Hakhel

thumb Hakhel () is a biblical commandment to assemble all Israelite men, women and children and converts, to hear the reading of the Torah by the king of Israel once every seven years to strengthen their fear of God.

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" ( miṣwaṯ haqhēl) was performed throughout the years of the Second Temple era and, by inference, during the First Temple era as well. The biblical mitzvah of haqhēl is only in effect when all Israelites reside in the Holy Land. However, more recently, attempts have been made to revive a symbolic form of haqhēl.