The Maharshal Retracts His Siyum Bentching Ruling

The Maharshal was so convinced that a party upon completion of sefer is a seudas mitzvah that he ruled that during benching at a siyum one should recite, “Blessed is our G-d shehasmicha b’mono.” This phrase “[Hashem] Whose abode is this celebration” is recited at betnching at a sheva brachos or a wedding. The Maharshal reasoned that certainly the phrase should be recited at a siyum which certainly 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 about what exactly occurred but needless to say it was not pleasant. The Maharshal attributed the occurrence to a punishment for inventing a new halacha which had no source in the writings of the earlier poskim. Already in Masechta Shabbos (118), Abaye states that he made a siyum whenever a talmid completes a masechta. Certainly, the idea of making a siyum dates back to then, yet no Rishon mentioned this halacha of reciting “shehasmicha b’mono.” Therefore, the Maharshal retracted his ruling and states that the phrase should only be recited at sheva brachos or a wedding.