In describing the mitzvah of hakahel (gathering all of
the people to hear the Torah read aloud on the holiday of Sukkot once every
seven years), Moshe instructs Bnei Yisrael: Gather the
people -men, women, children, and the strangers in your communities - that they
may hear and so learn to revere the Lord your God and to observe faithfully
every word of this Teaching. Their children, too, who have not had the experience,
shall hear and learn to revere the Lord your God as long as they live in the
land that you are about to cross the Jordan to possess” (Devarim 31:12-13).
This is a good place to note how particularly inclusive the Torah verse
is. It includes the men, the women, the children, and the strangers. Four
unique parts of Klal Yisrael, each of which is integral. No part of the klal should
be minimized.
Perhaps one might ask why the strangers are included, but from the
perspective of the modern Jewish world in which our communities have been
absorbing geirim and baalei teshuva, there is
plenty of evidence of the myriad benefits of new people coming into the
community. They bring inspiration and innovation to communities where people
can easily fall into rote behaviors.
In the Talmud, Masechet Chagiga 3a, the Gemara asks about Devarim 31:12:
“If men come to learn, and women come to hear, why do the little ones come?”
The sages answer themselves: “In order [for God to] give a reward to those who
bring them.”
In a way, it is a funny question. Realistically speaking, of course, if
everyone was obligated to come to the gathering, didn’t they have to bring
their little ones? There was no one to look after them! Then again, perhaps
Moshe, in giving over God’s commandments, recognized that parents sometimes
need a little extra encouragement to venture into a public event with their
children or sometimes the public needs a reminder that little kids are people
too! Or perhaps such thoughts of making a specific invitation to include small
children is the result of the steadily growing attitude of the modern world
that children are a lifestyle choice and often an inconvenience to those busy
“adulting.” By now we have all seen the articles about families with children
being evicted from airplanes or nursing mothers being shamed for feeding their
little ones.
The truth is, the children are the ikker, the essence. They
are the future. Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsh commented on Devarim 31:13:
The children, who have not yet the understanding to be brought to the
study and carrying out of the Torah by what they hear read out of the Torah at
hakahel, are nevertheless impressed by their parents and the great concourse of
people all listening attentively to the king in the pulpit, and this working on
their childish minds and feelings brings them to the fear of God … the
impression made by this great assembly of the whole nation to listen to the
Torah being read was not without value for their future lives, even for these
tiny tots.”
The Gemara in Chagiga tells us that the men were called to learn, the
women to hear, and the little ones to bring reward to those who bring them. In
truth, what greater reward do any Jewish parents have then knowing that they
have successfully passed on their traditions to the next generations.
Perhaps you are noticing the Gemara’s specific delineation that the men
come to learn and the women come to hear. In traditional Judaism, men and women
have different roles in the world. However, there are some in the Orthodox
world today who feel that the role of women is better kept from the public
realm. Devarim 31:13 seems to be an excellent reminder that everyone, men and
women both, need to attend hakahel. More than that, the public
acknowledgement of women and their successes and struggles is critical for many
of our young girls to grow into healthy and happy women who will pass on the
Torah to their children.
Maintaining Torah from one generation to the next is a great concern for
families today. There is a constant discussion about how to help keep children
on the derech. Perhaps some insight can be gained from this
interesting commentary of Rabbi Nassan Adler from Iturei Torah:
As everyone knows, little children disturb the religious service. They
create confusion and prevent people from concentrating. Would it not have been
better to leave them at home?...The Gemara answers that there is a great reward
in store for those who bring them; a reward that far outweighs the drawbacks.
The children’s excitement and the atmosphere of kedusha in the Beit Hamikdash
will make an indelible imprint on the children’s consciousness and draw them
closer to Hashem. Although, to a certain extent, Torah is neglected by the
presence of little children, this is offset by the enormous pedagogical benefits
that are derived from their attendance at this memorable event. … The lesson to
be derived from this is that it is worthwhile giving up a degree of
self-perfection for the benefit of your children’s education.
We don’t have Hakahel today, but we can make our homes,
our Shabbas tables, and our places of worship into places reminiscent of the
Beit Hamikdash. We can bring joy to our mitzvot observance and our learning so
that our children will come to love Torah and mitzvot. The only way that Klal
Yisrael can continue is by gathering ourselves together and using all of our
strengths to strengthen the generations to come.
Bibliography
Hirsch, Rabbi Samsom Raphael. The Pentateuch: Volume V Deuteronomy. Translated by Isaac Levy,
Judaica Press, LTD, 1999.
Furer, Dov. Torah Treasures: Selected
Thoughts and Insights from the Classic Commentaries on the Parshah of the Week.
Translated by Avraham Yaakov Finkel. C.I.S. Publishers and Distributors, 1993.
No comments:
Post a Comment