[Avodah] Kaddish with mixed seating

[Kaganoff via Avodah]

Following up upon my earlier post about the permissibility of saying
the *kaddish
*of a *siyyum* at a dinner with mixed seating.



I spoke to RIETS RY last week and he said that we only require *mechitzah* in
a *Shul*, based upon the *Gemara* in *Succos*, which requires separate
seating at a *shul*.



This is clear from the original textual source of mechitzah, the Gemara in
the fifth perek of Succos, that the basis of *mechitzah* is the *Bais
ha-Mikdash*. As our Synagogues are modeled after the Bais ha-Mikdash, we
apply the principals underlying the *Gemara* in Succos to our Shuls.



(Similarly, *Tosfos* justifies the practice of bringing children to Shul
using the model of *Hakhel*.) As the Kaddish for a Siyyum has nothing do to
with a Shul there is no need for separate seating.



I also spoke to one of the Dayanim in our community he did not even think
that saying *kaddish* with mixed seating was an issue as he thought that
mixed seating was only an issue in a *Shul*.



Others told me the same (i.e. that only a *shul* requires separation) in
the name of Rav Schachter *shlit”a* .



However, I saw Rav Herschel Schachter *shlit”a* at shacharis this week so I
asked him my question. He responded that it would be better if they would
have the *siyyum* before the dinner. I asked why and he responded “*Davar
She’bekedushah*”.



I asked him so why do people recite *Kedushah* after a *siyyum* with mixed
seating. And he responded, “Nu, Nu”. (Which is a common response from Rav
Schachter to questions of that sort.)



Interestingly enough the Gemara in Succos brings a “proof” for separation
of men and women from a non-“*Davar She’bekedushah*” the funeral in
*Zecharyah*.



Of course we are not discussing whether a particular practice is good or
bad or even “best practices”, but rather whether it is required or not.



Yonatan
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