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B"H

Last Thursday night, 7th of Tevet - 24th of December, is known as "Nittle Nacht (Night)", and the custom is that we don’t learn Torah this night till midnight, (see Rama on Shulchan Aruch, letters of the Chatam Sofer and others) Kabbalisticly the reason is, as is known from the Rebbe Rasha"b the 5th Chabad Lubavitch Rebbe Shalom Dov Baer, 1860 - 1920, the reason is so as to not be “adding Chayus” spiritual life and strenth to him and his followers.

The Rebbe says in a Sicha that we shouldn't "waste our time" but involve ourselves in something like chess which exercises the mind or any other chore that needs to be done. And the Rebbe related a story in the Sicha where a Bochur would save all the sewing of the buttons on his cloths to “Nittle Nacht” to be productive in a “non adding Chayus” way.
http://shearim.blogspot.com/2009/12/nittle-night-xmas.html

Chassidic legend relates that wild dogs would visit those who "violated" the custom and studied Torah on Nittel Nacht.
http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2007/12/nittel-nacht-christmas-eve.html

Although there is no exact demarcation as to the genesis of this odd holiday, the renowned Talmudist Rabbi Samuel Eides (commonly known as the Mahrasha in Torah circles) observed Nittel Nacht as early as the late 1500s.
http://www.slate.com/id/2238708/

Ну, и "первоисточник".

Проиграл за где-то 4,5 часа чуть больше двухсот вистов, зато единственный сыграл мизер и очень доволен собой.
Тизку леМицвот!


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