Why it is called Shabbos HaGadol

בענין שם שבת הגדול שהוא מנהגן של בנ"י.

Concerning the name "Shabbos HaGadol" (the Great Shabbos), which is a custom of Bnei Yisrael.

The Sefas Emes examines why the Shabbos before Pesach earned this name, noting that it arose from a minhag (custom) of the people.

ואא"ז מו"ר ז"ל אמר שהוא בחי' אאע"ה שנקרא אדם הגדול בענקים שנתאוה תמיד להיות אומה שלימה לעבוד אל אמת.

And my grandfather, my teacher and master, of blessed memory, said that it corresponds to Avraham Avinu, who is called "the great man among the giants" (Yehoshua 14:15) — for he always yearned that there be a complete nation to serve the true God.

The Chiddushei HaRim links "HaGadol" to Avraham, "the greatest of men," whose lifelong desire was that a whole people would arise to serve Hashem.

ועתה שקיימו בנ"י מצוה ראשונה נק' על שמו ע"ש.

And now that Bnei Yisrael fulfilled their first mitzvah, [the day] is named after him — see there.

When Bnei Yisrael performed their first mitzvah (taking the Pesach lamb), Avraham's dream of a serving nation was realized, so the day bears his title "Gadol."

דהנה כתיב ואעשך לגוי גדול ונתקיים עתה כמ"ש ואבדיל אתכם כו'.

For behold it is written, "And I will make you into a great nation" (Bereishis 12:2), and this was fulfilled now, as it is written, "And I have separated you [from the nations]" (Vayikra 20:26).

The promise of becoming a "great nation" came true precisely through being set apart from the other nations.

ובזוה"ק איתא איך נקראו בנ"י גוי גדול והלא אתם המעט.

And in the Zohar HaKadosh it is asked: how are Bnei Yisrael called a "great nation" — are you not the fewest of the peoples?

The Zohar raises the difficulty: Bnei Yisrael are the smallest nation, so why are they called "great"?

ותי' דכל האומות מתערבין אלו באלו ובנ"י עומדין ביחוסן נק' גדול.

And it answers: all the nations intermingle with one another, but Bnei Yisrael stand firm in their lineage — therefore they are called "great."

Their greatness lies in their distinctness: they preserve their pure lineage while other nations blend together.

לכן כשהבדילנו מן האומות נק' גוי גדול.

Therefore, when He separated us from the nations, we were called a "great nation."

The very act of being set apart is what confers the title "great."

וגם כמ"ש ומי גוי גדול אשר לו חוקים ומשפטים כו'.

And also as it is written: "And what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments [as righteous as this entire Torah]" (Devarim 4:8).

Greatness also flows from possessing the Torah's chukim and mishpatim, which no other nation has.

א"כ במצוה ראשונה נקראו גוי גדול.

If so, through the first mitzvah they were called a "great nation."

It was with that very first mitzvah that the title of greatness was conferred upon them.

וכן כתיב לגוי גדול אשימך שם.

And likewise it is written: "There I will make you into a great nation" (Bereishis 46:3).

The promise of greatness was specifically tied to their descent into Mitzrayim and the redemption that followed.

ועיקר פי' גדול הוא ההנהגה שמנהיג הקב"ה אותנו למעלה מן הטבע וזה נעשה ביציאת מצרים כמ"ש אשר חלק כו' ואתכם לקח ה' כו' מכור הברזל ממצרים.

And the essential meaning of "great" is the conduct by which HaKadosh Baruch Hu leads us above nature; and this came about at Yetzias Mitzrayim, as it is written, "which [Hashem] apportioned [to all the nations]… but you Hashem took… from the iron crucible, from Mitzrayim" (Devarim 4:19-20).

True "greatness" means Hashem guides Bnei Yisrael by a supernatural providence, distinct from the natural order assigned to the nations — a status forged at the Exodus.

הרי שביציאת מצרים נבדלו בנ"י להתעלות מחיובא דכוכבי ומזלי.

Thus at Yetzias Mitzrayim, Bnei Yisrael were set apart to be lifted above the dominion of the stars and constellations (mazalos).

The Exodus raised Bnei Yisrael above astrological fate, placing them under Hashem's direct guidance.

וזה עצמו פי' הגדול בענקים כמ"ש ז"ל שנק' ענקים שמעניקין חמה בקומתן ופי' מו"ז ז"ל שמסתירין הארת החמה דכ' השמים מספרים כו'.

And this itself is the meaning of "the great one among the anakim (giants)," as Chazal said that they are called anakim because they "tower over (ma'anikin) the sun with their stature"; and my grandfather, of blessed memory, explained that they conceal the radiance of the sun, as it is written, "The heavens declare [the glory of God]" (Tehillim 19:2).

