Shabbat Hagadol: It’s Gonna be YUGE!
The Greatness of Pesach, Teshuva and Time [TWW #3]
Ed. Note: In our third intsallment of The Write Way, we present an excerpt from Reuven Kirshners new book, Groovin’ to the Torah. You can hear more abour Reuven in our recent podcast interview. The Write Way features writing from Bnei Torah in the Workforce.
While the reasons for the Shabbat before Pesach being called “Shabbat Hagadol” are rather “cute,” they all allude to deeper meanings. Tur attributed the name to the “great” miracles that surrounded the redemption — mostly the mass slaughter of the deity of Egypt, the sheep, for the Korban Pesach. Pri Chadash highlighted the bringing of the Korban Pesach as the first mitzvah Bnei Yisrael were commanded and fulfilled (Rosh Chodesh had not been fulfilled yet). This is akin to a child reaching bar/bat mitzvah age, when they “grow up” and start serving Hashem as adults — Bnei Yisrael grew up and became “gedolim.” Chatam Sofer noted that until then, Bnei Yisrael had cried out to Hashem but had not expressed their intent to follow Him. This time marks Bnei Yisrael’s return to Hashem, making them “gedolim,” great people, a title granted to anyone who commits themselves to Hashem. Finally, Shibolei Haleket credits the title to the customarily lengthy sermon that is given as a means for preparation for the upcoming holiday. And with that, we start…
Maharshal adds another reason. The haftorah ends, “Hineh anochi sholeiach la’chem et Eliyahu Hanavi, lifnei bo yom Hashem ha’gadol v’ha’norah.” Eliyahu Hanavi will come on this great day to assist the teshuvah process for Bnei Yisrael. In fact, the main theme of this haftorah is repentance/return, which I would break down into three categories: spiritual (atoning for sins), physical (aliyah l’regel, taking physical steps), and time-related (remembering what happened and understanding it).
Historically, Bnei Yisrael can always be found in a cycle of: 1) exile/slavery, 2) crying out to Hashem, 3) salvation/redemption, 4) complacency with freedom, 5) starting to stray, 6) sinning, 7) exile/slavery. This has been the constant, vicious cycle for the history of Bnei Yisrael. This cycle is likened to an interpretation of the Lubavitcher Rebbe about the four sons mentioned in the Haggadah. He likened the tzaddik, rasha, tam, and she’eino yodeia lishol to the generations surrounding WWII. Before the war, there was simple piousness. After/during the war, people rejected Hashem. The grandson of the tzaddik and son of the rasha is simple because he sees two conflicting lifestyles and, while understanding them, does not take a stand. The simple man’s son does not know what to ask because his father remained impartial. The Rebbe lamented, though, the existence of a fifth son who was not even present at the Pesach seder because he has assimilated and does not even know he is Jewish.
There is only one way to overcome this unfortunate cycle and not lose our Jewish identity: constant spiritual, physical, and time-sensitive teshuvah. The question remains how to get to that stage.
Rabbi Abraham Heschel in his amazing work, The Sabbath, highlights Judaism as a religion of time, with Shabbat symbolizing the sanctification of time. No matter how appreciated the rest that Shabbat allows for, I think that its sanctity is often overlooked due to its routine occurrence. If someone ate steak or ice cream every week, I would venture the same would happen to their appreciation for the “treat.” The holidays are different. There is always a feeling of excitement surrounding a holiday and a level of preparation unparalleled to an average Shabbat. For example, in the excitement for the Seder this year, Talia noted that no one is talking about it being Shabbat! Pesach and the other holidays force Bnei Yisrael to stop their regular schedules, whenever it falls out, and celebrate the connection they have with Hashem, giving them the chance to realign their priorities throughout the year.
Everything that happened on Pesach was “gadol.” There were the great miracles, the mighty hand of Hashem, the huge army chasing Bnei Yisrael, the mass song of thanks, the unprecedented revelation at Sinai, and much more. These events should make it easier to believe in Hashem. Pesach highlights the transmission of traditions to children. The Seder is designed with ambiguities and offers rewards for asking questions. Perhaps the first question one can ask at the Seder is, Why is the book called a haggadah and not “hasippur”? I was giving this shiur to Bnei Akiva, and one of the students suggested that haggadah refers to a more personal delivery, while sippur would be more general. Rabbi Mirsky, in his Haggadats Hegyonei Halachah, explains that a sippur refers to giving over an already known story, while haggadah means telling a story for the first time. At the Seder, there is a specific command to relive the Exodus as if it was happening right now! Some people even do this by dressing in robes and carrying matzah on their back — a return in time.
In the haftorah, Malachi emphasizes the need for teshuvah, return, to be from the heart. Hashem tells Bnei Yisrael that although they have sinned, if they begin the teshuvah process then He will meet them halfway. Bnei Yisrael’s response was simply, “What did we do that requires repentance?” The inability to recognize that each person needs some level of repentance to improve is troubling and undermines any morsel of hope for recovery. In the last pesukim, Malachi gives the key to circumventing this travesty: “V’heishiv lev avot al banim, v’lev banim al avotam…” When the return is both focused on the future and the present, the fathers helping the sons and the sons the fathers, and both are rooted in the heart, which indeed is the theme of the Seder, then the path of return is open.
The greatness of Shabbat Hagadol is the opportunity to prepare for the holiday by returning physically to Israel (if only in our hearts), returning in time (by viewing this redemption as unique and new), and returning spiritually (stopping our lives to serve Hashem). Only through preparation do we succeed — and succeed we must!