Shabbos and Yisrael overriding decrees

חג הפסח נקרא שבת בפסוק כמ"ש ממחרת השבת.

The festival of Pesach is called "Shabbos" in the verse, as it says, "from the morrow of the Shabbos" (Vayikra 23:11).

The Torah refers to the first day of Pesach as "Shabbos," and the Sefas Emes will explore the deep connection between Pesach and Shabbos.

דאיתא במדרש כשאמר משה לבנ"י בחודש הזה אתם נגאלין אמרו רבינו משה ת' שנים נגזר ועדיין לא שלמו השיב להם כיון שחפץ הקב"ה בגאולתכם מדלג על הקיצים והחשבונות ובחודש הזה אתם נגאלין.

For it is taught in the Midrash: when Moshe told Bnei Yisrael, "In this month you are to be redeemed," they said, "Rabbeinu Moshe, four hundred years were decreed and they are not yet complete!" He answered them: since Hashem desires your redemption, He skips over the appointed end-times and the calculations, and "in this month you are to be redeemed."

The Midrash teaches that Hashem's love for Bnei Yisrael caused Him to override the decreed timetable and redeem them early, "skipping over" the calculated dates.

וקשה א"כ למה נגזר ת' שנים והלא גלוי וידוע לפניו ית"ש כי יגאלו מקודם.

This is difficult: if so, why were four hundred years decreed in the first place, when it was revealed and known before Him, may His Name be blessed, that they would be redeemed earlier?

The Sefas Emes raises the obvious question: why set a decree of 400 years if Hashem already knew He would redeem them sooner?

ובאמת כענין הזה נמצא גם ביום השבת דאיתא שהמזיקין נבראו רוחות בלא גופות ועד שנברא הגוף קידש יום השבת.

In truth, a similar matter is found regarding Shabbos: it is taught that the mazikin (harmful spirits) were created as spirits without bodies, and before their bodies could be formed, the day of Shabbos was sanctified.

The same kind of question arises about the demons created at twilight before the first Shabbos: their bodies were never completed because Shabbos arrived and interrupted their formation.

והקשו במדרש והלא הי' גלוי לפניו שיקדש היום.

And they asked in the Midrash: but was it not revealed before Him that the day would become sanctified?

The parallel question: Hashem knew Shabbos was coming, so why begin forming the demons' bodies at all?

ותירצו כדי להודיע לבנ"י שבעבור השבת ינוחו באמצע עשיות כלי חשוב כשקידש היום ע"ש במדרש בראשית.

And they answered: in order to make known to Bnei Yisrael that for the sake of Shabbos one rests in the middle of fashioning an important vessel when the day is sanctified — see there in Midrash Bereishis.

The unfinished bodies teach a lesson: Shabbos demands that we stop work the moment it begins, even mid-task, even in the middle of making something valuable.

ובזוה"ק תירץ עפ"י דרכו כי סט"א ביקש להתגבר ביותר בע"ש ולכן חל קדושת היום ונדחית הסט"א לנוקבא דתהו"ר ע"ש.

And in the Zohar HaKadosh it answered, according to its own approach, that the sitra achra (the "other side," the forces of impurity) sought to gain great strength on Erev Shabbos, and therefore the sanctity of the day took effect and the sitra achra was pushed away into the "abyss of the great deep" (nukva di-tehoma rabba) — see there.

The Zohar explains that the onset of Shabbos's holiness specifically served to suppress the surging forces of impurity and banish them to the depths.

וככל זה הי' ג"כ ביצ"מ כי רצה הקב"ה להראות חיבת ישראל כי כשזוכין במעשיהם שנזכרין לטובה לפניו ית"ש.

And all of this was likewise the case at Yetzias Mitzrayim, for Hashem wished to show the beloved-ness of Yisrael — that when they merit through their deeds to be remembered favorably before Him, may His Name be blessed.

The Exodus followed the same pattern: Hashem wanted to demonstrate His special love for Yisrael when their deeds make them deserving.

חיבה זו דוחה כל הקיצים וכל הגזירות.

This beloved-ness overrides all the appointed end-times and all the decrees.

Hashem's love for Yisrael is powerful enough to push aside even fixed decrees and predetermined timetables.

ובכוונה הי' הגזירה ת' שנים ושיזכו לדחות הגזירה.

And the decree of four hundred years was intentional — so that they would merit to override the decree.

The whole point of the long decree was to give Bnei Yisrael the opportunity to earn an early redemption that overrides it, thereby revealing Hashem's love.

וכן כ' על גאולה העתידה בעתה אחישנה זכו אחישנה קודם הזמן.

