Rav Avigdor Miller on Siyum Mesechta

Q:
What should the thoughts be of a person when he finishes a mesechta of gemara?

A:
When a person finishes a mesechta of gemara, he should feel intense joy. Not just joy – intense joy! And after that, intense responsibility. You learned a mesechta, so now you make sure to begin reviewing it. Otherwise it’ll go lost and the next time you see it, it’ll be like a brand new gemara. You learned a mesechta? Review it again and again and again and again. Lock it in. It’s like if a person is giving you money. If I would give you money, would you just leave it on your front steps?! You want to just leave it to get lost?!

So therefore, when you finish learning something, when you complete a limud, you should feel two things: an intense joy and an intense responsibility. Make sure to chazer, chazer, chazer. Always review what you learned and lock it in. It’s such a tragedy to forget.

So you have two attitudes now. Number one is boruch Hashem, I learned a mesechta! That’s a tremendous happiness. But number two is that it’s also a tremendous responsibility. It’s a tremendous responsibility you have now! When a child is born to you, it’s a big simcha, yes? Are you going to leave that child on the doorstep?!
TAPE # E-217

Growing Great at the Siyum Ha’Shas (Excerpt From Tape # E-12)

The gemara says כל בי עשרה שכינתא שריא — When ten Jews come together, the Shechina rests on them (Sanhedrin 39a). Now, you’ll say that’s because a Jew is holy, so when ten kedoshim come together we understand that the Shechinah should rest on them. But I’m going to tell you a chiddush in this ma’amar – not to contradict the idea of kedusha, but a different idea in addition to that.

When you have ten Jews all united all with one purpose, all wanting to serve Hashem together, it’s a chizuk for the ten Jews who are there. Now, it’s not a tremendous chizuk like when a few million people came together at Har Sinai was, but still it’s something – ten Jews coming together to serve Hashem is a chizuk!

So Hashem says: That chizuk causes the Shechina to rest on you. Don’t think it’s a small thing when Jews gather together. Because that chizuk that you get, that spirit and increased confidence in your purpose in this world that you feel, causes the Shechina to come and rest on you.

And therefore Moshe Rabeinu said to Hashem: שובה השם – Come to rest Hashem. Where do You rest your Shechinah, Hashem? On רבבות אלפי ישראל – Wherever there are “ten thousands and thousands” of Yisroel. That’s two times ten thousand, and another two times a thousand. So the gemara (Yevamos 64a) says from here we see that the Shechina rests on 22,000 of Yisroel. If you could find 22,000 of Yisroel that come together at one time, then a whole different level of Shechina comes on them. Because when each one sees so many other people so each one is fortified – you become oifgelebt, you become emotionally charged! 22,000 frum Jews all together! Each who is there becomes so full of a fire because of the numbers – that’s the power that numbers give; it’s a tremendous encouragement! So Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, “If that’s the case, if you have the spirit in you and you’re excited about Me, then I’ll give you even more spirit, more confidence, and the Shechina rests on them.

When the Agudas Yisroel made a Siyum Hashas, so twenty thousand Jews came. It knocked the eyes out of the New York Times. It hurt them to no end. Very good! Even more than an eye should be knocked out. It was a kiddush Hashem to have twenty thousand Jews at a Siyum Hashas! But more than the kiddush Hashem, it was a tremendous chizuk!

And you can go to other places too. I once went to see the Satmar Rav, the old Satmarer Rav, zichrono livracha, on Hoshana Rabbah. The place was packed; it was jam packed with people and the Hoshanos took four hours! It was a tremendous kiddush Hashem! A great crowd of people that inspired everyone.

When the Belzer made a chasuna, it was a tremendous chasuna, a royal convention – bigger than a convention. All frum Jews, all wearing shtreimelach. And each one went away from that chasuna with a new chizuk, with a new kind of loyalty to Hakodosh Boruch Hu because the more you have Jews who demonstrate that they are loyal to Hashem and to His Torah, the easier it is for you to be mischazek, to strengthen yourself in your emunah.

You may not admit it. You want to be a philosopher, a chacham – you want to read the Kuzari and the Chovos Halevavos. Fine, very good. But the chizuk you get from a multitude of Jews is more important than anything else. And therefore, we shouldn’t ignore this opportunity. It’s a very important point what you’re hearing now – we have to know that whenever you go to a place where you see a big number of Jews, you’re going to come back home not the same person anymore.