I like this tag from Judaism 101:
So there's a tradition of staying up all night on Shavuot to study Torah. In honor of that tradition, three synagogues in my local area have a tradition of coming together for Shavuot and hosting all night study sessions. I intend to make it at least until midnight, when we read the 10 Commandments. After that, I'll probably take my leave--unfortunately, I have work tomorrow.Judaism101 wrote:It is noteworthy that the holiday is called the time of the giving of the Torah, rather than the time of the receiving of the Torah. The sages point out that we are constantly in the process of receiving the Torah, that we receive it every day, but it was first given at this time. Thus it is the giving, not the receiving, that makes this holiday significant.
Source: http://www.jewfaq.org/holidayc.htm
But one of these days I'm going to spend the whole night!