Talmud Siyyumim to finish off a section in style

Ros Landy You know the old saying, that you wait for the city centre bus for half an hour and then suddenly two buses appear at once. It is the same with the celebrations that have been going on recently. Ben Blaukopf had his Siyyum in shul and the optional extra one at his garden for those who are self-isolating during Covid. Barry attended the outdoor Siyyum which was very good. Then we realised that we, in the Reif Talmud Shiur, had reached the end of a Masechta. So another Siyyum was done, with each person holding up his or her glass for a L’chayyim. The wonderful thing about the Reif Shiur is its international quality (thanks to Zoom). There is a time setting for Stefan and others in Israel, a time setting for one participant in Austria, and a further time setting for us in the UK.

This time Ben joined in the Israel Siyyum. So the circle was squared. What have you been learning? I hear you ask. We have just finished Beitza which deals with a number of prohibited activities on Shabbat and Chag. The idea of Tchum Shabbat is explored and the areas of land ownership are discussed. What is fascinating are the explanations and Venn diagrams in the Steinsalz edition of the Talmud. This scholarly approach shows clearly where overlapping Eruvim can or cannot be used. It is a strangely captivating topic with differing opinions of the ancient Rabbis delineated. That they do not agree is fascinating and leads us to suppose that it was ever so…namely the argumentative Jew. Clearly Gemara is good mental exercise.