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Every seven years, the year after Shmita was a Shnas Hakhel. All of the Yidden – men, women & children, gathered in the Beis Hamikdash on Sukkos to hear the king read inspirational pessukim from the Torah. The point was for Yidden to refresh the inspiration that they felt at Mattan Torah.
(וילך לא, י-יג. רמב”ם הלכות חגיגה פ”ג. חינוך מצוה תריב. ועוד)
The Lubavitcher Rebbe is מדייק from the Rambam that the entire mitzvah of Hakhel is to to inspire Yidden in yiras Shomayim and avodas Hashem (it is not just a REASON for the mitzvah, rather an essential part of it).
Therefore, to a great extent, the mitzvah of Hakhel still exists nowadays.
The Rebbe encouraged everyone to use out this year to gather Yidden together at every opportunity and share words of Torah and inspiration.
Since Hakhel was done specifically on Sukkos, we should all try to use out this Sukkos of Shnas Hakhel as an opportunity to gather Yidden together b’achdus, and discuss words of Torah.
This is for ALL Yidden, men, women (obviously in a proper halachic fashion) and children.
May be zoche to truly use out the opportunity of this special year to grow in yiras Shomayim (“ויראו את ה’ אלקיכם”).
Most importantly – may we spend this Sukkos gathered together with all of the Yidden in the 3rd Beis Hamikdash in the greatest Hakhel of all, “קהל גדול ישובו הנה” – and we will hear the Torah being read by Melech HaMoshiach!
ראה לקוטי שיחות לכ”ק אדמו”ר מליובאוויטש חלק ל”ד ע’ 211 ואילך. ע’ 329 ואילך. ספר השיחות תשמ”ח ח”א ע’ 17 ואילך. ועוד
Gut Yom Tov!
Menachem ShmeiWhy are lubavichers always trying to push their own agenda as if it’s standard and accepted?
There is no such thing, and there never has been, as “Shnas Hakhel” in reference to anything other than the fact that it is an easy way to refer to the year following Shmittah, due, of course, to Hakhel taking place then on Sukkos.
A quick search of the latest version of the Responsa database shows that the expression Shnas Hakhel appears in the entire database only four times, with the earliest being from the Chida. And even that is only in reference to the event itself taking place that year.
There is also no reference to the importance of a gathering on Sukkos.
If the Lubavicher rebbe wanted to have his chassidim do something in memory of Hakhel, that’s fine with me, but it’s just another case of lubavich inventing something that the entire world is expected to agree with.
Shemita is related to shabbos. In seven years there are 52 shabosim per year with a total of 7 x 52 = 364 shabosim plus one day left over per year from 365 days generating another shabbos with a total of 365 shabbosim in seven years as explained by the Yismach Moishe. We rest a year from planting to make up for things growing on shabbos. So, Hakhel on Sukkos after shemita emphasizes the holiness of shabbos like Vayakhel does.
One fascinating aspect of Hakhel is a mitzva to bring gerim. Bringing children is often discussed, but gerim? I apologize that I do not remember the source for the below (my thoughts are in []).
Are these converts? Then, they are already included into previous groups. Then, it means (righteous?) non-Jews who lived among us. Is it a mitzva for them? It can’t be – they have 7 mitzvos and this one does not seem to fit into any, so this could not be the 8th …. [AAQ: furthermore, mitzvos bnei Noach seem to be universal, they do not presume that they need to live in traveling distance from Yerushalaim]. Then, it means it is a mitzva for us to bring gerim to Hakhel. Can we order them? [AAQ: Beis din arresting Palestinians and taking them to Har Habayis?]. This can’t be also. Thus, the conclusion is that we should behave in such a way that gerim would want to join us.
[AAQ: Sounds a little bit like proselytizing, but it is once in 7 years, not a daily thing and corresponds to R Salanter’s approach (I don’t think he meant non-Jews though) – one should always argue for Yiddishkeit – sometimes even with words ..][AAQ: an alternative explanation: mitzva for non-Jews to establish a system of justice would make it reasonable to them to go to Hakhel to learn about it. This may be complimentary to the main argument – we encourage them because they need it. Of course, when they come to Hakhel, they will hopefully see and hear things that will help them to improve their understanding of justice.]
