PARASHAT VAYELECH

THE MITZVAH OF HAKHEL

"Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and your stranger that is within your gates…" (Devarim 31:12) This mitzvah of gathering together (hakhel) in the place Hashem had chosen (Yerushalayim) at the end of every seven-year shmitta cycle was one of the last (the last ) mitzvot Moshe instructed Israel about before his demise. According to the Rambam (Hilchot Chagiga, Chapter 3), during the night following the first holiday of Sukkoth, all the men, women, children and the foreigners living among us were to assemble at the women's courtyard of the Temple. They would hear selected parts of the Torah all from the book of Devarim being read aloud by the king. These parts included the two first paragraphs of our Shema Yisrael prayer as well as the blessings and the curses in parshat Kitavo. Sefer Hachinuch explains that since the essence of the Jewish people is the Torah, it is therefore fitting that everyone should gather together at a specific time to listen to her words. The reason for this great gathering will reverberate through the entire people including, men women and children proclaiming- "in order to hear the words of the Torah which are our essence, praise and splendor." Then their hearts will be filled with desire for the Torah. With this desire they will learn to know G-d as it states: "that they may learn, and fear the Eternal you G-d, and observe to do all the words of this law." (31:12)
According to R. Shneerson of Lubawitz, Hakhel takes place at the end of the Shmitta cycle because the main lessons learned from keeping the laws of Shmitta should spill over into the year and become inculcated in our very nature. The 3 main principles learned from keeping the laws of Shmitta correspond to the main teachings of each of the three paragraphs selected to read during hakhel. 1. Man is resting- G-d is in charge of man corresponds to the words of rebuke at the beginning of the book of Devarim. 2. The land is resting- G-d is in charge of the world corresponds to the second paragraph of the Shema. Describing our spiritual worship- allowing us to be relieved of physical work in order to be dedicated to spiritual matters. 3. G-d is in charge of man's possessions, is highlighted in the third selected section which starts with the mitzvah of taking tithes. Moreover, after we understand that everything we possess belong to G-d we can accept the Torah as a covenant in the sections describing the blessings and the curses.
Kli Yakar emphasizes the material equality resulting from the laws of Shmitta. The gap between the rich and the poor is decreased since no one has ownership over the produce of his field, and all the monetary debts are released. This causes brotherhood and peace among Israel, as does the dwelling in our temporary booths during Sukkoth.
Therefore, the king is commanded to read sections of the book of Devarim during the holiday of Sukkot following the Shmitta year, for then the hearts of Israel are open to absorb all which is written in the Torah.

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