~ One Hundred Words on the Parsha - VaYelech

הקהל את העם האנשים והנשים והטף

“Gather the people. The men, the women and the children”

The מצוה of הקהל includes bringing the children; according to some opinions, even those too young to understand. This leads us to wonder what the purpose is of bringing children who can’t comprehend the proceedings.

One possible way of understanding this is that bringing the children helps the adults to appreciate the magnitude of the occasion. When even the youngest must be present, the awesome obligation of hearing and obeying the Torah is firmly impressed upon everyone.