The Shabbos preceding Pessach is named “Shabbos Hagadol” the “Great Shabbos”. Ink has been spilled over millennials to explain the purpose of such a name. The most common reasons are elucidated in the Tosfos [Shabbos 67b]: 1. Since the Bnei Yisrael had all taken a lamb, which represented the deity of the Egyptians. Their belief was that the first of everything was the source of what followed. Hence, the first astrological sign was worshipped. Their firstborns were turned into sorcerers serving their deities in their temples. 2. The firstborns enquired for the reason the Jews had taken the lamb and were told that they planned to sacrifice it, as they were prevented to leave Egypt. Additionally, one more plague will take place, “the death of the firstborns”. The firstborns that were Pharaoh’s magicians mentioned in the Torah, had already recognized that Moshe’s powers were Divine, as they could not match his doing through sorcery. They were the first to admit defeat, there was a greater intelligence and power than theirs. Hence, they rebelled and started killing their own people for refusing to release the Jews, as stated in Psalms [136:10]: “Who struck Egypt through their first-born, His steadfast love is eternal.” Thus, the difficulty of these explanations is that through the entire Jewish calendar, events are celebrated on the day of the month they occurred, not on the day of the week. Why, would this Shabbos then be the only exception and be celebrated based on the weekday, when we know those miracles occurred on the 10th of Nisan of that year? The answer lies in the Talmud [Shabbos 118b] that describes the unbelievable powers of Shabbos: “Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: One who delights in   is rescued from the oppression of exile. He derives it by means of a verbal analogy. It is written here, about Shabbos: “And I will cause you to ride on the heights of the world” [Isaiah 58:14], and it is written there: “You are fortunate Israel, who is like you? A nation redeemed by God, the shield that aids you and the sword of your triumph. Your enemies will try to defeat you and you will trample their high places” [Deut. 33:29]. Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: anyone who delights in the Shabbos, God grants him his heart’s desires, as it is stated: “And you shall delight in God and He will grant you your heart’s desires” [Psalms 37:4].” The Talmud goes on to find more powers to the Shabbos: “Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: anyone who observes Shabbos in accordance with its halakhos, even if he worshipped idolatry as in the generation of Enosh, God forgives him his sins, as it is stated: “Fortunate is the man [enosh] who does this and the person who holds strong to it, one who guards the Shabbos from desecrating it [meḥallelo], and guards his hand from doing any evil” [Isaiah 56:2]. Do not read it as: From desecrating it [meḥallelo], but rather: He is forgiven.” A simple question jumps to mind, why are our masters trying to overdo each other and find superpowers to the Shabbos? It is common knowledge that the letters of the Torah’s are at the same time the alphabet and numbers. Kabala derives its teachings mostly from the numerical aspect of the letters. Shabbos [ שבת [numerical value is 702, which is 27 times 26, with 26 being the value of the tetragram [ה -ו-ה -י .[Also, there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and five end-letters [ ץ,ף, ן, ם, ך ,[so a total of 27. The Zohar Bereishis reveals that every single creation, in the upper or lower worlds, was conceived exclusively with the letters of the Torah. In other words, the entire creation and lives are confined in these letters, as each one contains a name of Hashem, source of all existence. There is no will, divine or human, that can supersede the power of these letters. Now, all these powers are confined in the Saint Shabbos, and it is hinted by the fact its name value is 27×26 = 702 = שבת. If that is so, then arises a question, how can anything be greater than a regular Shabbos? How can the Shabbos preceding Pessach be called the “Great Shabbos” after we said everything is included in a regular Shabbos and that there is no other possible reality in any of the worlds? The answer lies again in the numerical value of the “Great Shabbos” [הגדול שבת [which is 750. The Zohar in Chayei Sarah reveals that in each month of the Jewish calendar shines a different combination of the Tetragram. Since there are 4 letters, there are 12 combinations, one for each month of the year. The total number of the letters that include all combinations are 12×4 = 48. Now, if we add the value of the regular Shabbos 702 and the 48 letters of the monthly combinations it equals 750, the Value of the “Shabbos Hagadol”. This teaches us, that by keeping this Shabbos properly, your will and your wishes will supersede the will of any Angel or Human. It is the only time when Man can decide his own fate, no darkness or walls or chains or sickness can hold him back, if he decides to be free!!! Whatever requests he will make will be granted if he keeps this Shabbos!!! Here is a beautiful story about a miracle in Bagdad: It was midday when an elderly traveler entered the Jewish quarter of Baghdad. The marketplace, where merchants from many lands sold their fabrics, spices, and other wares, seemed strangely empty for such a day. He sighted the grandest building in the section and determined that must be the great synagogue. He continued his trek towards it until he entered its courtyard and sat down to rest, opening his small sack to take out a few dried figs to refresh his strength. Yet no sooner had he started his lunch than he became aware of a commotion from within the sanctuary. He peeked inside and beheld a moving spectacle—hundreds of Jews fervently chanting Psalms amidst tears and sobs. “What has happened?” he asked of the first Jew whose attention he could