CCAR RESPONSA
New American Reform Responsa
17. All Night Vigils
QUESTION: A peace organization has held a series of all night vigils through the years as a way of calling attention to the war in Afghanistan, nuclear disarmament and the mistreatment of prisoners in various lands. Is there a Jewish basis for a vigil? (Flo Levi, Houston TX)ANSWER: Various pietists movements in Judaism have used the vigil to increase the devotion of their followers. Such vigils have been incorporated into the regular liturgy so, for example, selihot services are held from the Sunday before Rosh Hashanah (or the entire month of Elul among Sephardim) and during the interval between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur either before dawn or late at night (Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 619.6). In the United States it has become customary to have such a selihot service after midnight on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah. That service often lasts into the early morning hours (Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 581.1). This represents an effort to create a mood of repentance. A large number of special prayers and poems have been composed for these occasions; these selihot also appear in the regular liturgy. Some traditions encouraged the people to pray throughout the night of Yom Kippur. The commemoration of the destruction of the Temple on Tisha B’av is often continuous throughout the night with kinot, Lamentations and other appropriate readings. In a totally different mood the evening of Shevuot is celebrated through all night reading and study of Tikun Leil Shevuot composed of verses from each parashah, all books of the Bible, and verses from each tractate of the Mishnah. As the ancient Israelites had prepared themselves for the giving of the law in Sinai, so pietists did the same within their circles (Zohar Emor 98a; Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 494). There were also local events which have been commemorated through all night vigils. During times of communal troubles communities have become involved through fasting and special vigils (Yad Hil Taaniyot 1.4; Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 576). There is a Biblical origin for this custom as the people were called upon to fast in times of unusual danger (Joel 2.15, Jonah 3.9, Esther 4.3, Nehemiah 9.1). We can see from this that vigils as well as fasting continue to be very much part of our life when we have dealt with communal danger. The components are prayer, study and when appropriate also fasting. When such issues involve the broader community, Jews may, of course, join their Gentile neighbors in an effort to deal with the communal crisis. It would be appropriate for us to follow this pattern in our own time when the community wishes to use this format. We should add the Jewish element of study to the vigil.January 1991
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