Every seven years, immediately after the Sabbatical year, on the first of the intermediate days of Sukkot, the Israelites gathered to publicly hear the king reading from the Torah. This is called the mitzvah of Hakhel (Deuteronomy 31:10–13).
The Sabbatical year is a period of reevaluation, a year to recharge ourselves spiritually. Hakhel may have been instituted to prepare the Israelites to return to their everyday lives by listening to the Torah and integrating its values into their work ethic.
Although Maimonides gives practical reasons for blowing the shofar (to gather the people) and to read the Torah from a raised platform (so that people could hear better) his description of the ceremony, as noted by others, also parallels what occurred at Sinai (Yad, Hilchot Chagigah 3:3–6).
• At Hakhel, trumpets were blasted, simulating the shofar blasting at Sinai (Exodus 19:16).
• At Hakhel, a large wooden platform was placed in the middle of the assembly with Jews gathered round, much as the people encircled Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:12).
• At Hakhel, the role of leaders predominates as it does at Sinai (Exodus 24:1).
• At Hakhel, that very term – Hakhel – is used as it was at Sinai (Deuteronomy 4:10; 31:12).
• At Hakhel, as at Sinai, emphasis is placed on listening to the words spoken (Deuteronomy 31:12; Exodus 24:7).
In more general terms, Sinai was an act of conversion, as Jews committed themselves to the mitzvot. Hakhel was a reaffirmation of this conversion process.
Note that the Talmud teaches that the text read at Hakhel includes the Shema, affirming belief in God (Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Sotah 41a). It also includes v’hayah, accentuating God’s rewarding and punishing as He understands (Deuteronomy 11:13–21). And finally, the reading includes a commitment to mitzvot (14:22–28:69).
These three sections correspond to the central questions a convert is asked before conversion: Do you believe in God? Do you believe that God remains involved and rewards and punishes as only He understands? Do you believe in and are you committed to the mitzvot?
Thus, the Sinaitic revelation of our earliest days of peoplehood is reenacted at Hakhel, bridging the past with the present, hopefully leading to renewed commitment in the future.
Candle lighting:
Sukkot:
Wednesday, October 16th light candles at 6:34 p.m.
Thursday, October 17th light holiday candles after 7:26 p.m. from a pre-existing flame
Friday, October 18th light candles at 6:33 p.m. from a pre-existing flame
Saturday, October 19th Shabbat ends at 7:24 p.m.