Vayeilech Parsha Thoughts

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Gather Round, Friends

Why is Hakhel – the public Torah reading ceremony to the entire nation – done at Succos?

Perhaps practically since everybody needed to attend, YomTov is the best time. And Succos is the first YomTov of the year.

Another idea is that Torah can only be transmitted with Simchah. Otherwise it will never stick. People only bond to what they have a positive feeling for. Succos is the time of Simchah, and therefore apropos to Torah.

We need to utilize fun times!

Another suggestion is that Hakhel starts the new Shmittah cycle with a commitment to Torah. The body follows the path of its head. If the beginning is proper, then the rest may follow suit. To get off to a good start, at the year’s first opportunity we do Hakhel.

Lesson: Pay particular attention to starting periods.

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What’s The Use?

At the end of the parsha, Hashem tells Moshe, who tells the leviim, that as soon as Moshe will pass out of view the Jews will revert to sinning.

This sounds like the experiment of the Midbar – making menchen out of the Jews – was total failure.

Was it?

Perhaps this teaches us an important lesson; someone makes peace between two families that were always at odds with each other, knowing well that soon as he is out of sight they will be back fighting again;

No matter – it is yet worthwhile. At least while he was around they lived in peace and happiness.

(This is not to say that he should invest in this when he could use that time on another problem where he can effect a permanent solution. Rather the point is that results need not be permanent to be worthwhile.)

So too, it was worth all that effort to have klal Yisroel living properly, if only for the Midbar years.

Another suggestion is that those years set standards for the Jews forever. They may slip here and then, but the real Jew is the Midbar Jew. This is the baseline. He will return to position with a little straightening out (a few whacks, perhaps) from Hashem. Or on his own.

This is the success of the Midbar experience.

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