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A siyum (“completion”) means the completion of any unit of Torah
Torah

The term "Torah" , or Five Books of Moses or Pentateuch, refers to the entirety of Judaism's founding Halakha and ethical religious texts....
 study, or book of the Mishnah
Mishnah

The Mishnah or Mishna is a major work of Rabbinic literature, and the first major redaction into written form of Jewish oral traditions, called the Oral Torah....
 or Talmud
Talmud

The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
 in Judaism
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
. A siyum is usually followed by a celebratory meal, or seudat mitzvah
Seudat mitzvah

A seudat mitzvah , in Judaism, is an Halakha festive meal, usually referring to the celebratory meal following the fulfillment of a mitzvah , such as a B'nai Mitzvah, a wedding, a brit milah , or a siyum ....
, a meal in honor of a mitzvah
Mitzvah

This article is about commandments in Judaism. For the Jewish rite of passage, see Bar Mitzvah and Bat MitzvahMitzvah is a word used in Judaism to refer to the 613 Mitzvot given in the Torah and the Mitzvah#Rabbinical_mitzvot instituted later for a total of 620....
, or commandment. Siyum also refers to the celebration.

An enduring custom is for the community to complete a unit of Torah or tractate(s) of Talmud during the 30 days following the death of a beloved one and hold a communal siyum thereafter, in tribute and honor of the memory of the deceased.

It has become customary for synagogue
Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer.Synagogues usually have a large hall for prayer , smaller rooms for study and sometimes a social hall and offices....
s to arrange a siyum on the morning before Passover
Passover

Passover is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating God sparing the Israelites when He killed the first born of Egypt, and is followed by the seven day Feast of the Unleavened Bread commemorating the Exodus from Ancient Egypt and the liberation of the Israelites from Judaism and slavery....
 to allow those fasting for Ta’anit Bechorim (Fast of the Firstborn
Fast of the firstborn

Fast of the Firstborn ; is a unique ta'anit in Judaism which usually falls on the day before Passover . Usually, the fast is broken at a siyum seudat mitzvah , which, according to prevailing custom, creates an atmosphere of rejoicing that overrides the requirement to continue the fast ....
) to break their fast, taking advantage of the halakhic
Halakha

Halakha ? also Hebrew transliteration Halocho and Halacha ? is the collective body of Judaism religious law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions....
 principle that prioritizes Torah
Torah

The term "Torah" , or Five Books of Moses or Pentateuch, refers to the entirety of Judaism's founding Halakha and ethical religious texts....
 study.

A siyum ha-sefer, meaning “completion of the book,” is also held as a ceremonial completion and dedication of a sefer Torah
Sefer Torah

A Sefer Torah is a specially hand-written copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, which is the holiest book within Judaism and venerated by Jews. It must meet extremely strict standards of production....
, a handwritten copy of the Torah, the most important Jew
Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
ish ritual object, which is kept in the Ark
Ark (synagogue)

The Ark or Torah Ark in a synagogue is known in Hebrew as the Aron Kodesh by the Ashkenazim and as the Hekh?l amongst most Sefardim....
 of a synagogue.

Usually, when an individual or a group conclude the study of any tractate of the Talmud
Talmud

The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
, or even of the Mishnah
Mishnah

The Mishnah or Mishna is a major work of Rabbinic literature, and the first major redaction into written form of Jewish oral traditions, called the Oral Torah....
, a siyum is celebrated.






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A siyum (“completion”) means the completion of any unit of Torah
Torah

The term "Torah" , or Five Books of Moses or Pentateuch, refers to the entirety of Judaism's founding Halakha and ethical religious texts....
 study, or book of the Mishnah
Mishnah

The Mishnah or Mishna is a major work of Rabbinic literature, and the first major redaction into written form of Jewish oral traditions, called the Oral Torah....
 or Talmud
Talmud

The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
 in Judaism
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
. A siyum is usually followed by a celebratory meal, or seudat mitzvah
Seudat mitzvah

A seudat mitzvah , in Judaism, is an Halakha festive meal, usually referring to the celebratory meal following the fulfillment of a mitzvah , such as a B'nai Mitzvah, a wedding, a brit milah , or a siyum ....
, a meal in honor of a mitzvah
Mitzvah

This article is about commandments in Judaism. For the Jewish rite of passage, see Bar Mitzvah and Bat MitzvahMitzvah is a word used in Judaism to refer to the 613 Mitzvot given in the Torah and the Mitzvah#Rabbinical_mitzvot instituted later for a total of 620....
, or commandment. Siyum also refers to the celebration.

