Q&A: Source for the Kaddish Said at the Completion of a Tractate
Source for the Kaddish Said at the Completion of a Tractate
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I wanted to ask, please, what is the source for the Kaddish that is said at the completion of a tractate, and what is its meaning?
Answer
The whole institution of Kaddish has its basis in the Geonic period. I assume that this is the case for the completion of a tractate as well: to sanctify God through Torah study.
Discussion on Answer
It’s not really mentioned there. The passage deals with Kedushah, not Kaddish. True, the medieval authorities (Rishonim) added that Kaddish too is a matter of sanctity that is said in the presence of ten. What does appear there is “May His great name be blessed” (without saying in what context this statement is said, and one can raise various possibilities about that), but neither the text of Kaddish, nor the various Kaddish recitations in the order of the prayer service, and certainly not at the completion of a tractate.
Kaddish is mentioned in the Talmud in several places (for example, Berakhot 21b). It’s surprising that the Rabbi overlooked it.