It would be impossible to voluntarily work together on any project for 12 years without developing a close relationship. I have merited to learn the entire tractate Bava Kama of the Babylonian Talmud with a chavrusa. Tonight we had a beautiful סיום/siyum surrounded by family (his family was more than half of the minyan!) and friends.
As I was preparing for the סיום/siyum, I began wondering why we make a big deal about a siyum masechta, anyway. Isn't each word of Torah a mitzvah? What is different about completing a masechta than just just learning more words of Torah? On the heels of that thought came an even more basic thought... what is a masechta, anyway? The first mishna in Makkos is a continuation of the last mishna of Sandedrin. (Well... depending on how you number the chapters; which itself is a bit of a wonder.) Most masechtas have a name that tells you about the main topic: Shabbos is about Shabbos, Yoma is about Yom Kippur, Sukkah is about Sukkos, Megilla is about Purim, and so forth. What about Bava Kama/Metzia/Basra, which means Gate First/Middle/Last? They aren't about gates, they are about damages; part of the original masechta Nezikin (damages) that was split into three. Why do I get to make a siyum on each part of Nezikin, but I have to finish all of masechta Brachos -- not just three chapters at a time.
And another thing. The word סיום means "end." Yet, the first thing we say after finishing the last line is
הֲדַרַן עַלָךְ מַסֶּכֶת פלוני/We will return to you, masechta Ploni.
That answers my first question: why I have to wait until the end to make a siyum. After all, while I am in the middle of the masechta, there is no question that I am coming back to finish. It is just that when I finish, I make that declaration that I'll be back. However, that really just begs the question: Why do I say that? Isn't that an odd thing to say at the end of any technical journal? I never even once finished a college course and, as I was closing the text upon finishing the last assignment and studying for the final said, "I shall return to you, Oh Laws of Gravitation!"
You know what is even more odd? The next phrase:
וְהֲדַרַך עֲלָן/and you will return to us
But that is just the beginning; Our mind is on you, masechta Ploni, and your mind is on us. We won't forget you, mesachta Ploni, and you won't forget us -- Not in this world and not in the next. But how can a book return to us, or have it's mind on us, or remember us? Unless, of course...
Right. The Oral Law is not 37 books. It is 37 distinct personalities. Living entities with which we connect on a spiritual level. It is how we, Klal Yisrael, become the klaf of the Oral Law. Some people are tall, some are blond, some are stocky, some are better at sports, some at chess. You would never ask why is ploni 5'7" and why does almoni likes to garden. They just are; that is them. To know a person -- to really know him -- you get the whole package. Chazal were able to see the personality that makes up each masechta and package them for us.
And all of those are really just different faces that HaShem presents to us and invites us to get to know Him. We will return to you, HaShem, and You will return to Us; our mind is on You, HaShem, and Your mind is on us; we won't forget you, HaShem, and You won't forget us. Not in this world and not in the next.
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