Shabbat 500 - A Gathering of the Righteous

I'd like to share with you the Dvar Torah I said at Shabbat 500:

 No Shabbat experience is complete without a word of Torah - here is a quick insight:

We are doing this mega Shabbat dinner as a Hakhel gathering. In Deuteronomy, G-d tells Moses to command the Jewish people that once in every 7 years, men, women, and children should gather in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, where the king would read the Torah publicly for everyone.

The Hakhel gathering serves as a way to strengthen unity and focus ourselves on what’s important in life. 

The Jewish people have kept records of these 7-year cycles since ancient times, and this year is a Hakhel year! So at Chabad, our emphasis this year is on making Hakhels or gatherings. 

Humanity needs to get together. It’s dangerous when we don’t - and miraculous when we do.

But not always, because some gatherings lead to negative outcomes. What is the quality of a positive gathering?

Our Sages teach in the Mishnah: "The gathering of the wicked is bad for them and bad for the world; the gathering of the righteous is good for them and good for the world."

I see this as descriptive. The definition of a gathering of righteous, which we all are, is when our gatherings bring us to a higher level of inner good. But it doesn’t stop there; they also do good for the world.

One of my favorite lines is a line that the Rebbe told someone in a private audience: "When 2 people meet, it should benefit a 3rd."

The Hakhel message to all of us is to make gatherings. Gather your friends and acquaintances AND use the gathering to bring yourselves to a higher level of good! But don’t stop there! Use your gatherings to go beyond yourselves and bring good to others!

May our gathering here tonight, and the good gatherings that we resolve to do in the future, manifest the ultimate gathering - when all humanity will gather and unite as one - with the coming of Moshiach - Messiah - speedily in our times. Amen!