Shavuot: Do Not Pass, Go!
Shavuot: Do Not Pass, Go!

The holiday of Shavuot begins this Tuesday night. Shavuot commemorates the anniversary of the day God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai.

According to a story in the Midrash, the night before the Torah was given, the Israelites retired early to be well rested for the momentous day ahead. But they overslept and Moses had to wake them up because God was already waiting on the mountaintop. To rectify (le'taken, in Hebrew) this flaw in the national character, many Jews stay up all night to learn Torah in what is known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot.

But seriously, what is this Tikkun all about? Why is this custom so widespread? In recent years, its popularity has boomed and all types of communities have started their own Shavuot night learning programs, varying in language, level and topics.

On a personal level, I, a typical "early to bed, early to riser", struggle not to nod off on Shavuot night. In fact, many rabbis and communities have come to the conclusion that, although staying up all night for Torah study and the sunrise morning prayers which follow is commendable, if this will adversely affect the study or the prayers, then it is better to go to sleep and be fresh for prayers the next morning. Many communities offer just a few classes that run into the wee hours of the night, suggesting that you learn a little and then go off to bed.

But what is the point? Perhaps everyone should just go to sleep on Shavuot night? Why bother trying to stay up or even learn for just a few hours? To borrow a phrase from another big night on the Jewish calendar, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

On Shavuot morning we read The Book of Ruth. If one was casting for a show based on the story, you wouldn't need a cast of thousands. Three actors, portraying the three main characters of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz, would suffice.

But I am fascinated by one of the minor characters in the story, and no it's not Orpah, the daughter in law of Naomi who, unlike Ruth, returns to her homeland of Moab in Chapter 1. It's the character who appears at the end of The Book of Ruth, known simply as 'Ploni Almoni'. Ploni Almoni is the equivalent of 'John Doe' or 'Israel Israeli' which are commonly used as placeholder names to refer to people whose names are either temporarily forgotten, irrelevant, or unknown in the context which is being discussed.

But Ploni Almoni's real name was not unknown. He was Boaz's uncle and the late Elimelech's (Naomi's husband's) brother, after all. So why is he referred to as Ploni Almoni and not by his real name? Rashi explains that since he didn't want to redeem his brother's property, because it included marrying Ruth the Moabite as part of the deal, and thereby failed to fulfill his family duty, his real name is not given.

I can think of at least one other case where name recognition was important. In the book of Genesis, we read about the Tower of Babel. What were the goals of the builders of that grand, tall, structure? "Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there… Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."(Gen 11:1-2,4).

It seems quite clear what their goals were. They all spoke one language and wanted to keep it that way. They wanted to stay together and not be scattered. And they wanted to make a name for themselves. 

So, what happened? We all know the story. God confused their languages, so they no longer all spoke or understood the same language. God scattered them all over the globe. But what about 'making a name for themselves'? Well, it's quite obvious they didn't succeed there as not a single name of any of the builders of the Tower of Babel is listed in the Bible. If they were looking for their names to go down in history, it didn't happen.

Let's turn back to the Book of Ruth. Boaz offers his uncle the first chance to redeem the family's land, but it includes taking responsibility for Ruth as well. Ploni Almoni (Mr. John Doe) balks at the offer and tells Boaz to redeem instead. What is the final result? The one who passed on the opportunity had his name hidden from the Book of Ruth and remains anonymous for eternity. As for Boaz, his name went down in history and he became the great-great-grandfather of King David! 

I don't know if I will stay up all night learning on Shavuot night. I may just study a little and then hit the hay. But that's not the point.

The point is that Shavuot night is an opportunity. It's an opportunity to join the millions of Jews worldwide who go against their sleepy nature and commit themselves to study Torah on that night in synagogues and study halls across the globe. Whether you stay up all night or just for an hour or is beside the point. The opportunity to learn on this night, even for just a little while, well, it's just too good to pass up.