[AAQ: so presence of a large nuber of praying non-Jews on Har Habayit is legit at least once in 7 years. We just need to put loud speakers to make sure Torah reading is louder to whatever hate speech they have there]
it’s a beautiful idea. the problem is, however, when we try to institutionalize our ideas without the advice and consensus of our generation’s Gedolim, we enter on to a slippery and very dangerous slope
no need to get so riled up when you see mention of Lubavitch
In intetest of fairness – no need to get all riled up when someone expresses difficulty or concerns that they back up with an explanation that can be answered.
Menachem,
Very bad comparison. The Chafetz Chaim, zt”l was the undisputed leader of world Jewry and his emphasis on Lashon Hara was first and foremost about these vital halachos which were being ignored.
The Rebbe, zt”l was definitely not the undisputed leader of world Jewry, contrary to Chabad PR and in most areas was considered a daas yachid. Regardless of him mentioning it once or hundreds of times, Hakhel may be a nice Chabad custom and a big “Kiddush Lubavitch” (whatever that means) but it has zero halachic relevance to the rest of us.
With love, please proselytize elsewhere.
Menachem, I’m staying out of the politics but addressing your semantics/integrity of post.
That was not how you presented it, and that was not his complaint. You are wrong that we need to just let people use whatever names they want for whatever gatherings as long as they are for good. If I call for gatherings in the sukkas on wednesday and say to serve a seuda and proclaim your desire not to leave Hashems side, are you wrong to call me out on my cry for inspiring closeness. Point is, you can’t always cry anti lubavitch when someone argues your point, especially when they are specific. (As opposed to just name calling). In your words, if you don’t like it, move along. Tired of the victim hood game.Have a wonderful yuntiff
Thank you GadolHadofi and SyagLChochma for explaining my point so clearly. Just to reiterate, the problem that I see, and I have seen many times in the past, is that Lubavichers tend – and from my experience it is intentional – to push the view that what their rebbe said has to be accepted by all as correct and the obviously proper way to lead one’s life. Most of the chareidi world do not accept that.
Mo’adim lesimcha and a gut kvittel
“Their only problem with it was that it has no support from Gedolim besides the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and they don’t consider the Rebbe to be a דעה.”
That is not what he said. That is a rewording with a slant.
“In other words, they didn’t argue against my point at all, rather they just said that they don’t hold of the gadol who made this point, meaning that there is some sort of animosity to the Rebbe.”
Again false. He gave reason why he didn’t like it, and then pointed out that only a daas yichid did. Don’t play games.
In your first posts you seemed like a decent guy who was sincerely interested in discussing Torah points as Torah points. The shift then began and now you are turning into just another “victim of anti lubavitch” seeing everything through that warped lens and calling everyone out as haters. Please, can we drop this and go back to your original plan or do you choose to just cry poor me on a hilltop til a chaser tells you to find a new hobby.
My comments to you were about your distortion of poster’s comments and incongruous responses. If you aren’t addressing that, then please leave my name off.
Menachem Shmei,
Yasher Koach for sharing this beautiful thought from the Rebbe.
Gut Moed
Menachem, if you hold virtual writing is kesiva, and therefore assur, why does leaving your name out and writing Hebrew letters make a difference? I would think it’s the opposite, because some rishonim hold that the only kesiva that’s assur med’oraysoh on shabbos/YT is lashon kodesh, and all other languages are mederabonon….so i think you’re making the shailoh worse by writing Hebrew and not English if you’re going to address the opinions that hold that virtual writing is assur
As for what the lubavitcher rebbe calls hakhel…is there a question of bal tosif to call a minhag by the name of a mitzvah deoraysoh when that mitzvah is not applicable?
Also, the rambam often gives taamei mitzvos. By the same logic, we should write shem Hashem and attach it to our arms all day, since tefilin is to awaken ahavah and awareness of Hashem, so if you can’t wear tefilin all day, why not do that?
