Dancing at the American siyum after Shas was completed by HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky.
The four-sided dais at the Meadowlands. Speeches were given from each of the sides.
A sign on the highway near the siyum at the Meadowlands
The Dirshu Siyum HaShas
The Dirshu Siyum HaShas
By Yechiel Sever
One of the first siyumim was the Jerusalem siyum of Dirshu, held on motzei Shabbos Mikeitz, Shabbos Chanukah at the Binyanei Ha'Uma. Minutes before the beginning of the siyum, reflecting the true priorities, was a final test to stimulate and encourage accomplished knowledge of the holy gemora.
Silence reigned in the auditorium as the Slobodka Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, went up to deliver his address. "The rejoicing is not only for those who completed the Shas, but for the entire world as well. The more Torah that is being studied, the more the Shechina rests in our midst and the more Heavenly assistance there is for each and every one.
"The Siyum HaShas on Chanukah also embodies a special event since it expresses to such a greater degree the bond of the Torah and Chanukah.
"The gemara states: `Rav Huna says: Whoever enhances the Chanukah candles is granted sons who are talmidei chachomim.' And Rashi quotes, `For a mitzvah is like a candle with Torah as light.' This can be understood that the mitzvah of a candle embodies Torah. The gemara continues and says that `whoever enhances the mitzvah of mezuzoh merits a pleasant home; one who enhances the mitzvah of tzitzis merits a nice tallis; whoever enhances the mitzvah of Kiddush on Shabbos day merits quantities of wine.'"
The dais at the Dirshu siyum in Jerusalem,
with a long list of the rabbonim present
The gemora in Taanis tells of Rav Yosi demin Yokras who had workers whom he was supposed to feed. His son was with the workers and when his father did not arrive with food, the son asked the fig tree to give out its fruit miraculously, which it did. When his father arrived he said that because he caused the fig tree to give out fruit ahead of its time, he would also be taken from the world before his time.
What is behind this exchange is that every person may chas vesholom do things that cause him do be liable to death from Shomayim. Usually the merits that a person has protect him from this harsh punishment. Rav Yosi told his son that he had used up his merits in causing the miracle, so he would not be protected if he reached a dangerous situation, which was likely to happen.
If one continues with the gemora he sees that it talks of Rabi Chanina ben Dosa who experienced one neis after another. But no one said that Rabi Chanina used up his merits.
The reason is that, as the famous Ramban says, there is really no nature that works on its own. Everything is neis. We have to internalize that even the hidden miracles which appear as nature, are really miracles from Hashem.
Rabi Chanina ben Dosa lived at such a level that he understood this deeply and did not consider the apparent miraculous to be any different from the more familiar nature. So for him there was no special deed in causing the vinegar to light.
On Chanuka, the Chashmonaim experienced such extensive and dramatic miracles during the warfare that they learned this lesson very well, that there is really no difference between hidden and open miracles. By the time they purified the Beis Hamikdash and the oil burned for eight days they took it in stride. Oil burning one night is no less miraculous than for eight nights.
Therefore when they wrote Al Hanissim they stressed the warfare and only added the lights as a final note. But we in our days have only the candles to use to learn from their light about the miraculous conduct of Hashem in the world.
How do we achieve this awareness? Only through Torah. By learning Torah we merit the Shechinah in our hears and we become more spiritual so that we can recognize the true nature of the world and of the way Hashem conducts it. And that is why one who fulfills the mitzvah properly merits children who are talmidei chachomim because that is how the presence of Torah in the home is expressed.
And this is connection of Chanukah to the siyum HaShas. One who learns the entire Shas, will certainly become more spiritual and will be better equipped to reach the goal of the Chanukah lights. But the siyum should be followed by learning more and again, and better with greater depth. And by learning Shas a a higher level they will reach even higher levels and reach shleimus in avodas Hashem, bimeheira beyomeinu Amen.
