We find ourselves in the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, the Ten Days of Repentance. We will delve a bit into the Parsha, and Besiyata Dishmaya, towards the end of the shiur, also discuss matters related to Yom Kippur.
Parshat Vayeilech, although not the last Parsha in the Torah, concludes the Mitzvot of the Torah. That is, the last of the 613 commandments are found in this Parsha. The Torah says:
"Moshe commanded them, saying: After seven years have ended, on the holy day of the Shemitah year, during the Sukkot festival; When all of Yisrael comes to be seen in the presence of Hashem, your G-d, in the place that He chooses, you shall read this Torah facing all of Yisrael for them to hear. Assemble the people – the men and the women and the infants, and your convert who is in your towns; in order for them to hear and in order for them to learn to fear Hashem, your G-d, and they will make sure to fulfill all the statements of this Torah."
These are the Pesukim that speak about Hakhel – a Mitzvah fulfilled once every seven years at the end of the Shemitah year, at the conclusion of the festival of Sukkot. Everyone ascends to Yerushalayim and fulfills the commandment of: "And they will hear and learn, and fear Hashem your G-d, and observe to do all the words of this Torah."
The Sefer HaChinuch explains (612) that its roots lie in the fact that the essence of Bnei Yisrael is the Torah, which distinguishes them from all other nations and languages, granting them eternal life; a pleasure beyond any other creation. Therefore, since their essence is in the Torah, it is fitting that they gather together at one time to hear its words, and for all the people – men, women, and children – to ask why this great assembly has gathered. The answer will be to hear the words of the Torah, which is our essence, glory, and splendor. Through this, they’ll come to speak of its greatness and instill its value in their hearts, and with this desire, they will learn to know Hakadosh Baruch Hu and merit goodness.
Anyone who transgresses this, whether man or woman, and does not come at this appointed time to hear the words of the Torah, and similarly, if the king does not wish to read, has nullified this positive Mitzvah, and their punishment is great. This is what the Sefer HaChinuch has to say on the matter.
The question arises – what is special about this Mitzvah? What makes it unique that it is fulfilled every seven years? And if once every seven years, why specifically at the end of the Shemitah year? And why is it fulfilled specifically during the chag of Sukkot and not Pesach?
Additionally, this Mitzvah is unique in that it includes bringing forth the children. The Gemara (Chagigah 3a) asks:
If men come to learn, women come to listen, why do children come? To give reward to those who bring them.
The Kli Yakar and Other Commentaries
The Kli Yakar asks, if it is to give reward, let Hakadosh Baruch Hu tell everyone to bring a chair! Why specifically carry children to the gathering?! Rav Yitzchak Arama writes in his sefer Akeidat Yitzchak that to stand in the assembly of Hakhel, one must be on a very high spiritual level; one only achievable by Bnei Yisrael at the end of the Shemitah year, because they did not work in the fields for an entire year, but rather sat and studied Torah. They passed through Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – a time of atonement. They entered the festival of Sukkot in the צילה דמהימנותא – the shade or shelter of faith, reaching such high spiritual peaks that only now could they be assembled.
The Sefat Emet offers a completely new interpretation of the Mitzvah of Hakhel: It is a reenactment of Matan Torah at Har Sinai, as it is stated there: הַ קְ הֶ ל לִי אֶת הָעָם וְאַשְׁמִעֵם אֶת דְּ בָרָ י – Assemble the people for Me, and I will let them hear My words. At Har Sinai, Hakadosh Baruch Hu commanded to gather all of Bnei Yisrael to give them the Torah.
The Gemara in Massechet Shabbat (88a) teaches: When Bnei Yisrael preceded נַעֲשֶׂ ה – we will do, to נ ִ שׁ ְ מ ָ ע – we will hear, a heavenly voice went forth and said to them:
Who revealed to my children this secret the ministering angels use? As it is written: “Bless the Lord, you angels of His, you mighty in strength, that fulfill His word, listening unto the voice of His word.” At first, the angels fulfill His word, and then afterward they listen.
