What is "hakhel"

The term Hakhel (Hebrew הקהל) refers to a biblical commandment of assembling all Jewish men, women and children, as well as "strangers" to assemble and hear the reading of the Torah by the king of Israel once every seven years.

Originally this ceremony took place at the site of the Temple in Jerusalem during Sukkot in the year following a Seventh Year. According to the Mishna, the "commandment to assemble" (Hebrew: מצות הקהל mitzvat hakhel) was performed throughout the years of the Second Temple era and, by inference, during the First Temple era as well. The biblical mitzvah of Hakhel is only in effect when all the Jewish people reside in Israel. In the 20th century, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, repeatedly encouraged all Jews to utilize the Hakhel year to assemble men, women and children and encourage each other to increase in Torah observance and study, and foster an environment of fear of G‑d.