The school year has just begun. As parents, our children’s education is a top priority. As Jews, our concern is not just with the material that is covered, but the subtler elements of education: what is imbued in our children, Torah values, moral development; the affective level of education.

Every seven years, during the festival of Sukkot, the entire Jewish People are commanded to gather together for “hakhel,” a special mitzvah performed in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The King would read selections from the book of Devarim as the people listen attentively and re-affirm their commitment to the Torah.

Before his death, Moshe instructs:

Gather together the people- men, women and small children, and the stranger that is in your gates- so that they will hear and so that they shall fear Hashem, your God, and be careful to perform all the words of this Torah. (Devarim 31:12)

The Torah emphasizes bringing the taf, the small children. One can imagine the scene: Strollers and car seats, bottles and diaper bags, crowded Egged busses. It is certainly a challenge to maneuver Jerusalem with kids- trust me!

Why schlep all the kids?

Our sages explain, that the small children are brought to give reward to those who bring them (See Rashi to v. 12, Cf. Bavli Chagigah 3a, Yerushalmi Chagigah Chap. 1, Tosefta Sotah 7:9, Yerushalmi Sotah Chap. 3).

What reward is given to those who bring the children? And is it worth it?

Hakhel was a huge ceremony. It took place once in seven years- the first night of Chol HaMoed Sukkot, during the year following shemmittah. The trumpets would be sounded and the people would gather. With much fanfare, the Torah scroll was passed from one leader to the next, till it would reach the King. While the small children in attendance do not fully understand the significance nor do they understand the words being spoken, hakhel leaves a lasting impression on them: the sights, the sounds, the wonder. The children were brought for hakhel because it was an experience. An experience they will never forget.

So central is this experience, Rambam compares the mitzvah of hakhel to the revelation at Mt. Sinai. It is, so to speak, a renewed giving of the Torah every seven years in order to “awaken them to the mitzvoth and strengthen their hand in the true faith.” (Rambam Hilchot Chagigah 3:1). He writes that one should feel as if they are hearing the words from God himself. (Ibid 3:6)

No one is exempt from this special mitzvah. Even great scholars who know the entire Torah are obligated to pay extra close attention. (Ibid 3:6) This is because hakhel is not an intellectual exercise- it is an experience.

At the beginning of Parshat Nitzavim the Jewish Nation was also gathered. Moshe gathers the entire Jewish Nation together for his final farewell:

You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem your God: heads of tribes, elders, officers, all the men of Israel; your small children, your women, the proselyte in the midst of your camp, from the hewer of wood to the drawer of water. (Devarim 29:9-10)

Here too, our Sages ask the question: Why bring the children? The answer, again, is that it is to provide a reward for those who bring them. In fact, this is the source for bringing children to the synagogue. (See Masechet Sofrim 18:8). In the synagogue, just as together with the nation, they can witness the richness that is the full Jewish experience.

The “reward” that parents receive for ensuring that their children “experience” a vibrant Judaism is Jewish continuity. Children who internalize these experiences will grow to become adults who are passionate and committed Jews. There is no greater reward for a parent. That is “true yiddishe nachas.”
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Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananyah was one of the greatest disciples of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai. Why? The Talmud states that his mother would bring his crib into the beit midrash “so that his ears would become attached to words of Torah” (Yerushalmi Yevamot 1:6). In fact the Mishnah (Avot 2:8) praises the mother Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananyah, and says “fortunate is the one who gave birth to him.” This experience set him on the course that would be his life’s journey.

There is a beautiful (and true!) story about a man who would come home tired every day, but yet make it his business to attend the nightly Talmud class. Each night, like clockwork, he fell asleep on his gemara. The Rabbi asked him, “why do you bother coming? If you are so tired, stay home and get a good night sleep!” The man responded that yes it was hard but even if he falls asleep, at least his children will know he is studying in the Beit Midrash.

Children are impressionable. They are always learning; soaking up life experience like a sponge.

Our challenge as parents and educators is to instill in the children in our care a Judaism that is vibrant, soulful, passionate and full of life. Then we will merit in seeing generations of deeply committed Jews.