AJ asks:
Meheicha teisi that the Yakirei Yerushalayim were up all night learning, and not engaged in other activities? Gemara never says so explicitly.
AJ, Englewood
The Kollel replies:
The Tosefta (Yoma 1:8) states:
"They did not sleep all night but were 'Shokdin' opposite the Kohen Gadol in order to keep him busy learning Torah."
The Minchas Bikurim explains that the word "Shokdin" means that they were "Shokdin" in Torah, so that the Kohen Gadol should hear their voices and not fall asleep.
It seems that the word "Shokdin" is similar to the word "Shakdan," a Masmid, somebody who learns all night.
Kol Tuv,
Dovid Bloom