Shulchan Aruch, Siman 430, containing one se'if: "The Shabbos before Pesach is called Shabbos HaGadol because of the miracle that took place on it." (Shulchan Aruch)
The basic difficulty in the words of the Shulchan Aruch
- The function of the Shulchan Aruch: As a rule, the Shulchan Aruch rules halachos; it does not tell stories. So the question begs itself: what practical halachah emerges from the fact that we call this Shabbos "Shabbos HaGadol"?
"And the custom is to say the Haggadah at Minchah, from 'Avadim hayinu' until 'to atone for all our sins,' and we stop saying 'Barchi nafshi.'"
(the Rema)
- The explanation: From the Rema it emerges that the name itself is not the point; the point is the special practices that apply on this Shabbos. Accordingly we explain that the Shulchan Aruch too is hinting at these special practices, even though he did not spell them out.
The nature of the miracle of Shabbos HaGadol (Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 1)
"Because of the miracle: in the year they left Mitzrayim, the tenth of Nissan fell on Shabbos, and every Jew took a lamb for his Pesach offering and tied it to the leg of his bed, as it is written: 'On the tenth of this month they shall take for themselves, each man a lamb for a father's household, etc.'"
(Mishnah Berurah)
- Counting the days: Chazal point out that the exodus from Mitzrayim was on a Thursday. Four days earlier than the fourteenth of Nissan brings you to the tenth of Nissan, which was Shabbos.
- Tying the lamb to the leg of the bed: This was done in order to inspect the korban for a blemish and to make sure it would not be taken away.
"And the Egyptians saw this and asked them: what is this for? And they answered: to slaughter it as a Pesach offering, as Hashem commanded us. And their teeth were set on edge that Israel were slaughtering their god, and they were unable to say a thing to them."
(Mishnah Berurah)
- The magnitude of the miracle: The lamb was the avodah zarah of Mitzrayim. The miracle was that the Jewish people declared openly, four days in advance, that they intended to slaughter the Egyptians' god, and the Egyptians, who had already been struck with nine plagues, could do nothing about it ("their teeth were set on edge").
"And because at that time the tenth of the month fell on Shabbos, they therefore established that the Shabbos before Pesach be called Shabbos HaGadol forever."
(Mishnah Berurah)
The Midrashim note further nuances, for example that this episode led to the war of the firstborn in Mitzrayim: "to the One who struck Mitzrayim through their firstborn."
Difficulties and analysis: defining the name and the date
1. Why is the day fixed by the day of the week (Shabbos) and not by the date (the tenth of Nissan)?
The miracle happened on the tenth of Nissan. Why, then, was the commemoration fixed on the Shabbos before Pesach rather than on the tenth of Nissan itself?
- One answer (Sefer Yehoshua): On the tenth of Nissan the Jewish people crossed the Jordan when they entered Eretz Yisrael. Fixing "the great day" on the tenth of Nissan would have created confusion as to which miracle is being commemorated.
- Another answer: On the tenth of Nissan Miriam, the sister of Aharon, died, a sorrowful event, and therefore the commemoration was moved to Shabbos.
2. The source of the word "HaGadol"
Reasoning / rationale · explanation
- After the miracle - the name is given after the great miracle that took place on it.
- A connection to Parashas Tzav - this Shabbos usually falls on Parashas Tzav (in a regular year). "Tzav" is a term of command, and the mitzvah of the korban Pesach was the first mitzvah they were commanded. Israel, as it were, became "bar mitzvah" (a "gadol").
- After the haftarah - we read the haftarah "And the offering of Yehudah shall be pleasing to Hashem..." which concludes with the verse: "Behold, I send you Eliyahu the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Hashem."
Difficulties with the explanation based on the haftarah:
- Changing the standard haftarah: Normally, when a Shabbos is named after its haftarah, the name comes from the regular haftarah of that parashah (for example, Shabbos "Nachamu"). Displacing the standard haftarah of Parashas Tzav is not a routine matter, and there are poskim (such as the Gra) who are not quick to switch haftaros.