grasp. Hurriedly, and in a voice of desperation, the man told him the story as best he could. The Sultan had decreed that the Jewish people of Baghdad must produce a leader who could perform miracles as Moses had done. Since Moses was the leader of the Jewish people in Egypt, and he was able to do miracles, the Sultan expected the same from the leader of the Jews of Baghdad. If they would not produce such a miracle-maker, the Jews would be expelled from Baghdad. Therefore, all the Jews were fasting and praying to G-d for salvation. In his calm and patient disposition, the wise traveler approached yet more Jews, until he had finally pieced together the entire story: The Sultan’s chief advisor, Mustafa, was a vicious Jew-hater whose mission it was to destroy the Jews, or at least to have them banished from Baghdad. He had convinced the Sultan that the Jews were not only infidels for denying the prophet Mohammed, but that they were thieves and liars as well, deserving immediate expulsion. At first the Sultan was hesitant to believe Mustafa; however, the Sultan was told about what had happened when the Jews left Egypt and what Moses did to Pharaoh. He began to worry that perhaps one of the Jewish leaders of Baghdad would attack him with plagues and decided he did not want to take any chances. Therefore, he issued a decree that the Jews had to produce a leader like Moses or leave Baghdad immediately. The wise, elderly traveler sat in contemplation for several moments, and then approached one of the rabbis at the front of the synagogue and whispered in his ear. Soon all the leaders of the community were talking quietly, and then suddenly there was a loud clap on the lectern, and one of them spoke. “This man who is visiting our town says that he has a plan. He will travel to the Sultan immediately to try and save us. If he is successful, we will rejoice. However, if he fails, he will tell the Sultan that he acted alone. Meanwhile, we will continue to pray for his success!” The man headed for the palace, pounded on the entrance gate, and said, “I am a Jew who can do miracles, and I demand to see the Sultan immediately.” Before long, he found himself face to face with the ruler of Baghdad. “So,” said the Sultan, “You claim you can do miracles like Moses. What can you do?” Dozens of people, from the baker and the court jester to the royal guards and advisors, stared at the old man with the white beard and piercing eyes. “If you would be so kind,” said he, “I will perform a miracle akin to those which Moses himself did. Before your very eyes, I will cut off a man’s head with a sword, and then put him back together and make him live!” The Sultan smiled nervously and glanced around, not knowing what to think or make of the situation. Perhaps the fellow was completely crazy. Or perhaps he was telling the truth. After all, he seemed extremely confident, and spoke with such conviction. What if he was telling the truth? If he doubted him, then who knows what kind of wrath would be unleashed on the Sultan and his kingdom. He continued, “There is but one condition. The man whose head I cut off must be truly wise. In fact, he must be the wisest man in the realm. If not, his head will not properly reattach.” Intrigued, the Sultan decided he must see for himself if the Jew was telling the truth. He looked around the room until his eyes fell on Mustafa, his chief advisor, and the wisest man in the kingdom. Before the Sultan said a word, Mustafa cried out, “No, he is lying! The Jew is an impostor! He can’t really cut someone’s head off and reattach it.” “That might be true,” said the Sultan, “but what if he is telling the truth and we don’t accommodate him? Surely you don’t want to put the whole kingdom at risk! Afer all, were you not the one who had advised me to expel the Jews, lest we be put in danger?” “Bring the sword immediately, Mustafa has volunteered!” cried the Sultan. With that, Mustafa began to tremble and yelled out, “No, I admit it. I was both wrong and very foolish. The Jewish people do not have extraordinary powers!” Mustafa ran out of the palace, never to be seen again. The Sultan annulled the decree, thanked the Jew for coming, and said that the Jews were welcome to live in Baghdad. The man returned to the synagogue to share the good news. Immediately, there was unbelievable rejoicing, and a banquet was held in honor of the miracle that G-d had done for His people. Then quietly and quickly, the old man slipped out and left the town before anyone could even get his name. Some people say that he was Elijah the Prophet. Some say he was a great mystic. Yet others believe that he was just a Jew who simply cared about his fellow Jews as much as he did about himself. This story helps elucidate an interesting aspect of the Passover observance. Every holiday is marked by mitzvahs. Yet, many of these mitzvahs are not equally fulfilled by all. For example, most of us hear the shofar from someone else who blows it, and on Chanukah, many have the custom that the head of the household kindles the menorah as a representative of the entire family. Yet, on Passover, everyone must eat his or her own matzah. On Passover, we are all equally significant. The Exodus was the time when our people came together as one. Leaving Egypt united as one people set the stage for the mitzvah that Hillel considered to be the core of the entire Torah: love for a fellow Jew. The hero of this story actualized that which we all know to be true, that each of us is complete only when we do all that we can to ensure that every single Jew is being taken care of as well. Therefore, the Passover Haggadah begins with an invitation, “All who are hungry, let them come and eat.” Our table is complete only when it is open to others!

By Rabbi Fridmann * [email protected] * 305.985.3461

Have A Question? Ask The Rabbi and he will Answer

990 NE 171 Street  –  North Miami Beach, Florida 33162  –  (786) 405-9692  –  www.badatzmiami.com