Shabbos HaGadol and the path to redemption

אא"ז מו"ר ז"ל אמר כי בשבת הזה מתאספין כל נ' שבתות השנה להביא גאולה כמ"ש אלו משמרין ב' שבתות כו' לכך נק' שבת הגדול כו' ע"ש.

My grandfather, my teacher and master, of blessed memory, said that on this Shabbos all fifty Shabbosos of the year gather together to bring the redemption, as Chazal said, "If they would keep two Shabbosos..." — therefore it is called Shabbos HaGadol; see there.

Citing his grandfather (the Chiddushei HaRim), the Sefas Emes opens with the idea that Shabbos HaGadol concentrates the power of all the year's Shabbosos, fulfilling Chazal's statement that keeping two Shabbosos properly would bring the geulah — hence its name, the "Great Shabbos."

והנה מקחו בעשור שהי' בשבת מסתמא הי' המכוון להיות שבת סיוע לבנ"י.

Now, the taking of the lamb on the tenth [of Nissan], which fell on Shabbos, surely was intended so that Shabbos should be an aid to Bnei Yisrael.

The original Shabbos HaGadol was when Bnei Yisrael took the Korban Pesach lamb on the tenth of Nissan; this falling on Shabbos was no accident, but meant for Shabbos to assist them in their first act of redemption.

דהנה כתיב משכו וקחו משכו מעבודה זרה וקחו צאן של מצוה כו'.

For it is written, "Draw forth and take" — "draw" yourselves away from idolatry, and "take" the sheep of the mitzvah (Shemos 12:21, with Rashi/Midrash).

The command "mishchu uk'chu" is read by Chazal as two movements: withdraw from avodah zarah, and take hold of the lamb of the mitzvah — a turning away from the false and toward the holy.

דהנה שבת הוא קבלת עול מלכות שמים.

For Shabbos is the acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven (ol malchus Shomayim).

The essence of Shabbos is kabbalas ol malchus Shomayim — accepting Hashem's sovereignty, testifying that He created and rules all.

ואיתא בזוה"ק בהר כי אי אפשר לקבל עול מלכות שמים כראוי מאן דאיהו כפות באחרא היינו שמשועבד ברשות לבו ויצרו הרע.

And it is brought in the Zohar HaKadosh (Behar) that it is impossible to accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven properly for one who is "bound to another" — that is, one who is enslaved to the dominion of his heart and his yetzer hara.

The Zohar teaches that one cannot truly accept ol malchus Shomayim while still "bound to another" — enslaved to his own heart's desires and his yetzer hara. One master excludes the other.

ואיתא ג"כ כל המקבל עליו עול תורה מעבירין ממנו עול מלכות ועול דרך ארץ כו'.

And it is also stated: whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah, they remove from him the yoke of [foreign] government and the yoke of worldly toil (Avos 3:5).

Conversely, accepting the yoke of Torah frees a person from lesser yokes — political subjugation and the burden of mundane toil — for the higher yoke supplants the lower enslavements.

ובזה נראה לפרש מ"ש ז"ל אלו משמרין ב' שבתות מיד נגאלין ופירש מו"ז ז"ל בשם הרב ר' שמעלקא ז"ל כי ע"י שבת אחד ששת ימי החול כראוי ועי"ז שבת הב' כראוי כו'.

With this we may explain what Chazal said, "If they would keep two Shabbosos they would immediately be redeemed" — and my grandfather, of blessed memory, explained in the name of the Rav, Reb Shmelke, of blessed memory, that through one Shabbos [kept properly, one then keeps] the six weekdays properly, and through that the second Shabbos [is kept] properly.

The "two Shabbosos" are linked through the week between them: a properly kept Shabbos sanctifies the following six weekdays, and those properly lived weekdays in turn enable the second Shabbos to be kept properly — a chain of sanctity bringing geulah.

ולהנ"ל מובן בפשיטות דכתיב זכור ושמור.

And according to the above, it is readily understood, for it is written "Zachor" (remember) and "Shamor" (guard).

This explains the two complementary commands of Shabbos: "Zachor" (remember) in one version of the Aseres HaDibros and "Shamor" (guard) in the other, which he now maps onto Shabbos and the weekdays.

ובזכור נאמר כי ששת ימים כו' וינח ביום השביעי כו' ובשמור כתיב הוציאך ה' ממצרים ע"כ צוך כו'.

And by "Zachor" it says, "for in six days... and He rested on the seventh day..."; while by "Shamor" it is written, "Hashem took you out of Mitzrayim, therefore He commanded you..."

The "Zachor" version grounds Shabbos in Creation and Hashem's rest; the "Shamor" version grounds it in Yetzias Mitzrayim and our freedom. These two roots correspond to two distinct avodos.