- The placement of the word in the passage: If the Shabbos were named after the haftarah, it should have been called "Shabbos Ve'arvah" (after the opening of the haftarah). Some answer that the Shabbos is named after the second to last verse, because we repeat that verse twice.
Rav Avraham Ze'evi's suggestion and its rejection
The basis of the name according to Rav Avraham Ze'evi (about 350 years ago)
- In the background stands the dispute between the Perushim and the Tzedukim over the meaning of "the day after the Shabbos" regarding sefiras ha'omer (the Perushim explained: the day after Yom Tov; the Tzedukim: the day after the ordinary Shabbos).
- His explanation: The Shabbos before Pesach is an actual Shabbos. Yom Tov of Pesach is also called "Shabbos" in the Torah. In order to distinguish between the actual Shabbos and Yom Tov (a "small Shabbos"), they called the first one "Shabbos HaGadol", the great Shabbos.
Difficulties with this answer (Haggadah Sheleimah / Rav Kasher)
- The practice of the Karaites: The Karaites too (the successors of the Tzedukim) call this Shabbos "Shabbos HaGadol" in their own books, which contradicts the claim that the name was coined in opposition to them.
- Italian manuscripts: In old manuscripts we find that the Shabbos before Shavuos was also called "Shabbos HaGadol" (on account of the giving of the Torah). This shows that the name indicates the importance of the Shabbos in its own right, and is not a response to the Tzedukim.
Additional reasons: the Shabbos HaGadol derashah
- After the derashah: The Shabbos is called "gadol" because it is long, since the rav delivers a lengthy derashah on it.
- The content of the derashah nowadays: The emphasis is not on pilpul, but on teaching the practical halachos (the matters of the day) and explaining the ideas of the Yom Tov.
- When Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos: The derashah is given on the preceding Shabbos, as the Mishnah Berurah writes (s.k. 2):
"And even if Shabbos HaGadol falls on Erev Pesach, then we deliver the derashah on the preceding Shabbos." (Mishnah Berurah)
In passing · Shabbos laws and rabbinic decrees in our times
1. Reading by lamplight and the case of a "mini-light" bulb
- The original decree: Chazal forbade reading on Shabbos by the light of a lamp (oil and wick), a decree lest one tilt the oil toward the wick and thereby transgress the prohibition of kindling.
- The question of the "mini-light" lamp: A desk lamp with two light settings (dim/bright) at the press of a button.
- The answer of Rav Yehoshua Neuwirth (Shemiras Shabbos KeHilchasah): We have no power to institute new decrees. The decree of Chazal was stated specifically about oil and wick, and we may not extend it on our own to new technological mechanisms that did not exist in their day. Therefore its use is permitted.
2. The decree of kitniyos, canola oil and lecithin on Pesach
The rules of comparison and the distinctions between the decrees:
- The prohibition of kitniyos: A decree in force since the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Even today, when there is no concern of a mixture in the sacks, the decree itself on the product stands in place.
- Lecithin and oils:
- Soy lecithin: The ingredients are old but the product is new. If soy is included in the decree of kitniyos, the prohibition includes oil and products derived from it as well.
- Canola oil: It is produced from seeds that are not fit for human consumption on their own. Since they were not fit to be eaten and were not eaten, some permit this oil, since the decree was never made on something that is not a food.
3. Lighting mechanisms in hospitals ("Shaare Zedek") and the law of muktzeh
- The technological solution at Shaare Zedek: In order to avoid turning on a light on Shabbos when calling a nurse, the bulbs burn continuously behind a cover. Pressing the button merely moves the cover and exposes the light (removing an obstruction only), and that is not considered kindling.
- Night lights with a cover or a rotating shade: One may move the cover or rotate it, since this is not kindling.
The question of muktzeh with a working electrical appliance:
- A burning lamp or a running fan that serves a useful function on Shabbos is not muktzeh according to many poskim, and it may be moved from place to place for the needs of Shabbos.
- The distinction from an oil lamp: with an oil lamp there is a concern that moving it may extinguish it, which is not the case with these electrical appliances.