POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE

TOM’S TALMUD TISCH: Series on Hakhel, Part Two Masechet Sotah, Chap. Seven, Page 41a The inaugural Episode opened the Mishna addressing Hakhel; the biblically ordained, septennial Jewish National Assembly, and its unique connection to the Monarchy. In the second Episode we see the Mishna going into the details of a seemingly superfluous multi-level ceremonial hand-off that ultimately leads into the practical performance of this unique Gathering. Yet since the Mitzvah is specifically about Reading the Torah not passing it around; why, how, and what is the purpose of these elaborate formal exercises? It's noteworthy that these formalities are entirely absent from the Scriptural narrative.