seudas mitzvah for a siyum by a woman or katan

Is a siyum made by a katan enough of a reason to allow eating meat during the 9 days? What about a siyum by a woman? Why am I bringing this up when the 9 days ended last week and we are now approaching T"u b'Av?

I think the answer to this question may hinge on what the source is for the idea of making a siyum. One of the sources is the celebration of T"u b'Av. The gemara (B"B 121b) tells us that 15 Av was the day when the season of cutting of wood for use on the maaracha came to a close because after that day the wood was not dry enough to be usable. Rashbam comments:

ואותו יום שפסקו היו שמחים לפי שבאותו יום היו משלימין מצוה גדולה כזאת:

The completion of a mitzvah, says Rashbam, is a cause for celebration.  This is exactly what a siyum is.

Rabeinu Gershom reads the gemara differently. He comments:

ולפי שעה שהיו עסוקים לכרות עצי המערכה היו מתבטלין בתלמוד תורה אבל אותו יום פסקו ועשאוהו יום טוב שמיכן ואילך היו עוסקין בתורה:

The celebration was not because of the siyum of a mitzvah, but rather because not having to chop wood allowed more time for learning. The motivation behind R' Gershom's reading becomes clear from the next line in the gemara:

מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ, דְּמוֹסִיף – יוֹסִיף, שֶׁאֵינוֹ מוֹסִיף – יְסִיף. מַאי ״יְסִיף״? תָּנֵי רַב יוֹסֵף: תִּקְבְּרֵיהּ אִמֵּיהּ.

Since the nights grow longer after 15 Av, a person is required to spend more time at night learning.

According to Rashbam, this is a stand alone statement.  It has nothing to do with wood chopping except in the sense that it's the change in season that is the root cause of both events, i.e. a shortened day means both less sun to dry the wood and a longer night to learn. According to R' Gershom, there is a direct connection between the two statements.  The whole celebration of the cessation of wood chopping was because it allowed for more time to learn.

A second source for the idea of making a siyum quoted in Rishonim has to do with a feast made by Shlomo haMelech. In Sefer Melachim ch 3, Shlomo haMelech is told by Hashem to ask for what he pleases, and he responds by requesting chochma. Hashem was so pleased by that choice that in addition to chochma, Hashem gave Shlomo riches and all the other good things he could have asked for instead. Shlomo responded by celebrating.

וַיִּקַץ שְׁלֹמֹה וְהִנֵּה חֲלוֹם, וַיָּבוֹא יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיַּעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי אֲרוֹן בְּרִית ה', וַיַּעַל עֹלוֹת וַיַּעַשׂ שְׁלָמִים וַיַּעַשׂ מִשְׁתֶּה לְכָל עֲבָדָיו.

The Midrash (Koheles Rabbah) learns from here אמר רבי יצחק: מכאן שעושין סעודה לגומרה של תורה.

The Ohr Zarua (vol 2 hil sukkah) writes that this is the source for our celebration of Simchas Torah:

בתשיעי ספק שמיני אנו עושין שמחת תורה, ומסיימין התורה ומתחילין בראשית, וחתני תורה עושין סעודה לכבוד גמר תורה. ובמלכותנו בשושני"א עושים חתני תורה סעודה גמורה, ומזמנין מבני הקהל ונותנים להם מאכלים טובים אווזות ותרנגולין. ומצאתי עיקרו של מנהג אני המחבר יצחק ב"ר משה נב"ה בתחילת מדרש שה"ש, ויבוא ירושלים ויעמוד לפני ארון ברית ה', אמר רבי יצחק מיכן שעושין סעודה לגומרה של תורה... הנה כשנתן לו הקדוש ברוך הוא חכמה, לכבוד החכמה עשה משתה, ומיכן למד רבי יצחק שהגומר תורה שכולה חכמה שצריך לעשות סעודה ומשתה

