Parshas Pikudei, the last Parsha in Sefer Shemos, ends with us saying “Chazak”. This is similar to finishing a Mesechta, so I want to share a thought that I have said at several Siyumim. I would like to introduce it with a personal gripe. I am critical of people who learn randomly instead of picking one Sefer and learning it from cover to cover. I will explain why after I read from a Midrash in Shir Hashirim (1:1).
Shlomo Hamelech in a dream (which was a form of prophecy) is told by Hashem that He will give him wisdom beyond what any man has experienced. He wakes up and the promise is immediately fulfilled. Shlomo Hamelech hears a mule braying and immediately understands what he is saying. He goes back to the palace and makes a Seudah. From here, the Midrash continues, we learn to make a Siyum whenever we make a Siyum.
Shlomo Hamelech woke up and heard the same thing that he had heard many times. This time, the mule’s braying made sense to him. Just as Sholomo Hamelech became a new person by his additional insight, if a person, for example, will learn the entire Mishlei, he will understand how Hashem thinks. Therefore, he will also understand how people think and, most importantly, how he should think. He can now walk into a room with familiar people and, with his new understanding of people, it is a different room, just as listening to the donkey was a completely different experience than it was until now. That is why, when a person finishes Meseches Brachos, for example, the same Bracha he has made for years now has new meaning to him. If he completed Bava Kama, the concept of ownership will have new meaning to him.
To see the world in a clearer manner requires understanding how the author of the Sefer thinks. That can’t be achieved by learning a few pages. If a person learns the entire Pele Yoeitz, even if only with minimal level, he will learn how to think like him. That’s why people should learn any Sefer from cover to cover. And it is the clarity that comes from learning an entire Sefer that makes us excited enough to make a Siyum when we gain clarity.
SHORT VORT, Rabbi Moshe Kormornick. Published by Adir Press. $9.99 in stores worldwide and online here
Whether you are looking for something meaningful on the Parsha, an uplifting thought for Yom Tov, or have been asked to speak at a Simcha – “Short Vort” is the book for you! With over 140 incredible short vorts packed with stories and valuable life messages, you will never be lost for something inspiring to say.
Rabbi Moshe Kormornick is a popular writer whose words are enjoyed by thousands of readers every week.