The Sefat Emet explains, this Pasuk ִבֹּרֵ י כֹחַ עֹשֵׂי דְ בָרוֹ is expounded by Chazal, apart from Matan Torah at Har Sinai, on only one other Mitzvah – that of Shemitah. Chazal say in the Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah, 1:1) say this Pasuk speaks of those who observe the Shemitah. In the way of the world, a person performs a Mitzvah for one day, for one Shabbat, for one month, but can he sustain it for the rest of the year? And here, he sees his field lying fallow, his vineyard lying fallow, and he pays the tax and remains silent. Is there a greater hero than this?!
It emerges that "mighty in strength" refers to those who observe the Shemitah – people who abandon their fields and allow everyone to enter and take fruits. We do not understand the significance of this, but it helps if we take an example – say, a pineapple that costs 50 shekel. The farmer receives twenty-five shekel for it. Imagine a person living in Tel Mond with twenty-five dunams of pineapple plantation. The Shemitah year arrives, and he opens the field to everyone. People start entering the field and taking pineapples – each person takes one, and sometimes two or three pineapples! Imagine if every five minutes someone came and stole twenty-five shekel from your pocket – how would you feel?! This is exactly the feeling of the farmer!
The Sefat Emet writes, it seems that through the Mitzvah of Shemitah, they later merited the aspect of inclusion, which is the language used in the receiving of the Torah. It seems this was the reward for observing the Shemitah, as Chazal expounded “mighty in strength” refers to those who observe the Shemitah. And it concludes “to hear the voice of His word” that they merited to hear the word of Hakadosh Baruch Hu afterward in the Mitzvah of Hakhel, where the light of the Torah was revealed to them anew. Certainly, there was heavenly assistance to the king during Hakhel, as naturally, it is not possible to make all of Israel hear. And so, the Rambam wrote in Hilchot Chagigah that the king is an emissary, and they must stand in Hakhel as at Har Sinai – in awe and reverence. וְזֶה עִנְיָן שְׁמִ יטִּין אֵצֶל הַר סִינַי – This is the connection of Shemitot to Har Sinai, and it is possible to say that Shlomo HaMelech composed Megillat Kohelet in the name of the Mitzvah of Hakhel, which is during Sukkot. And when he saw that the Beit Hamikdash would be destroyed and the Mitzvah of Hakhel – which renewed the light of the Torah in every Shemitah – would be nullified, he left this power in Kohelet, which he composed for the days of Sukkot.
Rav Yitzchak Hutner asks, if so, why bring children? If you are talking about children who have reached the age of chinuch, it is understandable, as there’s a parental obligation to educate them. But we are talking here about small children – according to the words of the Sefer HaChinuch, it refers to infants one month old! – so why bring them?! Rav Hutner says the answer is very simple. What is read from the Torah for the assembly? The Chinuch, quoting the Rambam, says he reads from the beginning of Devarim until the end of שׁ ְ מ ַ ע י ִ ש ׂ ְ רָ א ֵ ל, then the paragraph of וְ הָ יָה אִ ם־שׁ ָ מֹֽ עַ , and then from עַ שּׂ ֵ ר תּ ְ עַ שּׂ ֵ ר until the end of the brachot and klalot. Following that, the Rambam says: וּפוֹסֵ ק – and he stops.
Why does it need to say "and he stops"? Rav Hutner explains that the entire event of the Mitzvah of Hakhel is a precise reenactment of Matan Torah at Har Sinai. When it comes to Rosh Hashanah, there is an obligation to blow 100 shofar blasts, but if you blow 200, you haven't lost anything. With Hakhel, it's not like that – don't add a single word, because it's like Har Sinai! And if we're returning to Har Sinai, then we also bring children, because everyone participated.
Further Insights on Hakhel and Children
I would like to explore another answer. The Gemara (Chagigah 3a) asks: The Torah says to gather all the people – the men, the women, and the children. If men come to learn, and women come to listen, why do the children come? To give reward to those who bring them. Sefer Nachalat Yaakov asks: What was the Gemara's intention in asking "Why do children come?" He answers: Know that Hakadosh Baruch Hu knew that if He commands men and women to be at the Hakhel assembly, who would they leave the children behind with?! Surely, they would bring them along! The Mishnah says: הוּא לְזַכּוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל – If Hakadosh Baruch Hu already knew they would come with the children, why command it?! הִרְ בָּה לָהֶם תּוֹרָ ה וּמִצְוֹת – He said: “If the parents are going to bring the children anyway, let them also have a Mitzvah for doing so!”
