The Mitzvah of Hakhel was done during the holiday of Succot, and it’s one of the last Mitzvot of the Torah. Once in seven years, the Jewish people all gathered together in the Succot after the Shemitta year. And as the Rambam says, they stand there with fear and trepidation, like a repeat of Har Sinai. Like how he was commanded, and we heard from God, the king is a messenger to make heard the words of God.”
So it's clear that Hakhel was a Har Sinai of sorts.
But why was this Har Sinai done specifically on Succot, and specifically after Shemitta?
Rav Yerucham Olshin, in his Sefer Yerach L’Moadim, adds a beautiful thought.
He says that we say every day in our prayers, in the Beracha before Keriat Shema, where we talk about the Torah, we say, “Give us the Torah because of our forefathers that relied on you.”
The Gaon of Vilna says that because the Jewish people relied on God completely, they merited to receive the Torah. That includes the introduction in the desert as well. Rabbi Bachye says (in his introduction to Parashat Beshalach)
that the reason we were in the desert for 40 years with all those tests was to make us fit to receive the Torah. Bitachon is a main foundation and principle of the Torah.
Thus Bitachon is necessary as a preparation to receive the Torah. The Meshech Chochma, which we’ve quoted many times, says that Bitachon is the mitzvah of Divekut, to connect to God.
The Torah is described as a marriage between God and the Jewish people. We say Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe Morasha. The Gemara in Berachot (57a) says not to read it as Morasha, which means an inheritance, but rather MeUrasa, which means an engagement. The rabbis explain that Torah is the connection between God and Jewish people.
That’s why Shlomo Hamelech says in Shir Hashirim, “Kiss me like you kissed me then,” and then refers to Har Sinai, which was considered like a bride and groom kissing and connecting to each other.
And if that's what Torah is, Divekut, what is the introduction that starts this Divekut/ connection process? That's the bitachon- reliance on God is what brings us our Torah connection.
We had to start with Bitachon, in the the desert, in a land that was not planted. And that Bitachon, that reliance, was the introduction for our receiving the Torah.
Rav Yerucham Olshin points out that, as we've mentioned in the past, there's something special about Succot in the year after Shemitta.
Number one is it's the year after Shemitta, which is all about bitachon.
Number two, the holiday of Succot inherently is the holiday of Bitachon, because you're in the Succah, which is relying on God.
But he adds another point- when they left their land behind to go up to Yerushalayim, God said, “Don't worry, no one's going take your land away from you.” There were no security systems. The entire Jewish people left. It was a perfect time for looting. But nobody was worried because God guaranteed them. I'm going to take care of your land. That's the bitachon that's involved in Aliyah L’Regel. So we have a three pronged bitachon concept:
- going up, leaving your house behind
- the holiday of Succot
- coming after Shemitta.
All of that combined gives us tremendous power, so that we're ready to once again receive the Torah at the beginning of the Shemitta cycle.
Because as we know, our whole Shemitta cycle revolves around the concept of learning. The main point of the Shemitta year was to stop working, and the entire Jewish people were in Kollel .
So for six years you work, and in the seventh year, you go back to learning. We need that dose of bitachon for the entire year of Shemitta to get ready to receive the Torah again, to last us for another six years until we have another Shemitta and re-accept the Torah.
And although we don't have the Shemitta cycle today like we did then (we don't have the same Bet Din, Yovel or other things either), nonetheless the farmers still keep Shemitta. And as we mentioned yesterday from Rabbi Avraham Schorr, every Shemitta year, there is a global economic challenge, because not only the must the farmers in Israel work on their bitachon, but everyone has to work on the bitachon.
So now we're ready, at Succot time, to re-accept the Torah. Many people have the custom to read Kohelet on the Shabbat of Chol Hamoed Succot because Kohelet is lashon Hakhel. And it says that Shlomo Hamelech put all the wisdom into Kohelet . So if you’ve never learned Kohelet , take out some time this Shabbat and learn a little Kohelet. It’s not enough just to read it in shul- if you have that custom. Read it at home. Learn a little B’Iyun, and have that Matan Torah, the reaccepting of the Torah that happens every year.
Shabbat also has in it the power to accept the Torah. Every Shabbat we accept the Torah. So let us recommit ourselves to bitachon and to strengthening ourselves in our Torah learning.
Have a Shabbat shalom and a Hag Kasher V’Sameach .