Halacha:

Avodah Zarah,  Non-Jews 

History:

18th Century CE 

Holidays:

Kislev 

Description

Nowadays, the custom to refrain from Torah study on "Nittel Nacht" (the night of December 24) is associated with Hasidic groups. However, the custom originated and spread in the Rhineland before the rise of Hasidut - in the late 17th and 18th centuries. This shiur traces the early development of the customs.