Reward for Mitzvot and the Lesson of Erev Yom Kippur
Once, a child asked Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ztz”l: "Kevod Harav, if Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants to give us merit, why did He give us specifically 613 Mitzvot? He could have given us 17 Mitzvot, the gematria of טוֹב (good), or 18 Mitzvot, the gematria of חַ י (life). Why specifically 613?" Rav Auerbach replied: "Dear child, a person gets dressed anyway, wears shoes anyway, ties their laces anyway – so why does it bother him to receive a gift? He's doing it anyway!"
I was once at a Bar Mitzvah, amazed by the child's cleverness. The wealthy uncle from abroad, who loved being honored, arrived. They invited the Bar Mitzvah boy to give his speech, and on the way to the podium, the wealthy uncle caught him and said: "Don't forget, you need to mention in your speech that I came from abroad especially for your Bar Mitzvah. For every time you mention my name, you'll get $100." What does the child do now? He came with a prepared page, and the uncle wasn't mentioned at all! I stood there to see what he’d do. The child took the page and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you for coming to my Bar Mitzvah... and first and foremost to my uncle Shlomo who came from New York. My uncle Shlomo left New York yesterday on flight 361. Uncle Shlomo traveled 10 hours from New York to participate in my joy. Uncle Shlomo landed, B’ezrat Hashem, at Ben Gurion Airport, and my father and I waited for Uncle Shlomo at the airport. From there, we traveled with Uncle Shlomo home to drop off some things, and then we traveled with Uncle Shlomo to his hotel, where we dropped Uncle Shlomo off." In short, he mentioned him 18 times before even starting the speech! Upon finishing his speech, the boy walked up to “Uncle Shlomo” and said: "Where’s the $1800 I deserve?!"
הוּא לְזַכּוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל – Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted to merit Yisrael, therefore He gave them Torah and Mitzvot. You're doing it anyway, so for every action, you receive reward!
Rabbotai, we can now understand a wonderful yesod. I saw an explanation in sefer Derech HaMoadim based on this, related to Erev Yom Kippur. The Gemara (Berachot 8b) says:
And you shall afflict your souls on the ninth day of the month in the evening – And does one fast on the ninth of Tishrei? Doesn’t one fast on the tenth of Tishrei? Rather, this comes to tell you: One who eats and drinks on the ninth [in preparation for the fast day], the Pasuk ascribes him credit as if he fasted on both the ninth and the tenth.
What does the Gemara mean here? If Hakadosh Baruch Hu commands fasting on the tenth of Tishrei, is there any doubt that someone won't eat on the ninth?! Of course, they will! So why command eating?! Hakadosh Baruch Hu said: “I know you'll eat, but I want to merit you, so that everything you put in your mouth will count as a Mitzvah!” This is the great yesod Chazal teach us.
Deeper Understanding of Hakhel and the Role of Children
I would like to delve into another explanation, written in the chiddushim of Rabbi Meir Arik, and B’ezrat Hashem, understand the Mitzvah of Hakhel. In the Mechilta (Bo, 16), the wording differs from that of the Gemara (Chagigah 3a). As we learned, the Gemara says: If men come to learn, women come to listen, why do children come? To give reward to those who bring them. Chazal, in the Mechilta, point to the opening of our Parsha a few weeks ago: ְכֶם טַפְּכֶם נְשׁ ֵיכֶם וֹם כֻּלָּכֶם הַיּוֹם. Did the children know how to discern between good and evil? Is that why they were present? Rather, it was to give reward to those who bring them; to increase the reward of those who do Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s will. Rabbi Yehoshua heard these words of Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, and the Mechilta provides us with his reaction:
Rabbi Yehoshua said: Behold, I am like a man of seventy years, and I did not merit to grasp this matter until today. Fortunate are you, Avraham Avinu, that Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria came forth from you. A generation in which Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria dwells is not an orphaned generation.