ופי' שמירה הוא בימות החול לשמור עצמו שלא לקבל עול ושעבוד לדבר אחר שנק' ע"ז עבודה שהיא זרה לך כו'.

And the meaning of "Shamor" (guarding) is during the weekdays: to guard oneself not to accept a yoke and enslavement to "another thing," which is called avodah zarah — an "avodah" (service) that is foreign (zarah) to you.

"Shamor" is the avodah of the weekdays: vigilance against falling under any foreign yoke. Avodah zarah is read homiletically — any "service" that is zarah (alien) to one's true self and to Hashem, i.e. enslavement to the yetzer hara amid worldly life.

והטעם שהוציאנו ה' ממצרים ויש בידינו כח להסיר כל השעבודים כמ"ש עבדי הם כו'.

And the reason is that Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim, and we have within our power [the strength] to remove all enslavements, as it is written, "they are My servants..." (Vayikra 25:55).

Because Hashem redeemed us from Mitzrayim, we received the power to throw off every enslavement; "My servants" — Hashem's servants — implies "and not servants to servants," giving us the strength to be free of all foreign masters.

וזכור הוא קבלת עול מלכות שמים עדות שהשי"ת ברא הכל.

And "Zachor" is the acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, the testimony that Hashem created everything.

"Zachor," tied to Creation, is the positive avodah of Shabbos itself: accepting ol malchus Shomayim and bearing witness that Hashem created all that exists.

ולכך ע"י שבת אחד כראוי ע"י קבלת עומ"ש מעבירין עול דברים אחרים.

Therefore, through one Shabbos [kept] properly, by means of accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, they remove the yoke of other things.

A single Shabbos kept properly, through its kabbalas ol malchus Shomayim ("Zachor"), strips away the yokes of all "other things" — the foreign enslavements.

והשבוע כראוי.

And [then] the week [is lived] properly.

With those foreign yokes removed by Shabbos, the following weekdays can be lived properly — this is the avodah of "Shamor."

ועי"ז אינו כפות באחרא ושבת השני כראוי כנ"ל.

And through this he is not "bound to another," and the second Shabbos [is kept] properly, as above.

Having guarded himself through the week and freed of foreign bonds, he is no longer "kafus b'achra" (bound to another), so the second Shabbos can be received in full — completing the chain that brings redemption.

וזה ג"כ בשבת הגדול שנאמר משכו כו' שהי' ניתן להם כח למשוך ידיהם שהוא התחלת החירות שלא להיות משועבדים לפרעה.

And this is also the case with Shabbos HaGadol, where it is said "Draw forth..." — that they were given the power to withdraw their hands, which is the beginning of freedom, not to be enslaved to Pharaoh.

On the first Shabbos HaGadol, "mishchu" gave Bnei Yisrael the strength to draw their hands away from avodah zarah and Pharaoh's bondage — the very first step of cheirus (freedom).

עי"ז הי' שמירת שבת.

Through this there was the "guarding" of Shabbos.

That act of withdrawing from enslavement was itself the fulfillment of "Shamor" — guarding oneself from foreign yokes.

והי' ביחד זכור ושמור כנ"ל ונקרא שבת הגדול:

And "Zachor" and "Shamor" were [present] together, as above, and it is called Shabbos HaGadol.

On that day both dimensions united — the positive acceptance of Hashem's kingship ("Zachor") and the guarding-away from enslavement ("Shamor") — and this fullness is why it is the "Great Shabbos."

וגם בגלות אנו שומרין שבת קודש והוא בדרך אמונה וביטול.

And even in galus we keep the holy Shabbos, and this is by way of emunah and bittul.

Beginning a new section: even in exile we keep Shabbos, but in galus our Shabbos is one of emunah (faith) and bittul (self-nullification) rather than open revelation.

שאף שיש עלינו עול גלות מאמינים בהשי"ת ומבטלין הכל עבור רצונו.

For even though the yoke of galus is upon us, we believe in Hashem and nullify everything for the sake of His will.

Despite still bearing the yoke of exile, we maintain emunah in Hashem and place everything in bittul before His ratzon — a hidden, faith-based avodah.

אבל בשבת זה שהוא זמן חירות הוא שבת הגדול.

But this Shabbos, which is a time of freedom, is "Shabbos HaGadol."

Shabbos HaGadol, tied to the season of cheirus (the time of geulah), is greater than an ordinary galus-Shabbos.

שרואין בעין שאין שום דבר רק השי"ת ורצונו:

For one sees with the eye that there is nothing at all but Hashem and His will.

At the time of redemption the truth is no longer merely believed but visibly perceived: that nothing exists except Hashem and His will — emunah becomes open sight.

דהנה איתא בזוה"ק שבגלות מצרים הי' הדיבור בגלות כו'.

