Rabbi Heller's Blog

The Shabbat before Passover is always called “Shabbat Hagadol,” literally “the Great Sabbath.” However, as any grammatical pedant will tell you, this does not make sense, because in the gendered Hebrew language, Shabbat is feminine, and Hagadol is masculine. Scholars throughout the generations have posited different reasons that the Shabbat might be great, some of which resolve the grammatical discrepancy. There are many classic interpretations, but today, I am drawn  to an old favorite, combined with new twist that I encountered for the first time this year. They are interpretations that speak to what it means to be great.

So what makes this Shabbat so great?

My father always liked the answer (first attributed to Rashi over 800 years ago!) “Hagadol” referred to the length of the sermon, because this was one of two Sabbaths in the year where the rabbi was expected (allowed?) to offer a particularly lengthy discourse on the rules of Passover. 

However, the  simplest explanation is that the word “Hagadol” is one of the key words of the special Haftorah we read this Shabbat, and shabbatot often take the name of a key word from a special reading (for example, Shabbat Shira , the Shabbat of song, is the Shabbat on which two beautiful songs are part of the Torah and Haftorah reading, and Shabbat Zachor, before Purim, features a reading that begins with the word Zachor.  

The classic answer, which gives insight into the nature of freedom, is the commentary of the 14th century Rabbeinu Jacob Ben Asher, which was that as the Exodus actually unfolded, the Shabbat before Passover was the day that the Israelites set aside the lambs for the paschal sacrifice. This sacrifice would have been abhorrent to the Egyptians, so the fact that the Israelites were willing to do it, and were able to do so without repercussions, was what made the day great. In essence, this Sabbath was really the beginning of the redemption, the first taste of freedom. 

This year I find great meaning in the interpretation of Hizkuni, who takes this idea a step further. He points out that up until this point, the Israelites have done nothing but suffer and complain. Taking the lamb is actually the first time that the Israelites play an active role in their salvation. It is their first mitzvah, as it were. In Hebrew, a gadol can mean an adult, as opposed to a minor. This Shabbat is, if you will, the anniversary of the moment the Jewish people became adults and took on the responsibility of acting on their own behalf. As the parent of any teenager will tell you, maturity does not happen all at once. Indeed would take 40 years for the Israelites to reach their full level of responsibility and agency. Nevertheless, it was at this moment they proved that they were capable of meeting an obligation, even if it was counter-intuitive or, dare I say, hard to do so. This Shabbat is great because that moment of maturation was the beginning of the Israelites’ greatness.

As we approach this Passover, I think about those among us for whom this year has been one of unexpected challenges. This year, many of us have had to step up, speak out and stand out. We did not have to take a lamb in the presence of our neighbors, but we may have had to share sentiments that got their goat. We have had to become bigger in the face of those who want to tear us down. This is particularly true for many of our students on campus, who perhaps were used to “flying under the radar” with their Jewish identity and practice. This Shabbat tells us that we cannot sit back and wait for good things to happen. Having to stand up for one’s self, to take action, is a step towards maturity, a step towards freedom, and even, I dare say, towards greatness.