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Hakhel

Hakhel. Parshat Vayeilech. Hakhel Background. Hakhel is a national gathering of the Jewish people Hakhel occurs in the year following shemittah , on the holiday of Sukkot (1 st day of Chol HaMoed) Men, women and children attend

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Hakhel

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  1. Hakhel Parshat Vayeilech

  2. Hakhel Background • Hakhel is a national gathering of the Jewish people • Hakhel occurs in the year following shemittah, on the holiday of Sukkot (1st day of Chol HaMoed) • Men, women and children attend • Features the public reading of the Torah (parts of Sefer Devarim) by the Jewish king

  3. BIG questions • Why is hakhel observed during Sukkot? • Why is hakhel held in the year following shemittah? • Why does the entire nation assemble for hakhel – and why should infants be present?

  4. BIG QUESTION #1 Why is hakhel observed during Sukkot? • Kli Yakar (1150-1619) says that the purpose of hakhel is to create a public gathering for teshuvah • If people don’t feel united or close to one another, it’s difficult to create a “teshuvah mood” • Sukkot is a time of Jewish unity • Arbeh minim = different types of Jews coming together as one

  5. BIG QUESTION #2 Why is hakhel held in the year following shemittah? • During the shemittah year, the land becomes “ownerless” and may not be worked • This makes people “equal” • Part of the teshuvah process is humility – recognizing you’ve done something wrong and not viewing other people as “less” than you

  6. BIG QUESTION #3 Why does the entire nation assemble for hakhel? • Rambam says that hakhel is meant to re-create the experience at Har Sinai, where we received the Torah • The Jewish people were unified at this time – they were like “one person with one heart” • Every person had to be present to re-create the “Har Sinai experience”

  7. Final Thoughts • Hakhel is directly related to teshuvah • This explains why our parsha is read this time of the year – just one week before Rosh Hashanah • In order for teshuvah to work, we need people to put aside their differences and work together to achieve unity

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