So too it is written concerning the future geulah: "in its time, I will hasten it" (Yeshayahu 60:22) — if they merit, "I will hasten it" before the time.

The future redemption has the same dual potential: a fixed "time," but if Bnei Yisrael merit, it comes early.

ובוודאי אם הי' מגיע הקץ דת' שנים היו יוצאים בדרך הטבע.

And surely, had the end of the four hundred years arrived, they would have gone out in a natural manner.

Redemption at the appointed end would have unfolded through ordinary, natural means.

אבל כשזכו לצאת עפ"י נס זה עדות לחיבת בנ"י.

But when they merited to go out by way of a miracle, this is testimony to the beloved-ness of Bnei Yisrael.

The miraculous, early redemption itself bears witness to Hashem's special love for His people.

וגם טעם הזוה"ק הי' כאן שהמצרים וסט"א נתגברו ביותר על בנ"י והי' קישוי השעבוד יותר מדאי וכדאיתא שהיו משוקעים במ"ט שערי טומאה ולכן נתגלה הקדושה שלא בהדרגה כמ"ש כחצות הלילה אני יוצא כו'.

And the reason given by the Zohar HaKadosh applied here too: that the Egyptians and the sitra achra had grown exceedingly strong over Bnei Yisrael, and the harshness of the bondage was excessive — as it is taught that they had sunk into the forty-nine gates of tumah (impurity) — and therefore the kedushah was revealed not in a gradual manner, as it says, "At about midnight I will go out..." (Shemos 11:4).

Just as Shabbos's holiness suddenly suppressed the surging impurity, so at the Exodus, because Egypt's impurity had become so overwhelming, holiness burst forth all at once at midnight rather than gradually.

ובאמת זה כח השבת וכחן של בנ"י להשבית המזיקין מן העולם.

In truth, this is the power of Shabbos and the power of Bnei Yisrael — to remove (l'hashbis) the harmful forces from the world.

Both Shabbos and Bnei Yisrael share the function of nullifying and removing the forces of harm and impurity (note the link between "Shabbos" and "l'hashbis," to cause to cease).

וכמו שהשבת דחה המזיקין לנוקבא דתהו"ר.

And just as Shabbos pushed the harmful forces into the "abyss of the great deep."

Shabbos drives the destructive forces down into the depths, neutralizing them.

כמו כן בבנ"י כתיב כחול הים כמו שהחול גבול לים שאין הגלים יכולין לעבור על חול הים בגזירת עליון.

So too regarding Bnei Yisrael it is written, "like the sand of the sea" (Hoshea 2:1) — just as the sand is a boundary for the sea, that the waves cannot pass over the sand of the seashore, by the decree of the One Above.

Bnei Yisrael are compared to the sand that holds back the raging sea: by divine decree, the mighty waves (the forces of chaos) cannot breach this fragile-seeming barrier.

כמו כן בנ"י עמודים כשהסט"א רוצות להתגבר.

So too Bnei Yisrael stand firm when the forces of the sitra achra seek to grow strong.

Like the steadfast sand, Bnei Yisrael hold their ground against the surging forces of impurity.

בנ"י עומדין כנגדן ונדחין לנוקבא דתהו"ר.

Bnei Yisrael stand against them, and they are pushed away into the "abyss of the great deep."

By standing firm, Bnei Yisrael repel the destructive forces and cast them down into the depths, just as Shabbos does.

כן איתא בזוה"ק.

So it is taught in the Zohar HaKadosh.

The Sefas Emes attributes this parallel between Shabbos and Bnei Yisrael to the Zohar.

ולכן נק' שבת הגדול כדאיתא שבת ובנ"י מעידין על הבורא ית':

And therefore it is called "Shabbos HaGadol," as it is taught that Shabbos and Bnei Yisrael both testify to the Creator, may He be blessed.

The Shabbos before Pesach is "the Great Shabbos" because it unites the two great witnesses to Hashem — Shabbos and Bnei Yisrael — both of whom share the power to suppress impurity and proclaim the Creator.

Summary: The Sefas Emes resolves why Hashem decreed 400 years of exile yet redeemed Bnei Yisrael early: the very purpose of the decree was for them to merit overriding it, revealing Hashem's love. He links this to two teachings about the first Shabbos — that work stops mid-task when Shabbos arrives, and that Shabbos's onset suppressed the surging forces of impurity. Both Shabbos and Bnei Yisrael share the power to "remove" (l'hashbis) destructive forces and push them into the depths, like the sand that holds back the sea. This is why the Shabbos before Pesach is called "Shabbos HaGadol" — the day on which both great witnesses to the Creator are joined.