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This Shabbat is Shabbat HaGadol. Why does it have this special name? And why is this Shabbat given such prominence in Hilchot Pesach? The Shulchan Aruch devotes a whole Siman (430) to the fact that the Shabbat before Pesach is called Shabbat HaGadol. What’s so important about this Shabbat that the Shulchan Aruch makes such an issue?
The Tur explains that this Shabbat is Shabbat HaGadol because the Korban Pesach in Mitzrayim had to be set aside on the 10th of Nissan. The Midrash says that Yetziyat Mitzrayim was on a Thursday, so the 10th of Nissan was on Shabbat! When the Jews set aside a sheep for a Korban, and the Mitzrim asked what they were doing, they said, “Hashem commanded us to set aside a Korban”. After the Mitzrim heard this, they didn’t respond or protest. Because of this great Neis that happened on Shabbat, says the Tur, that’s why it is called Shabbat HaGadol. From the Tur, it sounds like it’s called Shabbat HaGadol because of the Neis HaGadol, the great miracle, that happened on Shabbat. But perhaps we can explain it differently.
In Parashat Ki Tavo, it writes, “Vayehi Sham LeGoi Gadol Atzum VaRav” “And he became there [Mitzrayim] a great and populous nation” (Devarim 26:5). Chazal explain the language of “Vayehi Sham LeGoi”. It teaches that Klal Yisrael were distinguished in Mitzrayim. They maintained their own language, names, and way of dress. They were unique and different from the surrounding culture. This is our Girsa of Chazal. But the Avudraham has another Girsa for this in the Haggadah Shel Pesach. The Avudraham rather emphasizes the word “Gadol”. But what does the distinction of Klal Yisrael have to do with the word “Gadol”? The Rav explained that sometimes the words Gadol and Katan don't refer to physical age or size, but rather to other things. For example, the Mishnah in Masechet Bava Metziah Daf 12 says that if a person’s children find something as Ketanim, it belongs to the parent; but if the children find something as Gedolim, it belongs to them. When do we define the child as a Katan, and when as a Gadol? The Gemara answers that Katan and Gadol in the context of Bava Metziah are not a function of the age of the individual, but rather they are a function of whether he is financially dependent on his father. If he is financially dependent, then he has the status of a Katan, even if he is a Bar Mitzvah, or even if he is the age of a Gadol. But if he is financially independent, even if he’s below Bar Mitzvah, he is still considered a Gadol and the item belongs to him. Says the Rav, we see from here that sometimes we define a person as a Gadol if he is independent, not only financially, but also intellectually independent. Someone who is not affected by his surroundings, someone who is a leader and not a follower, is called a Gadol.
In BeReishit, the sun is called HaMa’or HaGadol (1:16), while the moon is called HaMa’or Hakatan (ibid). Why is that? Because the sun is an independent source of light, while the moon simply reflects the light of the sun. At a Brit, we give the parents a Berachah, saying, “Zeh HaKatan Gadol Yihiyeh”. Our Tefillah is that right now this baby is so dependent on others for his well-being, but one day he will become a Gadol and become self-sufficient. Self-sufficient in his learning and his attitude on life. Self-sufficient that he won’t be affected by the outside world, so that he will be able to pass the mesorah properly on to the next generation. He might be a Katan now, but we hope he will be a Gadol. This could be the deeper meaning of why this Shabbos is called Shabbat HaGadol.
When Klal Yisrael took the sheep, tied it to their beds, and weren’t afraid, that showed Gadlut. It showed they felt independent and weren’t subservient to the Mitzrim anymore. And that was the prerequisite for the Yetziat Mitzrayim. That Klal Yisrael should demonstrate that they were ready and willing to act as Benei Chorin. They were no longer obeying their Egyptian masters. That’s why Shabbat HaGadol is such an appropriate Hakdamah to the Yom Tov of Pesach, because the message of Pesach and Yetziat Mitzrayim is that we have to break out of all of our limitations and all of our Metzarim; we have to break out of Mitzrayim. The message of Yetziat Mitzrayim is to be true Benei Chorin, which is a leader. You can’t just follow the crowd. To be a true Ben Chorin, a person has to be ready to act like a Gadol. Hopefully, we can take this message with us, not just through Yom Tov, but to take the message and shape it into who we are.