How does one celebrate Nittel Nacht?
Answer:
‘Nittle nacht’ is not celebrated, but some groups, in particular Hassidim, and those who follow the customs of Chassam Sofer, do not study Torah on this night. Several reasons are given for this: the danger of walking outside the home on this night; the concern that evil forces will feed off the Torah study; the need for waking early, at midnight, in order to offset the evil force of the night.
Sources: The concept of Nittel Nacht is not mentioned in Chazal, the Shulchan Aruch, or Arizal, but developed in Eastern Europe, in particular among Hassidic leaders and Chassam Sofer. See Vedarashta Vechakarta, Yoreh De’ah, no. 15, who discusses the issue at some length.
Would it not be better just to ignore this night completely? Why should a goyish celebration disrupt Torah learning? If the goyim do anything, we could say the same thing. I would think exactly the opposite. Whilst they celebrate this event as the dawning of a new way which their followers tried to impose on us, and failed, we have won, in the fact we are still learning Torah, and they have not stopped us. Regarding evil forces, the best way to remove darkness is with light. In Israel at least, I can see no reason for this, but however respect those who feel so.
In the traditional, Lithuanian-style yeshivos, Nittel Night goes by without anybody noticing. As mentioned, it is commemmorated almost exclusively by Chassidim.
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