Reply To: Relive Hakhel!

Reb RSo, no need to get so riled up when you see mention of Lubavitch.

No one is trying to secretly impose any agendas on you. I think I made it quite clear in my post that this was a chiddush of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

We know the rule in Torah – כל מה שתלמיד ותיק עתיד לחדש בתורה הכל ניתן למשה מסיני.
(ראה מגילה יט, ב. ירושלמי פאה פ”ב, ה”ד. שמו”ר רפמ”ז. ויק”ר רפכ”ב. קה”ר פ”א, ט. פ”ה ח. שו”ת רד”ך בית ה’ חדר ג’. תורת העולה ח”ג, פנ”ה. הקדמת הש”ך עה”ת. אור תורה להה”מ ר”פ תולדות. אגה”ק קו”א ד”ה להבין פרטי ההלכות.)

The Rebbe, a huge tzaddik and tremendous talmid chochom, can definitely be מחדש in Torah, especially as a means for encouraging Yidden to add in avodas Hashem, just as countless gedolim have done throughout history.

The Rebbe clearly explains what led him to be מחדש the term “שנת הקהל”, with many sources (as is usual throughout the Rebbe’s hundreds of seforim).
See here: https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14957&st=&pgnum=341
הערה דיבור המתחיל: שנת הקהל

If you choose to use other minhagim to add in your avodas Hashem – suit yourself. The Rebbe did everything he could to have Yidden add in their Yiddishkeit (not just for non-frum Yidden, but for every Yid possible). If you’re not interested, no problem. But no need to bash others.

The Chofetz Chaim put a tremendous emphasis on the lashon harah. Should that offend someone who puts an emphasis on other things?

Any true gadol and leader in Klal Yisroel can and should make a big shturem about ideas which he feels are important for strengthening our shmiras Torah u’mitzvos and yiras shomayim.

No one will argue with the fact that when Yidden gather together to discuss words of Torah, this has a tremendous effect on them. If you don’t want to call this Hakhel – no problem! But it shouldn’t upset you if others use Hakhel as an inspiration to add in achdus and inspiration.

With love,
Gut Yom Tov!
Menachem Shmei