The giants "overtop the sun" — they rise above the heavenly bodies; the Chiddushei HaRim reads this as standing higher than the natural lights that themselves proclaim Hashem's glory.

ועתה יש ללמוד קו"ח ומה הרשעים יש להם כח בכשפים שמכחישין פמליא של מעלה.

And now one may learn a kal vachomer (a fortiori argument): if the resha'im have power through sorcery to "deny the heavenly retinue" (to override the celestial powers)…

Even wicked sorcerers can seemingly contradict the heavenly order through their kishuf, as Chazal describe.

מכש"כ שיש לצדיקים כח במעשיהם למעלה מן הטבע.

…how much more so do the tzaddikim have power through their deeds to act above nature.

If evildoers can transcend nature through impurity, the righteous certainly can through holiness.

והוא בכח התורה.

And this is through the power of the Torah.

The tzaddik's supernatural power comes specifically from the Torah.

ולכן נק' אברהם אבינו הגדול בענקים שהגביהו הקב"ה למעלה מן השמים כמ"ש הבט נא השמימה ואמרו חז"ל כה יהי' זרעך שיהי' לכל בנ"י כח זה למעלה מן השמים.

Therefore Avraham Avinu is called "the great one among the giants," for HaKadosh Baruch Hu raised him above the heavens, as it is written, "Look now toward the heavens" (Bereishis 15:5), and Chazal said: "So shall your offspring be" — that all Bnei Yisrael should have this power, above the heavens.

Hashem lifted Avraham above astrological fate ("Look toward the heavens" — rise above them), bequeathing that supernatural standing to all his descendants.

וזה החילוק כמ"ש במד' מטות ג' מתנות בעולם חכמה גבורה עושר אימתי כשהן מתנות שמים ובאין בכח התורה ע"ש.

And this is the distinction, as stated in the Midrash on Mattos: there are three gifts in the world — wisdom, strength, and wealth; when are they [truly valuable]? When they are gifts of Heaven and come through the power of the Torah — see there.

Wisdom, strength, and wealth are only of enduring worth when they come as Heavenly gifts rooted in Torah.

אבל חכמת אותן הרשעים לא נתקיים בידן.

But the wisdom of those resha'im did not endure in their hands.

The powers and wisdom of the wicked, lacking a Torah foundation, ultimately do not last.

ובאמת נלע"ד כי כל החכמות שהי' לדורות הראשונים הי' עד שלא נבדלו בנ"י מהם שכן עשה הקב"ה שבחר אח"כ בבנ"י כמ"ש ז"ל ואבדיל אתכם כו' בורר וחוזר ובורר.

And in truth, it appears to me that all the wisdom possessed by the earlier generations existed [only] until Bnei Yisrael were separated from them; for so HaKadosh Baruch Hu arranged it, that He afterward chose Bnei Yisrael, as Chazal said on "And I have separated you" — He sorts and sorts again.

The greatness once dispersed among the early nations was really Israel's potential lying within them; Hashem progressively "sorted" until He drew out and chose Bnei Yisrael.

וע"י שמוכן הי' הכח לבנ"י והי' נבלע בתוכם לכן הי' להם כל אלה הכוחות.

And because the power was destined for Bnei Yisrael and was absorbed within them [the nations], therefore [the nations] possessed all these powers.

The nations held those capacities only because Israel's latent power was still mixed in among them.

ולכן לעתיד כשיצאו מהם כל הגרים לא ישאר בהם מאומה.

Therefore, in the future, when all the converts have departed from them, nothing will remain in them.

Once every holy spark (the future converts) is extracted, the nations will be left with nothing of true value.

ונחזור לדברינו שעתה שנמסר לבנ"י הנהגה זו בכח המצוה ראשונה דכ' משכו וקחו ודרשו חז"ל משכו ידיכם מע"ז שבעוד שהיו בנ"י נבלעים בהם הי' ח"ו כח לסט"א וע"ז שלהם.

Let us return to our point: now that this [supernatural] conduct was handed to Bnei Yisrael through the power of the first mitzvah — as it is written, "Draw out and take" (Shemos 12:21), and Chazal expounded "Draw your hands away from avodah zarah" — for while Bnei Yisrael were absorbed among them, there was, God forbid, power to the sitra achra (the side of impurity) and to their idolatry.

The first mitzvah included withdrawing from idolatry; while Israel's holiness was still mixed in with the nations, it lent strength to the forces of impurity.

ועתה משכו בנ"י ידם וכוחם ונבדלו להיות עם ה' ונתעלו להיות גוי גדול.

And now Bnei Yisrael drew away their hand and their power, and were set apart to be the people of Hashem, and were elevated to be a "great nation."

By withdrawing their holy power from the nations, Bnei Yisrael became Hashem's distinct, "great" people.

דכתיב ולגדולתו אין חקר.

