It's brought down in Halacha that if one makes a siyum during the 9 days they may eat meat. A person happens to have a siyum coming out now in the 9 days (he is only one daf away.) However not every siyum he eats meat. Some siyumim he makes by himself without a "celebration" and an official seudah, while other siyumim he makes on Shabbos (specially for the reason that he is anyway eating meat then and having a seudah that it would be nice to use to celebrate the siyum instead of doing it special during the week when he may not make such a big seudah with meat.) In short this person sometimes does make a seudah with meat for his siyum and sometimes not. May he make the siyum now during the 9 days and serve a meat seudah to his family?
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1Related: judaism.stackexchange.com/q/43894/3– WAFJul 21, 2015 at 2:33
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1The implied premise in your question is that the siyum is for the benefit of the learner. Offhand, I don't think that's an accurate premise. If that were the case, you wouldn't need a minyan to make the siyum. The siyum implies a simcha that is to be shared with others. So, I'm unsure what you mean by a "private" siyum.– DanFJul 21, 2015 at 13:20
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@DanF slightly edited based on your comment...– YehoshuaJul 21, 2015 at 14:31
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@Yehoshua The edits do improve the premise. However, I still don't think that one's individual habit alters the general permissibility that allows a siyum to include meat. I.e. - eating meat is connected to the siyum, itself, not the person who makes the siyum. Can you also edit your source, so that we can respond based on that? Perhaps, there are multiple explanations or phrasing of the halacha that you cite.– DanFJul 21, 2015 at 14:37
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1@DanF right but I've heard before that a person who doesn't normally eat meat by a siyum can suddenly now change his practice because he wants to eat meat during the 9 days. THis case is a bit different since he sometimes does make a siyum in a way that there will be a seudah with meat to celebrate with– YehoshuaJul 21, 2015 at 14:40
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3 Answers
This Kof-K article says
When one finishes a mesechta, there is a mitzvah to be joyous over the occasion. The simcha is so great that some poskim say one should mention simcha b’meono at the siyum. (The minhag is not to say it). The Yam Shel Shlomo says there is no greater simcha or mitzvah that is done before Hashem than the simcha and mitzvah of finishing a portion of Torah. The poskim say since there is such great simcha at a siyum, even if people did not finish the mesechta they should still partake in the siyum.
So, IF you are finishing the masechta, there is a mitzvah to make a siyum. If you make a siyum, there is a mitzvah of simcha, and that simcha is enhanced via eating meat. (En SImcha Ela Basar - don't recall, offhand the source of this, but will try to edit later.) Furthermore, the above quote states that even those who did not complete the masechta can join in the siyum and eat meat. In short, there is nothing implied here regarding what your previous custom or habit was.
Despite this, though, the same article, later on, says:
If one was not planning on making a siyum during the nine days, he should not hasten the learning in order to finish it during this time. Some are lenient with this. However, one should act in accordance with the first opinion mentioned.
Your question implies that he was planning a siyum, anyway. It's just a question of can he serve meat?
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It just so happens that the siyum came out during the 9 days (and certainly wasn't planning on it), but he doesn't always eat meat by each siyum. However perhaps we see from this that there is definitely a mitzvah too and the fact that this person normally didn't or doesn't eat meat just shows that he was missing out on the mitzvah.– YehoshuaJul 22, 2015 at 7:10
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@Yehoshua Your last sentence was my main point. A siyum is a "non required" mitzvah, AFAIK. When I was in summer camp, I think they found any way possible to eat meat during the week, so there was a daily siyum during the week that Tish'a B'Av did NOT occur. It seems that Jews like meat a lot and can never get enough of it. Hmmm ... sounds a lot like a story I read in the Torah a few weeks ago ;-)– DanFJul 22, 2015 at 14:21
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I'm giving up on trying to fix my explanation. Truth is I have a siyum and could finish tonight, might go ahead and make hamburgers for me and my wife then. Especially this year (not shavuah she'chal bo at all)– YehoshuaJul 22, 2015 at 15:18
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@Yehoshua "I'm giving up on trying to fix my explanation" - If you mean, to us M.Y. readers, maybe give it up. If you mean to your family, why not just explain the mitzvah of a siyum, and even better, invite your LCOR to join you, have him explain it and entice him with a hamburger! BTW, you do realize that you need a minyan?– DanFJul 22, 2015 at 15:23
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Why do I need a minyan in order to eat meat? Or make a siyum at all? It's a celebration either way, no?– YehoshuaJul 22, 2015 at 15:34
As you assert correctly halocho allows for a person to make a meaty siyum, namely a seudas mitzvah during this period and anyone connected to the siyum may participate - refer to the Rema in Shulchan Oruch OC 551:10. The Mishnah Berurah s"k 75 adds that this refers to any family member of friend who is close enough to have attended this meal whenever it may have occurred.
It is worth noting however that the Mishnah Berurah s"k 73 writes that a person shouldn't aim to make a meaty siyum during the Nine Days by either rushing or slowing down to finish during this period. Indeed in the Minchos Yitzchok, cheilek beis, siman 93 it makes clear that to act in this fashion is demonstrating that his joy is more in the eating of the meat than the completion of the masechta! As he asserts:
אם מכוון דווקא לסיים באותו יום משום הנאת גופו אין כאן מצוה ואסור לעשות כן
If he intends specifically to complete it (the masechta) on that day to gain bodily benefit (i.e to enjoy eating the meat) - there is no mitzvah here and it is forbidden to do so.
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It would seem that the question here has another angle. The Poskim discuss whether a Siyum on a sefer Tanach is sufficient for a 9 days siyum (or is a seudas mitzvah) or a mesechta of mishnayos. Most feel that it is not enough to be counted as a siyum. Perhaps, by the fact that this fellow does not always make a siyum on each mesechta, he has created for himself the position that it is not enough for him and perhaps he needs to finish the whole seder or even shas. Just a possibility.– ChatzkelJul 11, 2021 at 1:48
Of course it is a seudas mitzva. He is allowed to eat meat there. If he does not, it is like not eating at the seudas mitzva after a bris.
