 4:6), and let each be great in his own eyes since you belong to the king's palace and have had the merit of entering the vestibule. Endeavor now to enter the great hall and do not leave the vestibule. For whoever leaves to go outside, his blood be upon his head.

The imagery here comes from the Mishnah:

^{משנה אבות ד:טז} רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר, הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה דּוֹמֶה לִפְרוֹזְדוֹר בִּפְנֵי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. הַתְקֵן עַצְמְךָ בַפְּרוֹזְדוֹר, כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס לַטְּרַקְלִין.

^{m. Avot 4:16} R. Jacob says: “This World is like a vestibule to the World to Come— prepare yourself in the vestibule so that you can enter the banquet hall!”^[44]

The Maggid is saying that the companions have already reached the next world, in some mystical way, through their Torah study, and it would be an affront to God if they would turn back now to the mundane world.

 Ignore Worldly Desires, Move to Israel

Now the voice offers a rebuke as to how people get caught up in the pleasures of the physical world:

הקיצו בניי וראו כי אני מסברת אתכם. הקיצו ידידי, התאמצו 'והיו לבני חיל' (שמואל ב ב:ז, יג:כח), ועתה אל תתלוצצו, חזקו ועלצו, וחוט של חסד משוך עליכם מידי יום ביומו.

Awake, My sons, for I am explaining to you. Awake, My beloved ones. Be firm ‘and be valient’ (2 Sam 2:7; 13:28).^[45] Be strong and rejoice and a thread of mercy will be extended over you daily.

זרו הלאה ומעכו אותה וראו כי אתם שכורים מחמדת העולם, 'הקיצו שכורים' (יואל א:ה), כי הנה יום בא ויסיר האדם את אלילי כספו (ישעיה ב:כ), ומאודיו בהנאת העולם, ואת אלילי זהבו חמדת הממון.

Cast it away and crush it. Observe how intoxicated you are with worldly desires. ‘Awake, oh drunken ones’ (Joel 1:5), for the day comes when a man must cast away his gods of silver (Isa 2:20),^[46] worldly desires, and his gods of gold, lust for wealth.

ועלו לארץ ישראל כי יש לאל ידכם, רק שאתם מוטבעים בטיט חמדת תבל והבליו, והיוצא מכם ונזור אחור דמו בראשו, וראו את אשר זכיתם אתם, מה שלא זכו אחרים מכמה דורות." והאריך הרבה בענין הזה.

Go up to the land of Israel, for so you are able to do if it were not that you are trapped in the mud of worldly desires and vanities. Whoever leaves your company and turns away, his blood be upon his head. See! How worthy you have been, that of which no others have been worthy for several generations.” And so He continued at length in this vein.

Only 1/100 of the Experience What Was Revealed

"ועתה בנים שמעו לי" (משלי ח:לב), 'הטו אזנכם' (ישעיה נה:ג), הטו לבבכם מי פתי ישמע הדברים האלה ולא יקח ערמה, וחסר לב ולא יקנה,^[47] מי עיור ועינים לא יראה זכות בזה, ולא יתן אל לבו לשוב אל ה' בכל לבבו ובכל נפשו ובכל מאודו.

‘Now, my sons, hearken unto me’ (Prov 8:32). ‘Incline your ears’ (Isa 55:3) and incline your hearts to me. Who can be so foolish as to hear these things and not gain wisdom, or so heartless as not to acquire [it]? Who is so blind that, even with eyes, he would not see the merit in this, without resolving to return to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might (Deut 6:5)?

ומעיד אני שמים וארץ כי כל זה שדברתי פה ובקונטריס אינו חלק אחד ממאה ואחד, ואפילו בקונטריס ההוא תראו בין תיבה לתיבה סגולתא֒ לפעמים והוא הוכחה כי שם היה דבר נעלם ולא הרשתי עצמי לכתוב אותו.

I call heaven and earth to be my witnesses^[48] that all I have recorded here and in the tract I composed is not even one hundredth of what actually transpired. And even with regard to the tract, you will sometimes note a segoltah^[49] after some words, to denote that here a mystery was revealed I could not allow myself to record in writing.

אחי ועמי שמעו ותחי נפשכם כי החברים השלמים אשר ראו כל זה, רוח חדשה נתן בקרבם (יחזקאל יא:יט; לו:כו).

O my brethren, my people! Hearken and let your souls be revived. For the perfect companions who witnessed all this, a new spirit entered into them (Ezek 11:19; 36:26).

Karo’s Shabbat Covenant

וגם ביום השבת, חזר הדיבור אל החסיד והפליא לשבח את אשר עשינו בשני הלילות האלה, ואמר פעם ופעמיים ושלש, פקוד לחבריא דיסתמרון מחובייהו, מאחר שנכנסו לפרוזדור ישתדלו ליכנס לטרקלין כי אשר יצא החוצה דמו בראשו ואנחנו נקיים.

Also on the [following] Sabbath^[50] the word returned to the saint and he spoke wondrous praises of our achievements on these two nights. He repeated that our companions should keep their promise. Now that they have entered the vestibule they must try to enter the palace and whoever tries to escape, his blood be on his head, and we are innocent.