For it is brought in the Zohar HaKadosh that during the exile of Mitzrayim, "the speech (dibbur) was in exile."

Opening a further section: the Zohar teaches that in Mitzrayim the dibbur — the power of holy speech — was itself in galus, constricted and unable to express itself.

ואמרו רז"ל כי עשרת הדיברות הי' תיקון עשרה מאמרות.

And Chazal said that the Ten Commandments (Aseres HaDibros) were the rectification of the Ten Utterances (Asarah Ma'amaros).

Chazal teach that the Aseres HaDibros at Sinai were the tikkun (rectification) of the Asarah Ma'amaros through which the world was created — speech repairing speech.

פי' זה כי מאמר הוא כלל שבוודאי בכלל מה שברא הקב"ה לכבודו ברא.

The explanation is this: a "ma'amar" (utterance) is a general principle, for certainly, in general, whatever the Holy One created, He created for His glory.

A ma'amar represents the klal — the broad truth that all of Creation exists for Hashem's glory. The utterances established this general reality.

אבל להיות ניכר כבוד ה' בכל דבר ודבר.

But for the glory of Hashem to be recognized in each and every particular thing —

It is one thing for Creation as a whole to exist for Hashem's glory; it is another for that glory to become recognizable within every individual detail of the world.

הוא נקרא דיבור מלשון הנהנה כמו ידבר עמים כו' דבר מלך שלטון.

This is called "dibbur," from the language of leading/governing, as in "He subdues (yadber) nations..." (Tehillim 47:4) and "the word (dvar) of a king rules" (Koheles 8:4).

"Dibbur" carries the sense of guiding and governing (as in yadber, "He leads/subdues"). To reveal Hashem's glory in each particular is the work of "dibbur" — directing every detail toward His sovereignty.

זה הי' בגלות כי זה רק לבנ"י שהם מבררין זה.

This was in exile, for this [task] belongs only to Bnei Yisrael, who clarify it.

This dibbur — revealing Hashem's glory in every particular — is the unique role of Bnei Yisrael, who "clarify" (mevarer) the Divine presence within the details of the world; and in Mitzrayim this power was in galus.

ובנ"י היו בגלות אז.

And Bnei Yisrael were in exile then.

Because the people whose task is this clarification were themselves enslaved, the dibbur too was in galus — the two exiles are one.

ואיתא בגמ' יהי' ה' אחד ושמו אחד אטו האידנא לאו אחד הוא האידנא על בשורות רעות ברוך דיין אמת ולעתיד רק הטוב ומטיב כו'.

And it is brought in the Gemara: "Hashem will be One and His Name One" (Zecharyah 14:9) — but is He not One now? Now, upon bad tidings one recites "Baruch Dayan HaEmes," but in the future only "HaTov v'haMeitiv" (Pesachim 50a).

The Gemara asks why the future is described as Hashem becoming "One" if He is already One. The answer: now we perceive a duality — blessing Hashem differently for good and bad news — but in the future we will recognize that all is good, blessing only "HaTov v'haMeitiv."

כי בגלות נקרא רזא דשבת שהוא בסוד ואמונה להאמין כי השי"ת אחד אף שאין ניכר כבודו בגלות.

For in galus it is called "the secret of Shabbos" (raza d'Shabbos), which is in the realm of mystery and faith — to believe that Hashem is One even though His glory is not [openly] recognized in exile.

The galus-Shabbos is "raza d'Shabbos," a hidden Shabbos of emunah: we hold fast to the belief that Hashem is One, even though His oneness is not visibly apparent amid the concealment of exile.

אבל בשעת הגאולה נתברר כי אין עוד ונק' שבת הגדול:

But at the time of the redemption it becomes clarified that "there is nothing else," and it is called Shabbos HaGadol.

At the geulah the concealment lifts: it becomes openly clear that "ein od" — there is nothing besides Hashem. This revealed Oneness is the "Great Shabbos," the open counterpart to the hidden raza d'Shabbos of galus.

Summary: Shabbos HaGadol gathers the power of all the year's Shabbosos to bring geulah. The essence of Shabbos is kabbalas ol malchus Shomayim, which is impossible while one is "bound to another" — enslaved to the yetzer hara. The two commands "Zachor" and "Shamor" correspond to accepting Hashem's kingship on Shabbos and guarding oneself from foreign yokes during the week; one properly kept Shabbos sanctifies the week, which in turn enables the next, bringing redemption. The first Shabbos HaGadol united both as Bnei Yisrael drew away from avodah zarah. In galus we keep a hidden "Shabbos of secret and emunah," believing in Hashem's Oneness though it is concealed; at the geulah, like the revealed Shabbos HaGadol, it becomes openly seen that there is nothing but Hashem and His will.