Regarding the idea that “stop proselytizing” is sinas chinam – that would be true if the statement was made in a vacuum. It’s not. People say that(including me) because many in chabad believe that they must spread their torah – not “the” torah, but specifically their chasidus – for a jew to be complete, and for the geulah to come. Chabad are the only group who sends troops of their bochurim to other communities to educate them in their ways, multiple times a year. They show up in our yeshivos unannounced, open liquor without having the consent of the administration, and talk about theit chasidus. Does bobov, satmar, ger, vizhnitz, etc…go and proselytize? No!
Please do this on a different thread instead of taking this one in that direction.
“Yasher Koach for sharing this beautiful thought from the Rebbe..
For the first and perhaps last time in a long time, 110% agreement with R’ Yosef. I suspect there are even some closet misnagdim lurking in the CR who could care less as to the provenance of this vert. Yasher koach and gutten moed to the OP (and UJM).
The pri megadim writes that there are three mitzvos which kavanah is crucial, since the Torah writes “lemaan” by them: sukkah, tefillin, and tzitzis, but I’m not referring to kavanah, I’m referring to doing something ad-hoc that resembles a mitzvah but isn’t the mitzvah itself.
Many poskim allow typing, if you’re not going to print, because it’s merely lighting up tiny light fixtures on a screen. I don’t see why adding “because of kedushas hamoed I’m not signing” – is there a source for omitting one’s name as a mitigating factor in kesiva in general? Isn’t it just more words that are being written? And like i said, lashon kodesh is, if anything, more of a shailoh, because everyone holds it’s writing deoraysoh (on shabbos and YT)
Menachem, the lubavitcher rebbe doesn’t seem to address the pro megadim, which is brought in the mishnah berurah. Do you think he argued with the pri megadim or was not aware of it?
I wonder why the lubavitcher rebbe would end off letters that way – it’s just writing more words. Why is signing a name and the omission thereof relevant to kesiva on cho”ham?
The Bach indicates that by three mitzvos we find lemaan, tzitzis, tefilin and sukkah were kavonoh lekatchila matters. He says even bedaived but we don’t follow that.
Live and let live!
You’re right, it’s the bach – i got the names mixed up
I have thought about this quite a bit over the last day and the problem as I see it is that the Lubavicher rebbe puts together 2 and 2 and come up with results that he wants to. (My use of the present tense is not meant to signify that I believe he is alive 🙂 )
There is no Hakhel nowadays, and the year is not any more special that any other year, but we now have thousands of lubavichers BELIEVING that it is different (and perhaps more holy – I’m not sure about that), and that there is an inyan in making gatherings all year long.
Even when Hakhel did take place it was a once-off affair and did not last any longer than it took for the king to read sefer Devarim. (Perhaps there were other additional tefillos that I don’t know about. Please excuse my ignorance.) The year itself carried no more significance.
Ask a lubavicher and he will surely tell you that the year is special, even nowadays.
(I realise that I’m on my soapbox now, but why waste the opportunity…) It’s the same as lubavichers not sleeping in the sukkah. It doesn’t concern me that they don’t – why should it be my business? But what does concern me is that many lubavichers don’t even know that it says in Shulchan Aruch Harav that you have to, and that they consider those of us who do sleep there ignorant!
Another example is not eating Shalosh Seudos. I was told by a prominent lubavicher some years ago that to eat Shalosh Seudos is a “kulo al pi chassidus”.
In a nutshell, do whatever you want, but for Heaven’s sake stop claiming that your aberrations are the best way. They are not.
Rso – while i don’t think the entire year is special, there is a certain significance to motzi shmitah, as chazal say it’s an opportune time for geulah.
As I said, we aren’t going there.
bal tosif is usually adding numerically to a defined mitzva, like adding lemon to arba minim. Woman blowing shofar is not bal tosif.
Who’s talking about women blowing shofar? I was thinking that calling something that’s not a mitzvah by the name of the mitzvah, giving the impression that it’s a mitzvah,is adding to the Torah
Avira, thanks for clarification. Question is whether their statements, whatever they are, I am not planning to read up about it, has any Torah value? Can it be classified as zecher to hakhel, or a Torah lecture, etc – then it is an expansion of a mitzva that may be right or not, but not bal tosif.
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