Karo then gathers his followers and makes a covenant with them, which ends with the quote the Israelites say to Moses after the Sinai revelation:

ואז עמד החסיד קודם אכילת הבוקר וקבצם כולם ביחד, ודיבר הוא אליהם והתרה בהם כאשר ציוה ואחר כך אמר "אני עבדיכם" ויענו כולם ויאמרו (שמות כד:ז) "נעשה ונשמע."

Then the saint rose to his feet before the morning meal. He gathered them all together and spoke to them, warning them to do as he had commanded. They all responded: "We will do and we will obey" (Exod 24:7).

No-Meat Wednesdays

This covenant includes new rules, with an emphasis on mourning the destroyed Temple, which connects to their goal of returning to the land:

ותקנו תקנות רבות ואחר מהן שיהיה יום רביעי כולו לזכר החורבן, ושלא נאכל בשר ולא נשתה יין לילו ויומו כל כ"ד שעות אם לא יהיה בסעודת מצוה או אכסניא או הולך בדרך, וכאלה רבות.

They drew up numerous regulations, one of these being that the fourth day each week should be devoted to a reminder of the destruction of the Temple. For the whole twenty-four hours of this day no meat should be eaten and no wine imbibed^[51] unless it be for such exceptional circumstances as a religious feast or when hospitality is offered to a guest or when one is on his travels and so forth.

“Now Is the Time to Move to Israel!”

Alkabetz returns to his theme in the letter, admonishing the readers to follow the companions to Israel:

ואתם אחי הקיצו חזקו ואמצו עלצו בעבודת יוצרנו, וראו כי כפי המובן מדברי המגיד, ליל ראשון של שבועות גם אתם או כולכם או מקצתם כמו כן נודעתם לעבוד את ה' וכן נזכרתם, ובלילה השני לא נזכרתם,

And you, my brethren, awake. Be strong, be firm, and rejoice in the service of your Creator. Observe that the maggid mentioned some of you on the first night of Shavuot, when you resolved to serve the Lord, and yet you were not mentioned on the second night.

לכן עמדו אל נפשכם ושימו כל הדברים האלה על לבבכם, ומי יתן והיה פי המדבר אליכם, אז תראו ותתמהו ופקחו עיניכם ממה שהובטח בקונטריס הזה במראה האחרונה כי נזכה החסיד ואני לשבת בארץ והחברים, ויבא מלאכים כו'.

Be careful, therefore, and set your hearts on all these things. If only the voice will speak to you, and you will then be astonished. Your eyes will be opened to the promise contained in this tract when, in the final vision, the saint and I are to proceed to dwell together with our companions in the holy land and the angels will come, etc.

לכן כל אחד יתן אל לבו ועיניכם אל תחוס על כליכם, ולא יעצים עיניכם חמדת העולם ומיעוט ההבטחה פן תתנחמו ואין לאל ידיכם כי כבר אמר (שיר השירים ב:יב) "עת הזמיר הגיע" ולא כל העתים שוות. פקחו עיניכם.

Let each of you, therefore, pay heed. Have no pity on your worldly goods. Let there be no obstacle because of your desire for worldly things and because there is no firm guarantee. Otherwise you will regret it and when you do resolve to go you will be unable so to do. For it already says (Song 2:12) “the time of reaping has come” and not every time will be so opportune. So open your eyes.

To Alkabetz, it is clear that these are messianic times; the readers of his letter need only open their eyes to this reality. He further notes that with the miraculous occurrences he experienced, it should be obvious that their path is the one God has chosen:

ואין לי פנאי להאריך בזה יותר ולבי בוער בקרבי ראו כמה סיבות סבב האל עלי, מה שאין לשכל האנושי מבואר כן, ואני בער ולא אדע והיתה הכוונה מאתו יתברך להראות אלי הענין הגדול הזה. ואתם גם אתם התאוששו התקוששו והשיבו על לב. "והחלש יאמר גבור אני" (יואל ד:ו) "ואיש את רעהו יעזורו" (ישעיה מא:ו) ואני את נפשי הצלתי (יחזקאל ג:יט).

As for me, I have no time to deal with the matter at length. My heart burns within me.^[52] Observe how many things God has wrought for me, things utterly incomprehensible to the human mind. I am a fool, having no knowledge. But it was His intention, blessed be He, to show me this great thing. You, too, be firm and encourage one another, taking it all to heart. “Let the weak say I am strong” (Joel 4:6). “Let each help his neighbor” (Isa 41:6).^[53] I have saved my own soul (Ezek 3:19).^[54]

Here Alkabetz takes a quick detour back to the new rules of mourning over the Temple, stricter than Jewish law prescribes:

חזקו אל תרפו ידיכם, ודעו כי גם קבלו החברים הנה: כי בערב תשעה באב לא יאכלו שום תבשיל ואפילו של עדשים, וזה כל היום. ובסעודה המפסקת פת חריבה וקיתון של מים וכאלה רבות עמהם.

