''Hadran'' ( arc, הַדְרָן, translation=we will return) is a short prayer recited upon the completion of study of a tractate of the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

or a Seder of

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...

. It is also the name of the scholarly discourse delivered at a ''

siyum A ''siyum'' ( he, סיום) ("completion"), in Judaism, occasionally spelled siyyum, is the completion of any established unit of Torah study. The most common units are a single volume of the Talmud, or of Mishnah, but there are other units of lea ...

masechet'', the ceremony celebrating the completion of study of a Talmudic tractate.

Etymology

''Hadran'' is an Aramaic word used in the Talmud. It is the first word of a short prayer that appears at the end of each tractate. The prayer reads: According to the

Raavad Abraham ben David ( – 27 November 1198), also known by the abbreviation RABaD (for ''Rabbeinu'' Abraham ben David) Ravad or RABaD III, was a Provençal rabbi, a great commentator on the Talmud, ''Sefer Halachot'' of Rabbi Yitzhak Alfasi and ''M ...

, a 12th-century Talmudic commentator, the word ''hadran'' comes from the Aramaic root , which is similar to the Hebrew root ('return' or 'review'). Thus, the prayer expresses the learner's desire to return to and review the tractate again in the future. According to Rabbi Chaim ben Betzalel, author of ''Sefer HaChaim'', the word ''hadran'' is similar to the Hebrew root H-D-R ("glory"), and thus speaks of the Talmud as being "our glory". In his words: "Since the Talmud is glorious only when studied by Jews, and Israel itself is distinguished precisely by its adherence to the Oral Torah, which separates it from the nations, we therefore are accustomed to declare at the completion of a tractate that 'our glory is on you, and your glory is on us'". Other observers point out this alternative meaning.

Recital

The ''hadran'' is said aloud at a ''siyum'' celebrating the completion of study of a Talmudic tractate. The one who has studied the tractate leaves aside a small portion at the end of the text to learn at the ''siyum''. After studying this portion aloud, the person recites the ''hadran'' three times. If a group of students is completing a tractate, their principal or teacher learns the last portion of the tractate aloud and they all recite the ''hadran'' together three times. The wording of the ''hadran'' is an expression of love and friendship, as if the tractate has become the learner's friend since he has studied it, and he longs to be reunited with it. According to ''Yoma Tova LeRabbanan'', the repetition of the ''hadran'' three times is a '' segulah'' (propitious remedy) for remembering what one has learned. The learner or learners also recite a short passage describing

Rav Papa Rav Pappa ( he, רַב פַּפָּא) (c. 300 – died 375) was a Babylonian rabbi, of the fifth generation of amoraim. Biography He was a student of Rava and Abaye. After the death of his teachers he founded a school at Naresh, a city near ...

and his ten sons, which is also considered a protection against forgetting one's learning.

Discourse

It is customary for a scholar to deliver a Talmudic discourse at a ''siyum'' being made on the completion of a tractate. This discourse is also called a ''hadran''. The speaker may be the one completing the tractate or another honored guest. This discourse connects the end of the tractate with its beginning, or with the beginning of the next tractate in sequence, using ''

pilpul ''Pilpul'' ( he, פלפול, loosely meaning 'sharp analysis'; ) is a method of studying the Talmud through intense textual analysis in attempts to either explain conceptual differences between various halakhic rulings or to reconcile any appare ...

'' (incisive analysis) to connect the ideas in the two places. A special literature of ''hadran'' ''pilpul'' began appearing at the beginning of the 18th century. Since then, numerous collections of ''hadran'' discourses have been published. Many leading rabbis who opposed ''pilpul'' criticized its use in the ''hadran''. At the 5th Siyum HaShas of

Daf Yomi ''Daf Yomi'' ( he, דף יומי, ''Daf Yomi'', "page of the day" or "daily folio") is a daily regimen of learning the Oral Torah and its commentaries (also known as the Gemara), in which each of the 2,711 pages of the Babylonian Talmud is covere ...

in Tel Aviv in 1960, Rabbi

Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman (1886–1969), he, יוסף שלמה כהנמן, yi, יוסף שלמה כהנעמאן, known also as Ponevezher Rav, was an Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva. He was a renowned Torah and Talmudic s ...

, the Ponovezher Rav, delivered a ''hadran'' for nearly two hours. At the age of 17, Rabbi

Yitzchak Yaacov Reines Yitzchak Yaacov Reines ( he, יצחק יעקב ריינס, Isaac Jacob Reines), (October 27, 1839 – August 20, 1915) was a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi and the founder of the Mizrachi Religious Zionist Movement, one of the earliest movements o ...

delivered a ''hadran'' that lasted three days at a Siyum HaShas celebrated by the Chevras Shas (Shas Society) of his hometown.

References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em

External links

Last page of Tractate Berakhot with ''hadran'' printed after text"The Completion of the Babylonian Talmud, Daf Yomi"
Talmud Aramaic words and phrases Torah study Aramaic words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings