This week’s Torah portion, Parshat Vayelech, describes Moses’ final days. The Parsha tells us that Moses gathers up his energy to inform the people that he will no longer be able to lead them across the Jordan River to the promised land. Moses passes his leadership onto Joshua, as this was G-d’s intention. Before Moses departs, he receives a final commandment from G-d; to transcribe “this song,” referring to the Torah. So, Moses writes the Torah and leaves it in the safekeeping of priests. Then, Moses delivers the commandment of Hakhel, which requires that every seven years during Sukkot, all the people of Israel must gather at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem where the king publicly reads sections of the Torah. As the Israelites are preparing to leave, G-d appears and warns the people that they will one day stray and worship other G-ds which, consequently, will bring about a period of evil and trouble. The Torah, now officially completed, was placed in the Ark with the tablets, and Moses recounts “the song” of the Torah and leaves the Israelites to enter the promised land without him.

This Torah portion is a very significant moment in our history as it describes the moment when the written Torah that we know and use today came into existence. It is also noteworthy that Moses tells the Israelites “The song” of the Torah. It is the first instance when all the contents of the script are read, but it is described as a “song.” This could refer to the chanting and trope that is used today, or possibly a deeper meaning within an emotional connection. Reading words speaks directly to the mind, while singing them speaks to the heart. Perhaps Moses understood that he needed for the Jewish people to forge a deeper, emotional connection to the Torah, not just an intellectual one. Why? Because Moses foresaw that eventually the Jewish people would be tempted to sin and stray from G-d. Moses understood that to prevent such events from occurring, a strong, emotional connection to the “song” of the Torah would be essential. Perhaps, this is the impetus for Hakhel as well. A public gathering focused on reading words of the Torah would serve to remind the Jewish people of the centrality of Torah to our faith and peoplehood. 

In addition to binding the Israelites to the Torah, Hakhel is also the origin of what we are reading now, the Dvar Torah. The public and collective reading of the Torah that comes along with Hakhel suggests revision and discussion. When people consider the content of the Torah, they find ways to apply it to their lives and learn from its lessons and teaching. Without this commandment encouraging us to analyze the text, it is very likely that we would not have Divrei Torah or weekly talks reviewing the Torah portions. Perhaps, the greatest benefit of both the Hakhel ceremony and its modern-day substitute, weekly Torah conversations, is that it enables the transmission of Torah lessons and Jewish values to the next generation. It might, in fact, be the very key to the continued existence of the Jewish people and Jewish religion.

Shabbat Shalom, 

KIO Regional Shlichim, Elise Varhan and Max Perry