Tikkun Leil Shavuot תיקון ליל שבועות

The ancient pious ones would not sleep on that night but would study the Torah and say “Let us come take possession of the inheritance holy to us and our children….” That night, the Congregation of Yisrael is adorned, and comes to couple with the King…. R. Shimon said thus when fellows gathered with him that night: “Let us come to affix [le-takna] the jewels of the bride so that tomorrow she will be found in her jewels and her adornments for the King, as is fitting.

Rabbi Shimon said to them: meritorious is your portion in that tomorrow the bride will only go up to the Chuppa together with you, because everyone adorned her this evening and delighted with her for all of it …

Israel slept all that night because sleep on Shavuot is sweet and the night is short…God came and found them asleep. He began to approach them with noises. That is what is written “And it was on the third day when it was morning and there were sounds and lightning” (Shemot 19:16)…Rav Yitzchak said: This is what they are criticized for by Yeshaya (50:2)), as it is said, “Why did I come and there is no man, I called and there is no response…

In the Zohar it is written that the ancient pious ones would stay awake all that night and busy themselves with Torah. Already, most of those who study Torah have the custom to do so. It is possible to provide a reason for this in accordance with a simple reading [as opposed to a kabbalistic one] because Israel were asleep all that night and the Holy One Blessed be He had to awaken them, as is written in the Midrash, therefore we need to remedy this.

To be with her [the bride representing Israel] all that night, and to rejoice with her in her adornment. For she is adorned by the study of Torah from Chumash to Prophets and from Prophets to Writings and midrash of verses and in the hints of wisdom …

The reason for the three verses that we read from each parsha on the night of the holiday of Shavuot is because during the seven weeks, seven sefirot are rectified through sefirat ha-omer…The Keter, and Netzach, Hod, and Yesod, remain and these are rectified on the night of Shavuot by learning Tanach…The practical implication of this is that someone who is unable to remain awake all night for some reason should at least learn the Tanach [segments of the tikkun] in order to complete the rectification [of the sefirot].

The custom here in our home is that the women don’t recite the learning of the night of Shavuot, rather they sleep…It seems to me with the help of Heaven that the learning of Shavuot night is only fitting for males: one, because they began the rectification from the beginning of sefirat ha-omer and women were not involved with this rectification of the sefira, and second, because those who learn this holy learning of the night of Shavuot [i.e., tikkun leil Shavuot], are considered and called attendants of the Lady…Only males should be attendants of the Lady…in order that it not seem that the Feminine is chasing after the Masculine, but that the Masculine chases after the Feminine.

According to this, also women who are accustomed to count theomer…may learn the Tanach [portion of the tikkun] as well since it is a completion of the rectification of sefirat ha-omer as mentioned. But if they do not count the omer, they need not learn the Tanach [from the tikkun] but should learn some other matter.