Shabbat Hagadol Dvar Torah

This Shabbat, aside from being Parshat Tzav, is known as Shabbat Hagadol. The source of
Shabbat Hagadol is the event that happened 10th of Nissan in Egypt when Bnei Yisrael were
commanded to take a lamb into their houses (as seen in Parshat Bo). They were instructed to take
a lamb, an Egyptian god, and to keep it in their houses for four days. On the fourth day, the 14th
of Nissan, they would slaughter the lamb and paint the doorposts with its blood, in direct
defiance of Egyptian religion. The oppressive Egyptians would be expected to punish Bnei
Yisrael harshly as they had no problem hurting Bnei Yisrael in the past. However, a miracle
occurred and the Egyptians had no retaliation whatsoever. Nevertheless, this act of emunah and
dedication took tremendous bravery that we must acknowledge. This story, found in the Midrash,
also mentions that the 10th of Nissan, the day of this great miracle, was on a Shabbat, and
because of the that occurred here, the Shabbat would be known in the future as Shabbat
Hagadol.
It is strange that this special day is commemorated on the Shabbat before Pesach instead of being
commemorated on the actual date of the miracle. (This year Shabbat Hagadol is on the 8th of
Nissan instead of being on the 10th.) This method of commemoration is unique. We celebrate
Pesach starting on the 15th of Nissan every year, not on the third Thursday in Nissan (which is
how it was on that year if the 10th was Shabbat). We celebrate Shavuot on the 6th (and 7th) of
Sivan, not on the first Friday (and Shabbat) of Sivan. This pattern continues, as every other
remembrance day or Chag is fixed to a specific date. So why is Shabbat Hagadol the Shabbat
Hagadol, instead of a Chag on the 10th of Nissan?

Part of the answer is that Shabbat Hagadol simply is not a normal Chag. What do we do on
Shabbat Hagadol? We read a special Haftarah, listen to a Pesach-preparation related drasha, and
not much else. It seems from looking at what we do on Shabbat Hagadol that this story of the
miracle and bravery is not the only factor present. We also are focusing on the mental preparation
for Pesach just as Bnei Yisrael prepared themselves mentally, emotionally, and physically for
the redemption and freedom. This kind of a complete preparation is a unique part of the first
Pesach where Bnei Yisrael had to deal with the idea of an end to their slavery. Thus, a full Chag
or remembrance day is unnecessary ldorot and we can use a lesser remembrance on the Shabbat
before.
That is not to say that we completely abandon the commemoration of this miracle and the
emotional preparation for Pesach. We still commemorate this story with Shabbat Hagadol, and
the idea of preparation emotionally is present in the special Haftarah for Shabbat Hagadol. This
Haftarah, taken from the very end of Neviim, ends off with the warning to Bnei Yisrael to return
to Hashem and the Torah and to prepare themselves so that they will merit the sending of Eliyahu
Hanavi and Mashiach, as it says,

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Behold! I will send to you Eliyahu the Navi before the arrival of the great and awesome day of
' . May we all take this message to heart to prepare ourselves for the experience of
, and the coming of Mashiach, so that it may come speedily in the month of Nissan as the

Gemara says, , In Nissan they were redeemed (in Egypt),

and in Nissan they will be redeemed. Shabbat Shalom.