Rabbi Meir Arik asks a wonderful question: How does Avraham Avinu enter the picture?! You might say: "Fortunate are you, Rabbi Azaria, that Rabbi Eliezer came from you." But why Avraham Avinu? What is his connection to this project?! How is he tied to Hakhel?
He then asks another question, based on the extensive writings of the Kli Yakar, who explains the idea of bringing children in a different manner. He says, children come to give reward to those who bring them, because when Yisrael do Teshuvah, they plead before Hakadosh Baruch Hu for forgiveness of sin and say: “If not for our sake, then do it for the sake of our infants who have not sinned!” This is the reward given to those who bring the children – that they’ll ask for forgiveness in the merit of those children. According to the words of the Kli Yakar, in the merit of the infants, the parents will be saved. If so, why is the Mitzvah specifically observed at the end of the Shemitah year? Why at that juncture do they ascend to Yerushalayim with their children and say, “Not for us, but for the children"?
Rabbi Meir Arik then answers: Every year, Am Yisrael has the immense merit of the Mitzvah of Tzedakah, because they leave in the field leket, shichecha, and pe’ah (corners, gleanings, forgotten sheaves). They give tithes and offerings, and from this the poor are sustained. But in the Shemitah year, they don't have this Mitzvah, because the fields are ownerless, and everyone can enter the field and freely take leket, shichecha, and pe’ah. If there is no Mitzvah of Tzedakah to protect you, then bring the infants who will come and say: "Do it for them!" For this reason, the Gemara (Bava Batra 9a) says: שְׁקוּלָה צְדָקָה כְּנֶגֶד כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת – Charity is equivalent to all the other Mitzvot. This will protect you! We learn from Rabbi Meir Arik's words that bringing the infants is in place of the Mitzvah of Tzedakah that is lacking in the Shemitah year.
The Merit of Tzedakah and Its Connection to Avraham Avinu
From where did Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah learn the immense merit of the Mitzvah of Tzedakah? Rabbi Meir Arik says, he learned it from Avraham Avinu, as the Gemara (Yoma 28b) says: Rav said Avraham Avinu fulfilled the entire Torah; yet, when the Torah comes to praise Avraham, it says:
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Hashem, to do justice and judgment.
The Torah highlights Avraham Avinu specifically for the Mitzvah of Tzedakah. If so, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria said: "If Hakadosh Baruch Hu praises Avraham Avinu for the Mitzvah of Tzedakah, and in the Shemitah year we don't have this Mitzvah, therefore Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to bring the infants, because in this year without the Mitzvah of Tzedakah, the infants will be the ones to protect!" Therefore, the moment Rabbi Yehoshua heard this drasha, he immediately said: "Fortunate are you, Avraham Avinu, that Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria descended from you," because he learned from you how important the Mitzvah of Tzedakah is.
We say twice on Rosh Hashanah in the repetition of Musaf: וּתְ שׁ וּבָה וּתְ פִלָה וּצְדָ קָה מַעֲבִירִ ין אֶת רֹעַ הַגְּזֵרָה – Teshuva is understood; Tefillah is understood; but why Tzedakah? Why not Tefillin?! What is the immense merit of charity?
I saw in one of the commentators on Massechet Bava Batra, I believe in the name of the Maharal: What is money? Money is life. A person works 12 hours a day and earns 500 shekel. This means that if he takes the 500 shekel and gives them to a poor person, he has not only given him the 500 shekel, but he has also given him a day of life. Hakadosh Baruch Hu says: "If you have given life, I will also give you life!"
Leket, Shichecha, Pe’ah, and the Connection to the Beit Hamikdash
In Parshat Emor, within the section of the festivals, suddenly after Shavuot, the Torah brings the Mitzvah of leket, shichecha, and pe’ah – why? Some commentators say that the Mitzvah of leket, shichecha, and pe’ah appears after Shavuot to remind us of David HaMelech. When Ruth went to glean barley in the field, she collected leket, shichecha, and pe’ah — and because of this, she met Boaz and married him, and through this, David was born on Shavuot and also passed away on that day. Therefore, the Torah mentions the Mitzvah of leket, shichecha, and pe’ah.
