The Simcha of a Siyum

A mishnah in Ta’anis declares that the most joyous holidays on the Jewish calendar are Yom Kippur and Tu B’Av. The Gemara says that Yom Kippur was joyous because the nation was forgiven for its sins. But what was special about Tu B’Av? Several reasons are offered. The Rashbam (Bava Basra 121a) says that these Amoraim are not arguing with each other; rather, each one is declaring the reason he heard from his rebbe.

Rabbah and Rav Yosef explain that on Tu B’Av, they stopped cutting wood for the altar, because afterwards, the summer heat is less intense and any wood gathered would retain its moisture and not be optimal for burning. Furthermore, moist wood may become wormy, which may not be placed on the Mizbei’ach, as it would be like offering a blemished sacrifice.

It is not immediately clear what Rabbah and Rav Yosef’s intent was. Why is the fact that they could no longer cut wood a reason for celebration? Just the opposite – there is a mitzvah they are no longer able to perform, so they should be sad!

Rabbeinu Gershom explains that those who were previously occupied with gathering wood were now able to learn Torah! Embarking on an intense period of Torah study is cause for celebration. In fact, the Gemara continues that the nights start becoming longer from Tu B’Av and on. In an agricultural society, most work was limited to the daytime. Now that the nights start becoming longer, everyone is expected to learn more Torah at night.

The Shulchan Aruch rules that a rebbe should learn with his talmidim during the day but also learn some at night. The Vilna Gaon says that his source is from this very Gemara. Children should not be trained that the mitzvah of learning Torah is only a daytime pursuit. Just the opposite – when they enter the workforce, perhaps their only free time to learn will be at night.

Incidentally, my rosh yeshiva, Rav Henoch Leibowitz, zt”l, remarked that as a youngster in Europe he would go to the local shul to learn Torah at night, but there were generally no seats available! Everyone came to learn Torah at night, and he was forced to sit on the leg supports of his father’s shtender.

Rabbeinu Gershom’s position is that the cause for a celebration was the beginning of a new mitzvah. The Rashbam disagrees. He says they celebrated because they had just completed a mitzvah. From Nissan until Tu B’Av, they were gathering wood for the altar. To finally bring this great mitzvah to its conclusion was cause for celebration. Our Sages teach us that the credit for a mitzvah goes to the one who completes it. Although all the participants earn reward, there is something unique about being the one who completes the mitzvah. Similarly here, although gathering wood was a mitzvah that lasted for months, bringing it to its completion is cause for celebration.

In fact, this idea is codified by the Mishnah Berurah in the midst of a discussion about Simchas Torah (669:6). He writes that indeed completing a mitzvah is cause for celebration, although he does not specifically state what mitzvos he is referring to.

The most famous application of this Gemara was stated by the Nemukei Yosef. He writes that this passage is the source that one should make a seudah upon completion of a mesechta. The Rema states (Y.D. 246:26) that it is a mitzvah to rejoice and make a seudah upon completion of a mesechta, and the poskim write that one can likewise make a siyum on the completion of Tanach.

Rav Vozner, zt”l, writes that one can make a siyum on erev Pesach upon completing a sefer of Navi and this will exempt the firstborns from fasting. And Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, famously told a student to make a siyum on one daf of Gemara! A student used to study Gemara with his father every time he went home for Shabbos. After a while, they finished a daf. Rav Moshe instructed the talmid to make a siyum and informed him that he would personally attend.

The Maharshal was so convinced that a siyum is a seudas mitzvah that he ruled that during bentching one should recite, “Baruch Elokeinu she’ha’simcha bim’ono,” which is recited at a sheva berachos or a wedding. The Maharshal reasoned that certainly a siyum also brings joy to Hashem. However, at the first siyum when the Maharshal was ready to put his new ruling into practice, something terrible happened. The Maharshal does not go into detail, but he attributed the occurrence as a punishment for his inventing a new halacha. Already in Mesechta Shabbos (118) Abaye states that he made a siyum whenever a talmid completed a mesechta. So the idea of making a siyum dates back to then, yet no Rishon mentioned this halacha of reciting “she’ha’simcha bim’ono.” Therefore, the Maharshal retracted his ruling.

Joey Newcomb suggested that perhaps even Rabbeinu Gershom agrees that one should make a seudah upon completion of a mitzvah. However, in this situation, where the mitzvah is no longer available because wood can no longer be cut for the altar, it may seem like one is celebrating freedom from the burden of doing a mitzvah. Therefore, it is better not to celebrate the completion of the mitzvah. However, at a siyum on Torah, there is always more Torah to learn, and no one can misunderstand the nature of his celebration. Therefore, making a simcha upon the completion of a sefer is meritorious.