Hakhel () is a

biblical commandment In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; , ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment from God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discussion of these commandments ...

to assemble all

Israelite Israelites were a Hebrew language, Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age. Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanites, Canaanite populations ...

men, women and children and converts, to hear the reading of the

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

by the

king of Israel The article deals with the biblical and historical kings of the Land of Israel—Abimelech of Sichem, the three kings of the United Kingdom of Israel and those of its successor states, Israel and Judah, followed in the Second Temple period, ...

once every seven years to strengthen their

fear of God Fear of God or theophobia may refer to fear itself, but more often to a sense of awe, and submission to, a deity. People subscribing to popular monotheistic religions for instance, might fear Hell and divine judgment, or submit to God's omnipot ...

. Originally this ceremony took place at the site of the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...

during

Sukkot Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths, is a Torah-commanded Jewish holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israelite ...

in the year following a Seventh Year. According to the

Mishna The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...

, the "commandment to assemble" ( ''miṣwaṯ haqhēl'') was performed throughout the years of the

Second Temple The Second Temple () was the Temple in Jerusalem that replaced Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. It was constructed around 516 BCE and later enhanced by Herod ...

era and, by inference, during the First Temple era as well. The biblical mitzvah of haqhēl is only in effect when all Israelites reside in the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

. However, more recently, attempts have been made to revive a symbolic form of haqhēl.

In the Bible

The Hiphil verb ''haqhēl'' ( "assemble") is used in .

In the Mishnah

According to the Mishnah, the ceremony was conducted on the first day of

Chol HaMoed ''Chol HaMoed'' (), a Hebrew phrase meaning "mundane of the festival", refers to the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot. As the name implies, these days mix features of ''chol'' (mundane) and ''moed'' (festival). On Passover, ''Chol HaMoe ...

, the day after the inaugural festival day on behalf of all who participated in the

Three Pilgrimage Festivals The Three Pilgrimage Festivals or Three Pilgrim Festivals, sometimes known in English by their Hebrew name ''Shalosh Regalim'' (, or ), are three major festivals in Judaism—two in spring; Passover, 49 days later Shavuot (literally 'weeks', or ...

. Trumpets would sound throughout Jerusalem according to the

Tosefta The Tosefta ( "supplement, addition") is a compilation of Jewish Oral Law from the late second century, the period of the Mishnah and the Jewish sages known as the '' Tannaim''. Background Jewish teachings of the Tannaitic period were cha ...

and a large wooden platform would be erected in the

in the Court of the Women. The king would sit on this platform, and all in attendance would gather around him. The ''

hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' (, plural ; ; ) is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who leads the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term al ...

haknesset'' (, "servant of the synagogue") would hand the Book of the Law to the archisynagogue, who would hand it to the Deputy High Priest, who would give it to the

High Priest of Israel In Judaism, the High Priest of Israel (, lit. ‘great priest’; Aramaic: ''Kahana Rabba'') was the head of the Israelite priesthood. He played a unique role in the worship conducted in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem, ...

, who would present it to the king. According to the ''

Sefer ha-Chinuch ''Sefer ha-Chinuch'' (, "Book of Education") is a rabbinic text which systematically discusses the 613 commandments of the Torah. It was written in 13th-century Spain by an anonymous "Levite of Barcelona". Content The work's enumeration of th ...

'', the king would accept the

Torah scroll A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg">Torah cases at Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India ...

while standing but could sit while he read it aloud. The rest of Israel was required to stand, which led to

Jeroboam Jeroboam I (; Hebrew language, Hebrew: ''Yārŏḇʿām''; ), frequently cited Jeroboam son of Nebat, was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), Kingdom of Israel following a Jeroboam's Revol ...

's revolt. The king began the reading with the same blessings over the Torah that are recited before every '' aliyah laTorah'' in

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

s today. Seven additional blessings were recited after the reading. The reading consisted of the following sections from the Book of Deuteronomy: # From the beginning of the book to the

Shema ''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; , “Hear, O Israel”) is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. Its first verse encapsulates the monothe ...

(6:4); # The second paragraph of the Shema (11:13-21); # "You shall surely tithe" (14:22-27); # "When you have finish tithing" (26:12-15); # The section about appointing a king (17:14-20); # The blessings and curses (28:1-69).

Why children?

Many commentators ask why young children were also required to attend this assembly.

Eleazar ben Azariah Eleazar ben Azariah () was a 1st-century CE Jewish tanna, i.e. Mishnaic sage. He was of the second generation and a junior contemporary of Gamaliel II, Eliezer b. Hyrcanus, Joshua b. Hananiah, and Akiva. Biography He was a kohen who traced ...

said: “Men would come to learn and women, to listen. Why would children come? To provide a reward for those who brought them” ( Hagigah 3a).

Twentieth-century revival

The idea of reviving the haqhel practice in modern times was first proposed by Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim (d. 1905), who published two pamphlets on the issue, ''Zecher leMikdash'' and ''Dvar Be'ito''. Shmuel Salant, the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, would gather all the

Talmud Torah Talmud Torah (, lit. 'Study of the Torah') schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of religious school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary education in Hebrew language, H ...

students in front of the

Western Wall The Western Wall (; ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: ''HaKosel HaMa'arovi'') is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Its most famous section, known by the same name ...

on the first day of Chol HaMoed of Sukkot and read to them the same passages that the king would read at Hakhel. The first official

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i haqhel ceremony was held during Sukkot 1945, a year following the sabbatical year. A special service was held in Yeshurun Central Synagogue, after which a mass procession moved to the Western Wall, where the Torah portions were read. Similar ceremonies by Israeli government officials have been held every seven years since. The Hakhel ceremony conducted in 1994 was attended by the

Chief Rabbinate of Israel The Chief Rabbinate of Israel (, ''Ha-Rabbanut Ha-Rashit Li-Yisra'el'') is recognized by law as the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel. It was established in 1921 under the British Mandate, and today operates on the basis of the ...

, the

President of Israel The president of the State of Israel (, or ) is the head of state of Israel. The president is mostly, though not entirely, ceremonial; actual executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet led by the Prime Minister of Israel, pr ...

, and other dignitaries. The ceremony performed at the Western Wall in 2001 was led by the

, Moshe Katzav.

Menachem Mendel Schneerson Menachem Mendel Schneerson ( – June 12, 1994; Anno Mundi, AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to adherents of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply the Rebbe, was an American Orthodox rabbi and the most rec ...

, the

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

rebbe A Rebbe () or Admor () is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spirituality (Audio)''. UCTV, 20 Oct 2011. web. ...

, urged Jews everywhere that the year of hakhel has a very special energy to unite Jews, and to inspire them to strengthen their commitment to fulfilling the words of the Torah. He requested that every Jew, man, woman, and child attend the activities of Hakhel throughout this year by gathering the Jews around them and bringing them closer to Torah and fear of Heaven. There should be large and small Hakhel gatherings in synagogues and private homes throughout the Hakhel year to foster greater unity and increase Torah learning, mitzvah observance, and the giving of

tzedakah ''Tzedakah'' ( ''ṣədāqā'', ) is a Hebrew word meaning "righteousness", but commonly used to signify ''charity''. This concept of "charity" differs from the modern Western understanding of "charity". The latter is typically understood as ...

. He also requested that everyone update the Hakhel activities they have done that month to one central system once a month. This should be done via filling out a "hakhel card" that has in recent years become available online as well.

References

External links