Staying up to Celebrate Suitably
One year, as the French gentiles were celebrating Xmas, loud firecrackers and raucous music were heard throughout the night. The noise continued until the sun made its appearance. This is the way the gentiles celebrate.
The noise kept me awake. I made out thousands of revelers making merry in the streets. I thought to myself that these people stay awake all night long only to eat, drink, and be merry. They celebrate their holiday in a drunken stupor, with wild abandon. They end the night in fist-fights and other, even worse forms of violence. It was discovered later that four hundred cars had been torched.
The next morning, I noticed that a certain driver looked like he had stayed up the entire night. He was low on sleep and patience. There is no doubt that he would have liked to sleep at night, but it seems part of the gentile ritual that one can wish his friend a “Happy New Year” only after hours of merry-making and drinking. He could not deviate from the custom of his religion and retire, just because the clock read a late hour.
Am Yisrael, too, l’havdil, have a custom to remain awake on the eve of Shavuot, Hoshana Rabbah, and Seder Night. Moreover, some people have the admirable practice of staying up all night to learn Torah at random times throughout the year.
But the difference between Am Yisrael’s remaining awake and that of the nations is the difference between day and night. When the gentiles celebrate an all-nighter, their purpose is to imbibe as much wine and decadence as possible. They pursue physical pleasures with a passion. Conversely, Am Yisrael remain awake out of a sense of sanctity. They remove sleep from their eyes and delve into the intricacies of the Talmud. As a direct result, they are capable, afterward, of removing another layer of materialism from themselves.