You cannot characterize Shlomo haMelech's celebration as one of משלימין מצוה גדולה, like the Rashbam's sevara. Aderaba, he hadn't done anything yet; there was no mitzvah which he had completed or fulfilled. Shlomo was simply the beneficiary of a gift from Hashem. The reason for his celebration was because he now had achieved a higher level of ruchniyus and could potentially accomplish more. The idea of a siyum, of Simchas Torah, is that the completion of a masechta, or of a cycle of Torah reading, means a person has grown and is a better, more elevated person than they were beforehand. Maybe this is why at a siyum we say "hadran alach," that we will return to our learning. The siyum is not celebrating the past, but rather is celebrating the potential for the future.  The next time around is not just a repeat, but is a deeper, richer experience than before, as we are a different person now encountering the text.

I would be remiss if I did not mention in the list of sources the gemara (Shabbos 118b) that says Abayei would make a siyum when a student finished a masechta.  I think this is the source people are most familiar with:

וְאָמַר אַבָּיֵי: תֵּיתֵי לִי, דְּכִי חָזֵינָא צוּרְבָּא מֵרַבָּנַן דִּשְׁלִים מַסֶּכְתֵּיהּ עָבֵידְנָא יוֹמָא טָבָא לְרַבָּנַן

The problem with using this gemara as a source for a siyum is that the sugya there is discussing various hidurim of amoraim for which they were rewarded. The implication is that Abayei's practice was not the norm, but was something exceptional done on his part. Secondly, Rashi comments: עבידנא יומא טבא לרבנן - לתלמידים ראש ישיבה היה. The point of telling us Abayei's job - rosh yeshiva - is that it seems that making the siyum was part and parcel of his job function. How do you encourage the students? By celebrating their achievements. It is hard to generalize from there to someone making a seudah to celebrate their own completion of a masechta.

Since a woman or a katan have no mitzvah to learn, I would think that we can't really call their accomplishment being משלימין מצוה גדולה. How can you be mashlim a mitzvah when there is no mitzvah incumbent upon you to do? I do hear the counterargument that even an "aino metzuveh" deserves credit for accomplishment, but I am not entirely convinced.  The source from Shlomo haMelech, however, would include even a woman and even a katan, as it has nothing to do with the mitzvah per se so much as the effect it has on the individual.

when remaining passive is not a choice

I went to a minyan on 9 Av that invites community members to do a little intro and explanation of each of the kinos before it is recited by the tzibur. I knew that the individual who was going to introduce the kinah that speaks of the horrible starvation in Yerushalayim אִם תֺּאכַלְנָה נָשִׁים פִּרְיָם עוֹלְלֵי טִפּוּחִים אַלְלַי לִי has very different hashkafos that I do, but I was still shocked that he or anyone would use this as the opportunity to speak of our obligation to worry about our being the cause of starvation in Gaza. Whether there is in fact starvation is itself subject to debate, but I certainly am not going to worry about the Gazan people any more than their leaders, who obviously think it more important to continue to hold I hostage than to release them and disarm, do. When I see that young Jews overwhelmingly support Mamdani for mayor of NY, I am discouraged, but I figure they are misguided, unaffiliated folks who are tinok she'nishba in secular culture. But when I hear people in an orthodox shul speaking about our need to be concerned about our causing starvation in Gaza and no one gets up and walks out, instead there is shtika k'hodaah, it is frightening. To be fair, I am confident that the vast majority of people at that shul do NOT agree with this individuals sentiments, but sof kol sof, they gave him a platform and very politely listened to what I think are words of poison.

We read in our parsha

וְצַו אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְחַזְּקֵהוּ וְאַמְּצֵהוּ כִּי הוּא יַעֲבֹר לִפְנֵי הָעָם הַזֶּה וְהוּא יַנְחִיל אוֹתָם אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תִּרְאֶה.

וַנֵּשֶׁב בַּגָּיְא מוּל בֵּית פְּעוֹר.

עַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁמַע אֶל הַחֻקִּים וְאֶל הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְלַמֵּד אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת לְמַעַן תִּחְיוּ וּבָאתֶם וִירִשְׁתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹקי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם נֹתֵן לָכֶם.

