The Laws of Shavuos
A. Candle Lighting: It is preferable that women should light the Yom Tov candles before sunset (see Ayn Yitzchok on Gemara Shabbos 21). If a woman forgot to light candles before sunset, she is allowed- post factum- to light candles after nightfall, from a previously existing flame.
B.The Mitzvah of Rejoicing on Yom Tov: ("V′samachta b′chagecha")- it is a mitzvah to eat a k′zayis of meat and drink a "revi′is" of wine in fulfillment of the commandment to rejoice on Yom Tov. The proper amount of meat is 26 gram. Nowadays much of the meat is treated chemically and contains more than 50% water. When eating treated meat, it is necessary to consume 50 gram in order to fulfill the halachic requirement.
A revi′is of wine measures from 86 milliliter (minimum shiur) to 150 milliliter.
C. It is customary to learn Torah on the night of Shavuos. 450 years ago, Maran Rabbi Yosef Karo and his holy society learned Torah on Shovuos night and merited a Divine revelation which was a deciding factor in their aliyah to Eretz Yisroel (see the Shaloh Hakodosh and "Ben Ish Chai", Bamidbar). From there the custom to study Torah on Shovuos night spread to all Jewish communities. The source of the custom is found in the Zohar on Parshas "Emor." The Holy Zohar highly praises the Torah learning on Shovuos night, and those that merit this holy study. And thus said Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai: (loose translation) All those will be inscribed in the Book of Remembrance, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu blesses them with several blessings, and crowns of the Upper World." The order of the study is alluded to in the Holy Zohar. The Kabbalists defined the study order and it is found in the book Kri′ei Moed.
It is important to immerse in the Mikvah towards daybreak. At daybreak hands are to be ritually washed. No blessing is recited after the washing. If one used the restroom, the blessing "Asher Yotzar is recited.
There is a difference of opinion in the Poskim- halachic rulers- if one who stayed up all night is obligated to recite the Birchos Hashachar (the morning blessings) and Birchos HaTorah. The ruling for Jews of Sfardic descent is to make all the blessings as usual aside from "al netilas yadayim" and Birkas HaTorah, whereas Ashkenazim listen to the blessings (including Birkas HaTorah) from someone who slept at night, and he is "motzi" them.
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