Be strong and of good courage and let not your hands be weak, and know that the members accepting these: Observe the following. Eat no cooked dish on the eve of the fast of Av, not even a dish of lentils.^[55] This applies to the whole of that day. At the meal which precedes the fast, eat only dry bread and drink only a glass of water.^[56] Carry out many such practices.

He ends the letter with a final admonishment to join him and Karo in Israel:

לכן חושו על כבוד יוצרכם ותנו אליו כבוד והזהרו פן תתנחמו חלילה. ואל שדי אתחנן יתן בלבבכם לחוס על עצמיכם ויזכני להתאחד עמכם על אדמת הקודש "לעבדו שכם אחד" (צפניה ג:ט) אמן. כה דברי לשוני אחיכם שלמה הלוי אלקוויץ:

Have regard for the glory of your Creator and pay honor to Him. Be careful lest, God forbid, you regret it. I offer my supplication to Almighty God. May He put it into your hearts to have pity on yourselves and may He give me the merit of joining you in the holy land “that we may there serve Him together” (Zeph 3:9). Amen. Thus speaks your brother, Solomon, the Levite, Alkabetz.

Shavuot, Tikkun, and Aliyah

The first Tikkun Leil Shavuot was a mystical event which revived the downtrodden Shekhinah with the power of this Torah learning that overcame even the need to sleep. As such, the Shekhinah, which spoke through Karo, invited the companions to return to Israel and live in line with the divine plan. Karo and Alkabetz indeed left for Israel, and the mysterious voice, which Karo called his Maggid, continued to speak through him and to him for the rest of his life.

The companions moved to Tzfat, where kabbalistic study would flourish, especially with the appearance of the Arizal, R. Isaac Luria (1534–1572), and his student R. Chayim Vital (1542–1620), a native if the city. It was in Tzfat that kabbalists adopted a new social model of fellowship, inspired by Sufis.^[57]

The Tikkun as an all-night study session for Shavuot became a regular practice among the kabbalists of Tzfat,^[58] made easier by the arrival of coffee, brought to Tzefat and other parts of the Ottoman Empire by Sufi mystics.^[59] We are thus indebted to these kabbalists for promoting the custom, as we are for Lecha Dodi (composed by Alkabetz), the Kabbalat Shabbat psalm recitations, the hakkafot (“processions”) on Simchat Torah, and the Nusach Ari (the liturgy based on the practice of Isaac Luria).

From there, this Shavuot night practice spread across the Ashkenazi world in the seventeenth century through printed Tikkunim booklets. In 1700 it was recorded that the custom had spread to the entire diaspora.^[60] Perhaps it is more popular now than it has ever been in the past, as it is practiced among all sections of the Jewish community.

Appendix

The Zohar’s Tikkun Leil Shavuot: The Night Before a Wedding

The Zohar (1:8a–11a) likens God’s gift of Torah to the people of Israel to a wedding for which the bride prepares all night:

^{זוהר הקדמה} ר' שמעון הוה יתיב ולעי באורייתא בליליא דכלה אתחברת בבעלה, ^[61]

^{Zohar Introduction} Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was sitting and studying the Torah on the night when the Bride is joined with her Husband.^[62]

In excitement over the upcoming wedding, the companions of the Bride—the female presence of God, the Shekhinah—stay up with her all night:

דתנינן כל אינון חברייא דבני היכלא דכלה אצטריכו בההיא ליליא דכלה אזדמנת למהוי ליומא אחרא גו חופה בבעלה, למהוי עמה כל ההוא ליליא ולמחדי עמה בתקונהא דאיהי תתקנת,

For we have learned: all those companions (chevraya)^[63] of the bride’s palace are required on that night when the Bride has been made ready to be in the Bridal Chamber (chuppah) on the next day with her Husband, to be with Her all that night and to rejoice with her in her adornments (tikkunim) with which she is adorned.

Playing on the different possible meanings of the work Tikkun, the passage metaphorically describes the study topics of the night as adornments for the bride:

למלעי באורייתא מתורה לנביאים ומנביאים לכתובים ובמדרשות דקראי וברזי דחכמתא, בגין דאלין אינון תיקונין דילה ותכשיטהא.

To engage with words of Torah, from the Pentateuch to the Prophets, from the Prophets to the Writings, and in the midrashic readings of texts and in the secrets of wisdom, because these are her tikkunim and her jewelry.

ואיהי ועולמתהא עאלת וקיימת על רישיהון ואתתקנת בהו וחדת בהו כל ההוא ליליא, וליומא אחרא לא עאלת לחופה אלא בהדייהו...

And she and her maidens go up, and she stands above their heads, and she is adorned by them and rejoices with them all that night, and on the next day she goes up to the Bridal Chamber only with them...

קב"ה שאיל עלייהו ומברך לון ומעטר לון בעטרהא דכלה. זכאה חולקהון.

And the Blessed Holy One asks about them,^[64] and blesses them and crowns them all with the crown of the Bride. Happy is their portion.

The study session is projected back in time as a real event for Rabbi Shimon and his companions (chaverim), who lived in the 2^nd century C.E. While this might be a retrojection of a contemporary 13^th century Spanish practice, we have no direct evidence that Jews were doing Tikkun Leil Shavuot during this period.^[65]