In the short Parsha of Vayelech, we have the second to last mitzvah in the entire torah, the mitzvah of hakhel. Klal Yisroel would come together at the end of every seven year shemitta cycle on the second day of Sukkos to hear the king read parts of Sefer Devarim.
One could have imagined such an important ceremony with pomp and circumstance, utmost silence and select attendance by invitation only.
Not at all. The Torah says:
הַקְהֵ֣ל אֶת־הָעָ֗ם הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֤ים וְהַנָּשִׁים֙ וְהַטַּ֔ף …. לְמַ֨עַן יִשְׁמְע֜וּ וּלְמַ֣עַן יִלְמְד֗וּ וְיָֽרְאוּ֙ אֶת־ה' אֱלֹקיכֶ֔ם וְשָֽׁמְר֣וּ לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־כׇּל־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת׃
“Gather the nation, the men, the women and the little children… so that they shall hear and learn, and fear Hashem your G-d, and be careful to follow the entire Torah.”
Hakhel was for everyone and for the entire family, which meant aside from a Chumash Devarim, a hakhel packing list might include apple juice containers, cheerios, and baby wipes.
One can only imagine the scene hakhel must have been. There was probably not too much decorum and unless you had a front row seat it must have been nearly impossible to hear what the king was saying!
Why then did the Torah not place an age limit on hakhel?
The Sefer Hachinuch tells us however that the goal of hakhel was not at all about the information that you heard. Rather, since everyone got together it created a buzz and a memory that adults and children could reflect and say “I went to hakhel, where we all came together to learn Torah!” This would create an indelible, lasting impression, even upon the very young, on how important learning Torah actually is.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, there are many lessons. First and foremost, gratitude to Hashem that for the most part our community was spared. It is then our responsibility to try to help those who were significantly impacted.Yasher Koach to the shuls, institutions and community members who are working around the clock to provide assistance. Additionally, the lesson for our own BYB is that when we lost power in our building, teachers, parents, staff and students showed up Thursday ready to learn anyway, because a BYB education deserves our best efforts. These are the memories and lessons that will last for a lifetime.
Best wishes for a beautiful shabbos, a Gmar Chasima Tova and relief to those in need,
Rabbi Binyomin Halpern