Many years ago there lived in Tunis a worthy Jew named Matzliach.
He was a great lover of Matzliach the Antique Dealer, as he was known, for he was a dealer in old wares and antiques, was well respected in the community. He was particularly praised for his special custom in connection with It all started many years before, when Matzliach learned for the first time about the origin of the Jewish custom to stay awake on the first night of Shavuot. He was greatly surprised to learn that on the night before that great day when G-d was to give the Torah to the Jewish people, they did not stay awake. Indeed, they slept soundly, so that when G-d descended on the mountain early in the morning to give the Torah to His chosen people, they were not there! So G-d let loose thunder and lightning which woke them up and sent them hurrying to the mountain. Not that the people were not eager to receive the Torah. On the contrary, they had been counting the days -forty nine days, seven full weeks -from the day after they departed from Egypt, eagerly awaiting the great day of when the Torah would be given to them. Yet the night before that great event, when one would have expected them to be too excited even to think of sleep, they slept more soundly than ever! Did they want to be well rested, refreshed and wide-awake for the great moment of the divine revelation Be it as it may, it was a letdown. And so it became the custom of Jews everywhere to make up for it and stay awake the night of Shavuot, and in this way “correct” the wrong impression. This is what tikkun means -“correction.” Well, Matzliach and his guests certainly observed this custom in a fine way, and it impressed and inspired the whole community. There was not a Jew in Tunisia who did not stay up that night. Old and young gathered in the synagogues to recite tikkun and learn Torah all night, and special refreshments were served to help keep them awake.
There came a time, however, when Shavuot approached and Matzliach found himself in a difficult situation. Business had not been good, and Matzliach simply had no money, not only for his usual feast, but not even for the needs of his own family in the way of food and wine for the festival. Sadly he told his wife