An enduring custom is for the community to complete a unit of Torah or tractate(s) of Talmud during the 30 days following the death of a beloved one and hold a communal siyum thereafter, in tribute and honor of the memory of the deceased.

It has become customary for synagogue
Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer.Synagogues usually have a large hall for prayer , smaller rooms for study and sometimes a social hall and offices....
s to arrange a siyum on the morning before Passover
Passover

Passover is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating God sparing the Israelites when He killed the first born of Egypt, and is followed by the seven day Feast of the Unleavened Bread commemorating the Exodus from Ancient Egypt and the liberation of the Israelites from Judaism and slavery....
 to allow those fasting for Ta’anit Bechorim (Fast of the Firstborn
Fast of the firstborn

Fast of the Firstborn ; is a unique ta'anit in Judaism which usually falls on the day before Passover . Usually, the fast is broken at a siyum seudat mitzvah , which, according to prevailing custom, creates an atmosphere of rejoicing that overrides the requirement to continue the fast ....
) to break their fast, taking advantage of the halakhic
Halakha

Halakha ? also Hebrew transliteration Halocho and Halacha ? is the collective body of Judaism religious law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions....
 principle that prioritizes Torah
Torah

The term "Torah" , or Five Books of Moses or Pentateuch, refers to the entirety of Judaism's founding Halakha and ethical religious texts....
 study.

A siyum ha-sefer, meaning “completion of the book,” is also held as a ceremonial completion and dedication of a sefer Torah
Sefer Torah

A Sefer Torah is a specially hand-written copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, which is the holiest book within Judaism and venerated by Jews. It must meet extremely strict standards of production....
, a handwritten copy of the Torah, the most important Jew
Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
ish ritual object, which is kept in the Ark
Ark (synagogue)

The Ark or Torah Ark in a synagogue is known in Hebrew as the Aron Kodesh by the Ashkenazim and as the Hekh?l amongst most Sefardim....
 of a synagogue.

Usually, when an individual or a group conclude the study of any tractate of the Talmud
Talmud

The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
, or even of the Mishnah
Mishnah

The Mishnah or Mishna is a major work of Rabbinic literature, and the first major redaction into written form of Jewish oral traditions, called the Oral Torah....
, a siyum is celebrated. At the end of every volume of the Talmud a special hadran prayer is printed with a set order of prayers and a special kaddish
Kaddish

Kaddish refers to an important and central prayer in the Jewish Jewish services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of Names of God in Judaism's name....
 in honor of the completion of that volume, which Judaism considers to be an important achievement and a milestone worth celebrating.

In the merit and honor of a deceased individual, it is customary to undertake Mishnah study with the goal of holding a siyum.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein

Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Jews Orthodox Judaism rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme rabbinic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America....
, based on the Nemukei Yosef, the Ran (Rabbeinu Nissim
Nissim of Gerona

Rabbi Nissim ben Reuven of Girona, Catalonia was an influential talmudist and authority on Halakha . He was one of the last of the great Spanish medieval talmudic scholars....
), the Rashbam
Rashbam

Rashbam is a Hebrew acronym for ??? ????? ?? ???? . His father was Meir ben Shmuel and his mother was Yocheved, the Rashi's daughters of Rashi....
, and the Eliyah Rabbah, extends the concept of a siyum to include even a festive meal celebrating the completion of any mitzvah (commandment) that has taken a significant duration of time (such as a number of weeks or months).

See also


  • Seudat mitzvah
    Seudat mitzvah

    A seudat mitzvah , in Judaism, is an Halakha festive meal, usually referring to the celebratory meal following the fulfillment of a mitzvah , such as a B'nai Mitzvah, a wedding, a brit milah , or a siyum ....
  • Fast of the firstborn
    Fast of the firstborn

    Fast of the Firstborn ; is a unique ta'anit in Judaism which usually falls on the day before Passover . Usually, the fast is broken at a siyum seudat mitzvah , which, according to prevailing custom, creates an atmosphere of rejoicing that overrides the requirement to continue the fast ....
  • Talmud
    Talmud

    The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
  • Mishnah
    Mishnah

    The Mishnah or Mishna is a major work of Rabbinic literature, and the first major redaction into written form of Jewish oral traditions, called the Oral Torah....
  • Bereavement in Judaism
    Bereavement in Judaism

    Bereavement in Judaism is a combination of minhag and mitzvah derived from Judaism's classical Torah and Rabbinical literature texts. The details of observance and practice vary according to each Jewish community....