{"id":5692,"date":"2011-03-04T13:05:22","date_gmt":"2011-03-04T11:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=5692"},"modified":"2021-03-22T12:08:04","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T10:08:04","slug":"04-13-05","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/04-13-05\/","title":{"rendered":"05.\u00a0The Custom to Rely on a <strong>Siyum<\/strong> <strong>Masekhet<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Most <strong>bekhorim<\/strong> customarily participate in a <strong>siyum<\/strong> <strong>masekhet<\/strong> (a festive ceremonial meal occasioned by the completion of a tractate of the Talmud) on Erev Pesa\u1e25 after <strong>Sha\u1e25arit<\/strong>. Afterward, refreshments are served to everyone in attendance, and the <strong>bekhorim<\/strong> present are permitted to partake, sharing in the joy of a <strong>se\u2019udat<\/strong> <strong>mitzva<\/strong> and celebrating the mitzva of Torah study and the completion of the tractate. Since they break their fast with the <strong>se\u2019udat<\/strong> <strong>mitzva<\/strong>, <strong>bekhorim<\/strong> are no longer obligated to fast.<\/p>\n<p>However, <strong>poskim<\/strong> of past generations were divided over this custom. Some took a stringent position, ruling that only a <strong>bekhor<\/strong> who himself completed a tractate may partake of the <strong>se\u2019udat mitzva<\/strong>, while other firstborns, who are not so connected to the joy of the <strong>siyum<\/strong>, may not break the fast by partaking in someone else\u2019s <strong>se\u2019uda<\/strong>. This is especially true when those completing the tractate do not hold a <strong>se\u2019udat mitzva<\/strong> on such occasions during the course of the year, and the <strong>bekhorim<\/strong> as well do not generally attend their friends\u2019 <strong>siyumim<\/strong>. By arranging a <strong>siyum<\/strong> for firstborns once a year on Erev Pesa\u1e25<strong>,<\/strong> it appears as though they are coming not to celebrate the mitzva, but to exempt themselves from the fast. Moreover, often the person making the <strong>siyum <\/strong>completed the tractate a week or two earlier and postponed the <strong>siyum <\/strong>until Erev Pesa\u1e25 in order to exempt himself from fasting. According to the stringent opinion, it is improper to act in this manner, because the real joy is felt when one completes his study, not when he recites the last few lines so that he can make a <strong>siyum <\/strong>on Erev Pesa\u1e25 (<strong>Teshuva<\/strong> <strong>Me-ahava<\/strong> 2:262; <strong>Noda<\/strong> <strong>Bi-Yehuda<\/strong>).<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the custom is to rely on the lenient <strong>poskim<\/strong> who rule that anyone who participates in the <strong>se\u2019udat mitzva<\/strong> is exempt from fasting, even if he does not usually make or attend <strong>siyumim <\/strong>during the course of the year, and even if the <strong>siyum <\/strong>was delayed until Erev Pesa\u1e25. The simple reason for this is that when a <strong>masekhet<\/strong> is completed, it is fitting to celebrate, and this is therefore a <strong>se\u2019udat<\/strong> <strong>mitzva<\/strong>. Moreover, <strong>Ta\u2019anit<\/strong> <strong>Bekhorot<\/strong> is predicated entirely on custom, not on a binding enactment, and is not mentioned at all in the Bavli or by Rambam. Furthermore, some leading Rishonim were of the opinion that <strong>bekhorim<\/strong> are not obligated to fast on Erev Pesa\u1e25. This being the case, whenever there is a halakhic disagreement, the lenient <strong>poskim<\/strong> have the upper hand. What is more, in recent generations we no longer fast often, and if the <strong>bekhorim<\/strong> fast, their preparations for Pesa\u1e25 will most likely suffer from the weakness it induces; they will even want to rush through the Hagada in order to get to the meal. Therefore, many leading rabbis would exempt themselves from the fast via a <strong>siyum<\/strong>. Only one who knows that the fast will not impair his preparations for Pesa\u1e25 or his fulfillment of the <strong>mitzvot<\/strong> of Seder night may act stringently and fast on Erev Pesa\u1e25. Indeed, Rav Kook and his son R. Tzvi Yehuda, both of whom were firstborns, customarily fasted on Erev Pesa\u1e25.<\/p>\n<p>The type of <strong>siyum<\/strong> that exempts its participants from fasting is one that marks the completion of a tractate of the Bavli or Yerushalmi, an entire <strong>seder<\/strong> of Mishna, or a significant Torah work. The study must involve real understanding.<sup><a href='#_te01ftn13_5' id='_te01ftnref13_5' class='aup1'>[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr size=\"1\" \/>\n<div>\n<a href='#_te01ftnref13_5' id='_te01ftn13_5'>[5]<\/a>. As mentioned in the previous note, this custom is universally accepted. Even according to the opinions that this is a binding custom, it is still of rabbinic origin, so one may be lenient. This is especially true since there are authorities, Gra among them, who maintain that this custom is not binding at all. And it is especially true nowadays, when most people are not accustomed to fasting, and fasting will impair the fulfillment of the <strong>mitzvot<\/strong> of the Seder (<strong>Responsa<\/strong> <strong>Olat Shmuel<\/strong> \u00a758). Therefore, our custom is to rely on a <strong>siyum<\/strong>, which in turn reminds firstborns that they are inherently holy and have great responsibilities. <strong>Arugat Ha-bosem<\/strong> 2:139 has a similar opinion.<\/p>\n<p>Completing the intensive study of a book of Nevi\u2019im is also a <strong>se\u2019udat mitzva<\/strong> (<strong>Igrot Moshe <\/strong>O\u1e24 1:157). It seems that anyone who finishes one of the four sections of <strong>Shul\u1e25an Arukh <\/strong>or a significant Torah work can also make a <strong>se\u2019udat mitzva<\/strong>, since making a <strong>siyum<\/strong> was never essentially limited just to a tractate of the Bavli; see <strong>\u1e24avot Ya\u2019ir<\/strong> \u00a770. A <strong>siyum <\/strong>on a Torah work that learned society deems significant exempts all participants in the <strong>siyum <\/strong>from fasting. But when the <strong>siyum<\/strong> is on a work that is significant to the one who studied it but not so significant in the general eye, only the one who makes the <strong>siyum<\/strong> can make a <strong>se\u2019udat mitzva<\/strong> and exempt himself from fasting. Thus, one who is just beginning to study Torah and has difficulty learning a tractate of Mishna in depth may make a <strong>siyum <\/strong>on completing a superficial study of a tractate of Mishna or a book from Tanakh, but others are not exempted from fasting by his <strong>siyum<\/strong>. See <strong>Yabi\u2019a Omer <\/strong>O\u1e24 26, <strong>Piskei Teshuvot<\/strong> 470:9.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most bekhorim customarily participate in a siyum masekhet (a festive ceremonial meal occasioned by the completion of a tractate of the Talmud) on Erev Pesa\u1e25 after Sha\u1e25arit. Afterward, refreshments are served to everyone in attendance, and the bekhorim present are permitted to partake, sharing in the joy of a se\u2019udat mitzva and celebrating the mitzva [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-13-the-laws-and-customs-of-erev-pesah"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>05.\u00a0The Custom to Rely on a Siyum Masekhet - Peninei Halakha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/04-13-05\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"05.\u00a0The Custom to Rely on a Siyum Masekhet - Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Most bekhorim customarily participate in a siyum masekhet (a festive ceremonial meal occasioned by the completion of a tractate of the Talmud) on Erev Pesa\u1e25 after Sha\u1e25arit. 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