Sefer Nachalat Shimon writes, in the future, Tisha B'Av will become a day of joy, and therefore, Hakadosh Baruch Hu hinted at Tisha B'Av in the Mitzvah of leket, shichecha, and pe’ah. How so?! The Gemara (Pesachim 88a) says that Avraham called Har HaBayit a mountain (הר), Yitzchak called it a field (שדה), and Yaakov called it a house (בית). Another Gemara in Massechet Makkot (24a) tells the following story: Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Akiva were walking along the road, and they heard the noise of the multitude of people in the square of Rome from a distance of 120 mil, and the three of them began to cry, while Rabbi Akiva laughed. They said to him: “Why are you laughing?” He responded to them: “Why are you crying?” They said to him: “These Romans, who bow to idols and burn incense to foreign gods, sit securely and quietly, while the Beit Hamikdash is burned with fire, and we should not cry?!” He said to them: “That is why I laugh. If for those who transgress His will it is so, for those who fulfill His will, how much more so!” Once again, after the Churban, the same four sages were ascending to Yerushalayim; when they reached Har HaTzofim and saw the Beit Hamikdash in its destruction, they tore their clothes. When they reached Har HaBayit and saw a fox coming out of the Kodesh HaKodashim, they began to cry, yet Rabbi Akiva once again laughed. They said to him: “Why are you laughing?” He said to them: “Why are you crying?” They said to him: “The place about which it is written ‘And the stranger who comes near shall be put to death’, and now we see foxes walking there, and we should not cry?!” He said to them: “That is why I laugh, for it is written: ‘And I will take faithful witnesses to testify – Uriah and Zechariah.’"
What is the connection between Uriah and Zechariah? How do you find these two prophets testifying to one matter? Uriah was in the period of the First Beit Hamikdash, and Zechariah in the Second! Rather, this is the explanation of the Pasuk: Zechariah's prophecy is linked to Uriah's prophecy. Meaning, just as the prophecy of destruction that Uriah spoke was fulfilled, so too will the prophecy of consolation of Zechariah will be fulfilled. Rabbi Akiva concluded his words: “Until Uriah's prophecy was fulfilled, I was afraid that Zechariah's prophecy would not be fulfilled. Now that Uriah's prophecy has been fulfilled and Yerushalayim and the Har HaBayit are completely desolate, it is known that Zechariah's prophecy will be fulfilled too!” The other sages turned to him and said: “עֲקִ יבָא נִחַמְתָּנוּ עֲקִ יבָא נִחַמְתָּנוּ – Akiva, you have comforted us, Akiva, you have comforted us.”
I would like to extract just one point from this powerful story: How does the Navi describe the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash? וֹן צִ ישָׂ דֶ ה ת ֵ ח ָ רֵ שׁ . It turns out that Hakadosh Baruch Hu took the word that Yitzchak Avinu used: שָׂ דֶ ה – field and destroyed the Second Beit Hamikdash which was called שָׂ דֶ ה. If Hakadosh Baruch Hu plowed the “field,” there is a related Mitzvah in the Torah – when a person harvests their “field,” he must leave leket, shichecha, and pe’ah for the poor. This is the reason why the Kotel HaMa’aravi – the Western Wall, will remain forever and will not be destroyed. A result of the Halacha of plowing the “field” and leaving behind leket, shichecha, and pe’ah. From here we find the connection between the Mitzvah of leket, shichecha, and pe’ah, and Tisha B'Av. This concludes the words of the Nachalat Shimon.
The question arises: what is the connection between the Mitzvah of leket, shichecha, and pe’ah, and Rosh Hashanah? The Meshech Chochma offers a wonderful idea. On Rosh Hashanah, a person comes and asks for mercy from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The rule is: בְּמִדָּה שׁ ֶאָדָם מוֹדֵד מוֹדְ דִ ים לוֹ – in accordance with the measure that a person metes out for others it is meted out for him.
