Q. I was present at a siyum masechta that three sons made for their father’s yohrzait during the Nine Days. It was a flaishig (meat) siyum and each one of the sons spoke. One of the sons mentioned when he spoke, that he wasn’t able to complete his full share of the dafim assigned to him. There was an uproar and some of the presents said that no one should continue eating meat and some even claimed that they should not bentsch, since they ate a prohibited seuda during the Nine Days. Where they right?
A. Chashukei Chemed (Shabbos 137a) mentions a similar shailah regarding a fleishig bris milah seuda done on Rosh Chodesh Av. The mohel, due to the pressure of the baby’s father, performed the bris when the baby was still yellow. It was due to the large amount of guest who attended the feast at a fancy and expensive hall. Chasukei Chemed debates whether one can eat meat in such a meal, since due to the danger involved the bris the mitzva was not done properly and leans to be stringent.
However, in our particular case, although the siyum was not completed properly, Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is that it is still considered a seudas mitzva, but on the onset meat should not be consumed. Nevertheless, the birchas hamazon should be recited.
(One may search for someone that attends Daf Hayomi, as the learners often have almost finished small masechtos and are saving the last few lines for the right occasion).
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as advised by Horav Shlomo Miller and Horav Aharon Miller Shlit’a.