As it is written: "And His greatness is unsearchable" (Tehillim 145:3).

Hashem's greatness is beyond all fathoming.

ואין מי שיכול לחקור בגדולת השי"ת זולת בנ"י בכח התורה ומצות.

And there is none who can search into the greatness of Hashem Yisbarach except Bnei Yisrael, through the power of Torah and mitzvos.

Only Bnei Yisrael, armed with Torah and mitzvos, can begin to grasp and reveal Hashem's greatness.

וכ"כ ברכי נפשי את ה' ה' אלקי גדלת מאוד ואין מי שיכול להבין רק נפשות בנ"י.

And so it is written: "Bless Hashem, O my soul; Hashem my God, You are very great" (Tehillim 104:1) — and none can comprehend [this greatness] except the souls of Bnei Yisrael.

The recognition of Hashem's greatness rises specifically from the souls of Bnei Yisrael.

ובכח בנ"י יתברר גדולת הבורא ית' בשלימות לעתיד.

And through the power of Bnei Yisrael, the greatness of the Creator, may He be blessed, will be revealed in perfection in the future.

The full revelation of Hashem's greatness in the messianic future will come about through Bnei Yisrael.

וביציאת מצרים הי' ההתחלה.

And at Yetzias Mitzrayim was the beginning.

The Exodus was the first step in this ongoing revelation of Hashem's greatness.

וע"ז נוסד נוסח עלינו לשבח. לתת גדולה ליוצר בראשית כו'.

And upon this was founded the text of "Aleinu LeShabe'ach" — "to ascribe greatness to the Former of creation, etc."

The Aleinu prayer expresses this very theme: Bnei Yisrael giving "greatness" to Hashem the Creator.

ואיתא בסדר היום כי עלינו מתחיל בע' ומסיים אין עוד בד'. והוא ע"ד.

And it is brought in the Seder HaYom that "Aleinu" begins with the letter ayin (numerical value 70) and concludes with "ein od" ("there is none else") with a daled (value 4) — together forming eid (witness).

The opening ayin and closing daled spell eid, "witness," hinting that Bnei Yisrael are Hashem's witnesses to His greatness.

וכמו כן על כן נקוה מסיים בד' ע"ש.

And likewise, "Al Kein Nekaveh" [the second paragraph] concludes with a daled — see there.

The same hint of eid (witness) is encoded in the closing of the second paragraph of Aleinu.

ונראה כי בנ"י מעידין על מה שעבר עלינו. וגם על לעתיד.

And it appears that Bnei Yisrael bear witness both about what has happened to us [in the past] and also about the future.

As Hashem's "witnesses," Bnei Yisrael testify both to the redemption already experienced and to the redemption yet to come.

ובכח האמונה והעדות שמאמינים ומצפין להשלים עדותן ושיעברו גלולים מן הארץ.

And through the power of the emunah and the testimony — that they believe and await to complete their testimony, and that idols will pass away from the earth…

Their faith and longing for the day when idolatry vanishes is itself part of the testimony they are charged to complete.

בכח זה העדות הולך ומתברר בכל דור ודור עד שיהי' הגאולה בב"א.

…by the power of this testimony, [Hashem's greatness] goes on becoming clarified in every generation, until the geulah comes, speedily in our days.

Each generation's testimony advances the gradual revelation of Hashem's greatness toward the final redemption.

ואנו מצפין שכמו שהתחיל גדולה זו במצוה ראשונה בשבת זה. כן יהי' נגמר בשבת שלפני גאולה העתידה.

And we await that just as this greatness began with the first mitzvah on this Shabbos, so will it be completed on the Shabbos preceding the future redemption.

The process that began on Shabbos HaGadol before the first redemption will reach its completion on the Shabbos before the final geulah.

ולכן נק' שבת הגדול.

And therefore it is called "Shabbos HaGadol."

The name "the Great Shabbos" captures this beginning and anticipated completion of Hashem's revealed greatness.

ובנ"י אם אינם נביאים בני נביאים הן. ומנהגן תורה הוא:

And Bnei Yisrael, if they are not prophets, are the children of prophets; and their minhag (custom) is Torah.

The people's instinctive custom of naming the day "HaGadol" carries prophetic truth, for the minhag of Bnei Yisrael has the force of Torah.

Summary: "Shabbos HaGadol" reflects Avraham's title "the great one among the giants" and his yearning for a complete nation to serve Hashem — realized when Bnei Yisrael performed their first mitzvah and were set apart from the nations. "Greatness" means being led above nature, beyond the dominion of the stars, a power rooted in Torah and given to the righteous. Through Torah and mitzvos, Bnei Yisrael are Hashem's witnesses (eid) who progressively reveal His unsearchable greatness, a process begun at the first redemption and destined to be completed on the Shabbos before the final geulah.