What makes Shabbat HaGadol so "great," and why is it so significant in our tradition? Hanassi member Rabbi Paul Bloom explores these questions, from the miracle that occurred on this day to the deep spiritual messages it holds.
1.
The Miracle of Shabbat HaGadol
At its core, the miracle of Shabbat
HaGadol is a powerful act of defiance. On 10 Nissan, just days before the
Exodus, the Jewish people did something extraordinary. They took lambs—animals
sacred to the Egyptians—and set them aside for the Korban Pesach, the Passover
offering. In essence, they were rejecting Egyptian idolatry publicly. It’s like
burning a national flag today. The Egyptians, surely expecting retaliation,
were powerless to stop it. Their inaction was in itself a miracle—a divine
protection for the Jewish people, known as a nes shel haganah, a miracle of defense.
But there’s more. Beyond this simple
miracle, Shabbat HaGadol carries profound spiritual meaning. I’d like to share
three interpretations that highlight its depth.
The
Fulfillment of Avraham’s Vision
It was on this Shabbat, as the Jewish
people prepared for the Exodus and performed the first mitzvah together—the
Korban Pesach—that we became that nation. This was the beginning of the the
greatness, that Avraham had envisioned. We became a nation of faith, standing
up to Egypt and idolatry, and embracing our role as God’s chosen people.
A
New Dimension of Shabbat
The second insight, also from the Sfat
Emet, teaches us that Shabbat HaGadol introduces a new layer to the meaning of
Shabbat itself. Until this moment, Shabbat was mainly a commemoration of
Creation—“Zecher LeMa’aseh Bereishit.”
But on this Shabbat, we begin to also remember the Exodus—“Zecher LiYetziat Mitzrayim.”
This duality is reflected in our Kiddush
prayers. In Shemot (Exodus)
20:8, we recite the commandment to observe Shabbat because Hashem created the
world in six days. But in Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 5:15, we are reminded to keep Shabbat because we were once slaves
in Egypt and Hashem freed us.
Shabbat, then, becomes more than just a
remembrance of creation. It becomes a symbol of our freedom. Each Shabbat is a
resistance to the world’s demands and a reminder that we are no longer slaves.
I once had a student, a successful lawyer, who couldn’t take a day off for
Purim. “I can’t,” he said, “I have work.” I looked at him and asked, “Are you
an eved Kena’ani? A slave?” A week later, he showed up to my class and
said, “You were right. I am not a slave.”
This is the power of Shabbat—it reminds
us of our freedom and our ability to step away from the grind of daily life to
reconnect with Hashem.
The Source of All Blessing
The third perspective comes from Rav
Tzadok HaKohen, who teaches that Shabbat is the source of all blessing. What
does this mean? Shabbat functions in two directions. First, it gathers all the
holiness from the past week. Every mitzvah, every act of kindness, every moment
of Torah learning from the days before accumulates within us, feeding our extra
Shabbat soul—the neshamah yeteirah. Secondly,
Shabbat sets the spiritual foundation for the coming week. Any success we will
have in Torah learning or mitzvot during the upcoming week draws its strength
from the Shabbat before it.
This idea helps us understand various
customs in Jewish life. For example, the Shalom
Zachar before a Brit Milah, or
the Aufruf before a wedding, because
the spiritual sanctity of those events already exists in potential form within
the Shabbat before them. Similarly, Rav Tzadok teaches that the spiritual
energy for the redemption of Pesach began on Shabbat HaGadol. It was here that
the light of the Exodus first shone.
Conclusion:
The Power of Shabbat HaGadol
So, why is Shabbat HaGadol so great? It
is great for three main reasons:
- It marks the birth of our spiritual nation, fulfilling Avraham’s
vision of a nation devoted to Hashem.
- It adds a
new layer of meaning to Shabbat, making it not just about creation but
about our freedom as a people.
- It is the source of redemption, setting the stage for the
spiritual and physical redemption of Pesach and beyond.
Each Shabbat, in a way, is a taste of
redemption. As Chazal teach us, “In
Nissan, we were redeemed, and in Nissan, we will be redeemed again.” May we
merit to experience the ultimate redemption, speedily in our days.
