Reenacting Har Sinai

The Rambam in Hilchot Chagigah (3:6) equate the reading of hakhal to a miniature maamad har Sinai. The Rambam in Law 3 delineates what the king read, מֵהֵיכָן הוּא קוֹרֵא מִתְּחִלַּת חֻמַּשׁ אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים עַד סוֹף פָּרָשַׁת שְׁמַע וּמְדַלֵּג לִ(דברים יא יג) "וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמוֹעַ" וְגוֹ' וּמְדַלֵּג לְעַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר וְקוֹרֵא מֵ (דברים יד כב) "עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר" עַל הַסֵּדֶר עַד סוֹף בְּרָכוֹת וּקְלָלוֹת עַד (דברים כח סט) "מִלְּבַד הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת אִתָּם בְּחֹרֵב" וּפוֹסֵק.  What does the Rambma mean to add with the word ופוסקת just tell us where to read untill?  Rav Hutner (Eigrot pg. 156) explains in light of the previous Rambam that it is necessary to to note that the reading ends with the mentioning of Sinai because that is the whole concept of hakhal.  It is not just that the kria ends there ,but there is a halacha of stopping right there to bring out the point of the mitzvah.  With this he explains the Gemorah in Chagigah (3a) טף למה באין כדי ליתן שכר למביאיהם.  The meforshim ask ממנ"ש if they understand then they should come because they too understand and if they don't understand if there reward for merely carrying additional weight?  Rav Hutner explains just as the children were present at Sinai they must be present at hakhal.  That is what it means to give reward to those that bring them, they help create the situation of a Har Sinai reenactment.

Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank (Mikrayeh Kodesh volume 3 Sukkot #44) brings Rav Yehoshua Leeb asks why does the possuk say וגרך אשר בשעריך, why do we need a special inclusion of coverts?  However, in light of the Rambam it may be understood since converts were not at Sinai one may think they are not included (Yerech L'moadim Sukkot siman 58.) 

The Bach siman 660 says one one is reading the Torah for the tzibbur it must be done standing as the Gemorah Megilllah (21a) learns ועתה פה עמד עמדי that kaviyachol Hashe taught the Torah while standing, so too the one teaching the Torah to the public must be standing.  The Magen Arvaham (141:1) asks that the king read the Torah sitting by hakhal?  However, in light of this Rambam we can defend the Bach.  The krias hatorah which is to teach Torah must be done while standing but the reading of hakhal is not to teach Torah, it is to reenact maamed Har Sinai (Gevurot Yitzhok, Yerach L'moadim.)