Torah (The Written law, תורה שבכתב)
(12) Gather the people—men, women, children, and the strangers in your communities—that they may hear and so learn to revere the LORD your God and to observe faithfully every word of this teaching.
() לְהַקְהִיל אֶת הָעָם לִשְׁמֹעַ תּוֹרָה בְּמוֹצָאֵי שְׁבִיעִית, שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר: "הַקְהֵל אֶת הָעָם..." (דברים לא, יב).
Maimonides (Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon) lists this verse as one of 613 mitzvot:
To gather the people to listen to Torah, in the exiting of the seventh year as it says. “Gather the people” (Devarim 31:12)
Our מסורה (masorah, chain of tradition) teaches that the תורה שבעל פה is holy, like the Bible. Does it contain knowledge from Moses, or God? Our מסורה says yes - yet we see that it also developed over time. Rabbis clearly debated it. As circumstances changed, rabbis saw it as God's will for them to adapt Judaism to new conditions.
The oral law is collected in the Mishnah מִשְׁנָה, and in the Midrash מדרש collections. As Jewish civilization later developed, we got Talmud Yerushalmi (תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשָׁלְמִי) and Talmud Bavli ( תַּלְמוּד בבל.) As Judaism is an evolving religious civilization, we follow its development in the responsa literature, Jewish philosophical works, and codes of law. So when we want to know the Bible, we read it along with the oral law. What does the oral law say about this week's parasha?
- Robert Kaiser
(יב) וטעם תועלת החג הוא ידוע - למה שיגיע לאדם מן הקיבוץ ההוא מהתחדש התורה בהפעלות ההוא והתאהב בני אדם וחברם קצתם אל קצתם; וכל שכן 'מצות הקהל' אשר טעמה מפורש "למען ישמעו וגו'". וכן 'דמי מעשר שני' - להוציאם שם - כמו שבארנו. וכן 'נטע רבעי' ו'מעשה בהמה' יהיה שם אם כן בשר ה'מעשר' ויין 'נטע רבעי' ו'מעות מעשר שני' כדי להרבות המזונות שם. ולא הותר למכור דבר מאלו ולא לאחרו מזמן לזמן אלא המו שאמר ית' "שנה בשנה וגו'". - ועל כרחו יעשה בהם צדקה. וכבר הזהיר על הצדקה במועדים ואמר "ושמחת בחגך אתה ובנך ובתך וגו' והגר והיתום והאלמנה" - הנה זכרנו טעם פרטי זה הכלל וחלקים רבים מהם:
(12) [Maimonides asks: Why would God command us to observe a festival?]
The reason is plain. People derive benefit from such assemblies: the emotions produced renew our attachment to our religion; our emotions lead to friendly and social intercourse among the people.
This is especially the object of the commandment to gather the people together on Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) as is plainly stated: "that they may hear, and that they may learn and fear the Lord" (Deut. 31:12).
The same purpose is seen in the rule that money for the second tithe [charitable donation] must be spent by all in one place (ibid. 14:22-26)
The fruit of trees in their fourth year, and the tithe of the cattle, had to be brought to Jerusalem. There would therefore be in Jerusalem the donated meat, wine and money. Plenty of food would always be found there.
None of this could be sold, or set aside for another year; the Torah orders that they should be brought "year by year" (Deut. 14:22); the owner was thus compelled to spend part of them in charity! That's part of the Torah's purpose in making this mitzvah.
Also, it is additionally commanded: "And you will rejoice in the feast, you and your kids, your employees, the Levites (priestly tribe), the non-Israelites, orphans and widows
The Mishnah (Megillah 1:3) taught that the Israelites would postpone the great assembly required by Deuteronomy 31:10–12 if observing it conflicted with Shabbat.
In the Talmud, a Baraita deduced from the words "that they may hear" in Deuteronomy 31:12 that a deaf person was not required to appear at the assembly. The Baraita deduced from the words "that they may learn" in Deuteronomy 31:12 that a mute person was not required to appear at the assembly. But then the Talmud questioned the conclusion that one who cannot talk cannot learn. A rabbi tells the story of two mute grandsons, who lived in Rabbi's neighborhood. Rabbi prayed for them, and they were healed. And it turned out that notwithstanding their speech impediment, they had learned halachah, Midrash, and the whole Talmud! - Talmud Bavli, Chagigah 3a