"The great Shabbat"
QUESTION: Why is the Shabbat before Pesach called "Shabbat Hagadol" — the great Shabbat?
ANSWER: Because on it a "
neis gadol" —
"great miracle" — took place." On the tenth of
Nissan, which was
Shabbat (Gemara Shabbat 87b), the Jews were instructed to prepare a lamb to be used as a
Pesach-offering. When the Egyptian first-born visited Jewish homes and asked what they were planning to do with the lamb, the Jews replied that they were preparing a
Pesach-offering to G-d, who would kill the Egyptian first born. Upon hearing this they went to their parents and to Pharaoh begging them to send out the Jewish people. When they refused, the first born declared war against their parents and killed many of them, as it is written in Psalms (136:10),
"Lemakeh Mitzrayim bivchoreihem" — "Who struck Egypt through its first born."
What is so unique about this miracle that it should be described as a "neis gadol" — "great miracle"?
Throughout history the Jewish people have been confronted with numerous enemies. Fortunately, Hashem comes to our salvation and miraculously our enemies are destroyed. The uniqueness of the miracle of Shabbat Hagadol was that while Egypt and Paroah were still in their fullest strength and glory, their own firstborn demanded compliance with G-d's will, and when they refused, an internal war erupted, fought on behalf of the Jewish people. Thus, the Egyptians killing Egyptians on behalf of the Jewish people was equivalent to "ithapcha chashocha lenehora" — "transforming darkness to light" — and the greatest miracle that the Jewish people have witnessed.
Alternatively, on the 10th day of Nissan, which was a Shabbat, Hashem commanded the Jewish people to prepare a lamb for a Pesach-offering and tie it to the foot of their beds (Tur Orach Chaim 430). On Wednesday afternoon, the 14th day of Nissan, the Jews slaughtered the Pesach-offering, and left Egypt the following morning (Thursday), the 15th day of Nissan (Shabbat 87b).
The Egyptians visited the homes of their Jewish slaves and were horrified to see how the Jews were treating the lambs, which the Egyptians worshipped. When the Egyptians asked what they were doing with the lambs, the Jews did not try to evade the question and proudly proclaimed "We have a G-d Who commanded us to sacrifice these."
A major difference between a katan — minor — and a gadol — adult — is that a minor is frequently timid and likely to obscure the truth with excuses. On the other hand, an adult, mature and not ashamed, forthrightly proclaims his convictions. On this Shabbat the Jews acted as gedolim — mature adults — and unhesitatingly proclaimed their allegiance to Hashem. Since they acted like gedolim, this Shabbat is known as Shabbat Hagadol.
Alternatively, after the first day of Pesach, the mitzvah of counting the omer commences. In commanding this mitzvah, the Torah writes "Usefartem lachem mimacharat haShabbat" — "You shall count for yourself from the morrow of the day of rest" (23:15).
In the days of the Talmud there was a sect known as the "Tzedokim" — "Sadducees." They believed in the Written Torah but did not accept the Oral Torah, and hence, they interpreted the Torah literally. Thus, "mimacharat haShabbat" according to them means Sunday, and the omer is brought on the morrow of Shabbat — the first Sunday following Pesach.
The sages of the Talmud vehemently opposed this view and in the Gemara (Menachot 65a) they disproved their theory. Consequently, according to our authentic interpretation, when the first day of Pesach falls in the middle of the week the omer is offered the following day.
Since the Torah refers to the day the omer is brought as "macharat haShabbat" — "the morrow after Shabbat" — i.e. the Yom Tov of Pesach, which is a day of rest — the Shabbat before is called Shabbat Hagadol — the great Shabbat — to indicate that during this week there is also another Shabbat (Yom Tov) which takes place, and Shabbat is greater and holier than Yom Tov.
Alternatively, the first mitzvah the Jewish people were commanded prior to their leaving Egypt was to prepare the sheep for a Pesach-offering and other details pertaining to celebrating the Pesach Yom Tov. Our patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov fulfilled all the mitzvot of the Torah (see Yoma 28b), and undoubtedly they, too, made a Pesach-offering on the fourteenth of Nissan and celebrated Pesach.
Nevertheless, there is a big difference between us and them in regard to performing mitzvot. The Gemara (Kiddushin 31a) says that "Gadol hametzuvah ve'oseh mimi she'eino metzuvah ve'oseh" — "The one who is commanded and fulfills is greater than the one who fulfills without a command." The reason is that the one who is not commanded has the option of not performing the precept at all, while the one who is commanded is worried and anxious due to his obligation (see Tosafot).
Thus, on this Shabbat the Jews exhibited the greatness of one who is commanded, and therefore this Shabbat is called "Shabbat Hagadol" — "the great Shabbat."
Alternatively, the Jews were liberated from Egypt in the year 2448 after creation. They had their first real taste of freedom on the Shabbat before Pesach, when they prepared the lamb for the karban Pesach. The words "Shabbat Hagadol" remind us of the redemption: shin stands for Shabbat, beit = 2,000, taf = 400, and the word hagadol has the numerical value of 48.
Purim Torah