What is the connection between וַנֵּשֶׁב בַּגָּיְא and the previous or following pasuk? As Ohr haChaim puts it:

צריך לדעת כונת הכתוב מה בא להודיע במאמר זה, ומה קשר יש לו לא עם מה שלפניו ולא עם מה שלאחריו

The GR"A in Aderes Aliyahu connects it all the way to the beginning of the parsha. Moshe was saying that his tefilos, with all his tzidkus, were not answered, but Bn"Y as a people, despite all their failings, despite ַנֵּשֶׁב בַּגָּיְא מוּל בֵּית פְּעוֹר engaging in the most disgusting avodah zarah, are still guaranteed to go to Eretz Yisrael, לְמַעַן תִּחְיוּ וּבָאתֶם וִירִשְׁתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ.  Very uplifting.

The Alshich has a different pshat. Had Bn"Y been worthy, that the zechus of Yehoshua alone would have been enough to guarantee them victory in the conquest of E Yisrael. כִּי הוּא יַעֲבֹר...וְהוּא יַנְחִיל אוֹתָם. That is no longer the case because of the sin of worshipping Baal Pe'or. But, says the Alshich, weren't those who worshipped Pe'or already punished? Wasn't there a plague that wiped out those who sinned? The next pasuk answers that question: וַנֵּשֶׁב בַּגָּיְא מוּל בֵּית פְּעוֹר. Pinchas jumped up with his spear and took care of business, but what were the rest of you doing? You were sitting there, you were passive, you didn't do anything. True, you were not the one's who worshipped Baal Pe'or, but you stood by idly while others did. Yehoshua's zechuyos are not enough anymore. עַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁמַע אֶל הַחֻקִּים וְאֶל הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְלַמֵּד אֶתְכֶם You all have to do your part, each individual being careful about his shemiras ha'mitzvos. You have to get up and take action and do something meaningful.  

A person cannot sit back and say, "I don't hold that political view, so what do I care what others say?" or "My children are married to the best families, to bnei Torah, to bais Yaakov girls, so I'm not responsible for the 70% intermarriage rate in America," or "I send my kids to the best yeshiva, so what can I do if my neighbor sends his kids to public school?" These are of course different issues that call for different types of reactions and different strategies to address, but the common denominator is that we cannot just be וַנֵּשֶׁב בַּגָּיְא מוּל בֵּית פְּעוֹר The Baal Peor is right across from you, staring you in the face, and all you can do is sit passively while this is going on? I am not saying to sit on Twitter  24x6 debating the Israel bashers, or to engage in disruptive or harmful  behavior. That's not healthy or positive either. But do something. Don't sit passively and let others dictate the narrative or the outcome.

So what should we be doing? This shiur of R' Meir Lichtenstein discussing how his grandfather, the Rav, approched kinos, is worth watching in tis entirely, but I want to highlight just one snippit. B'kitzur, RML contends that the Rav used kinos as a springboard to think about and discuss some of the big questions, e.g. How do we relate to Am Yisrael, to Eretz Yisrael? What is our mission? The Rav would spend hours and hours on kinos, giving full shiurim on individual lines of the text. (Parenthetically, RML mentions that his father did not approach kinos that way.) Today, many American Rabbis follow in the Rav's footsteps, and there are programs you can watch online that can fill your entire day of 9 Av. Here is RML's reaction:

I will just add my own editorial 2 cents.  Sometimes feel that every dollar spent on more and bigger institutions that perpetuate J  life in galus is another dollar that is throwing good money after bad.  You are investing in beautifying the lifeboat so you can stay in it longer and be more comfortable there instead of encouraging people to row faster for land. לְמַעַן תִּחְיוּ  is not the end of the pasuk above.  It's   לְמַעַן תִּחְיוּ וּבָאתֶם וִירִשְׁתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ.  Let's not forget the end goal.  Let's not let 9 AV get away from us without at least thinking about what the end goal is.