Reply To: Can you make a siyum if you learned in English?

Shraga: See the SH”A OC 553:3 (if I recall correctly) where he says “Yeish Mi Sheomer that it’s Assur to learn by Hirhur on Tishah B’av”. Thus, learning by just reading has some sort of tangible meaning, even though according to the SH”A you can’t make a Bracha on it. (I’m not sure what this Halachah proves though, as you could attempt to learn just about any way from it-that Hirhur doesn’t count but it’s M’sameach; or that it really does count as learning it’s just that for a Brachah you need a Ma’aseh, which reading only with one’s eyes cannot accomplish.)