Shabbat HaGadol: From Bitterness to Freedom

Our Sages explain that the Shabbat before Pesach is referred to as Shabbat HaGadol because of the great miracle that occurred for the Jewish people in Egypt. As is well known, the lamb was an object of idolatry for the Egyptians. The Israelites were commanded to take a lamb, an allusion to Shabbat HaGadol, and fulfill the mitzvah: “Draw forth and take for yourselves sheep,” meaning withdraw your hands from idolatry and do not acknowledge it, for it is a great falsehood with no substance. Instead, slaughter it so that it will no longer influence you.

Indeed, the Jewish people took the lamb on the tenth of Nisan, which fell on Shabbat, and tied it to the legs of their beds. When the Egyptians asked why they were tying their sacred animal in such a way, the Israelites answered that on the fourteenth of Nisan they would slaughter it. The Egyptians were filled with anger and fury that their idol had become disgraced and that the Israelites treated it with contempt, yet they did not harm them. That was the great miracle.

This mitzvah drew down Divine kindness because it reflected the complete trust the Jewish people placed in God, and one who trusts in God is surrounded by kindness.

A Call to Return

The Sfat Emet teaches that Shabbat HaGadol is like Shabbat Shuvah, a time when each person should return to God in response to the great kindness He showed us when He redeemed us from Egypt. Just as God asked the Jewish people to perform a small act before redemption, tying the lamb, so too He asks us to take a small step of repentance and accept upon ourselves one small personal resolution before this Shabbat.

That small commitment can open the gates of Heaven, gates of protection, guarding, health, abundance, marriage, and deep contentment.

Through this opening, the verse is fulfilled: “And God will pass over the entrance and will not allow the destroyer to enter your homes to strike.” When we open our hearts to repentance, modesty, love for fellow Jews, and the sanctity of Shabbat and the festival, God removes every harm and every destructive force from us.

This Shabbat tells us that we will surely succeed and that everything is possible. Beginnings can be difficult, but a great light hides behind them, just like the parable Rabbi Nachman brings from the book Kochvei Or.

The Story of the Bitter Herb

A Jew and a German were once traveling together. The Jew taught the German to present himself as a Jew, assuring him that Jews are compassionate and would surely show him mercy. As Passover approached, he instructed him how to behave in the Jewish home that would invite him to the Seder. First Kiddush, then washing hands, but he forgot to tell him that bitter herbs are eaten.

And so it happened. A Jew invited him to the Seder, and he arrived hungry after a long day, eagerly waiting to eat the delicious foods he had been told about. Instead, he was given karpas dipped in saltwater and watched as the Haggadah was recited. He waited impatiently for the meal.

When he saw the matzah being broken, he rejoiced, thinking that soon his hunger would be satisfied, but suddenly they gave him maror. As soon as he tasted it, bitterness filled his mouth. He assumed that this was the entire meal, that they would only eat bitter herbs, and he fled immediately, hungry and resentful, thinking, “Cursed Jews. After all this ceremony, they give me only bitterness to eat.”

Later, the Jew returned home joyful and satisfied after eating and drinking and asked him how the Seder had been. The man angrily described what he experienced. The Jew replied, “Oh foolish man. If you had only waited a little longer, you would have enjoyed all the goodness as I did.”

Rabbi Nachman explained that the refinement of a person often begins with bitterness. A person thinks that life will always feel bitter and therefore runs away, but if one waits a little and endures that bitterness, afterward one experiences vitality and deep pleasure.

The Message for Our Generation

This is an important lesson for us, especially in a world of instant gratification. To reach true achievement and fulfillment, we often need to pass through a stage of maror, difficulty and frustration. Facing bitterness reveals our inner strength and refines us. It is essential for growth.

Pesach symbolizes a new beginning for the Jewish people and a springtime renewal for the entire world. Remember, bitterness is the first taste of freedom. Struggling on our own may feel hard and bitter, but it is a sign of true freedom.

Shabbat HaGadol represents breaking the chains of slavery and overcoming the evil inclination within the human heart, transforming bitterness into sweetness.

This Shabbat, the tenth of Nisan, is also associated with the yahrzeit of Miriam the Prophetess, who went out with drums and danced together with all the women.

If we internalize the message this Shabbat brings, we too will be able to achieve whatever we desire and arrive at Passover with complete freedom.