We call the Shabbat that falls before Pesach Shabbat HaGadol. Why is it called Shabbat HaGadol? There are many different interpretations. I would like to share with you a beautiful Chiddush (novel insight) from Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen. He says the following: The position of Shabbat in the week is somewhat unclear. Is it the last day of the week, or is it the first day of the following week? We know from Maaseh Bereshit, when you look at the creation of the world, that it says, “On the seventh day, HaKadosh Baruch Hu rested from the creation.” It is called the seventh day. Obviously, it is the seventh day of the seven days of creation, so it is the last day of the week.
However, in Lecha Dodi, we mention an expression that is dear to many: Shabbat is considered the source of blessings. The source of blessings is not going backward; it is going forward. You pray on Shabbat, and Hashem sends you blessings for the whole week. So it seems to me that Shabbat is in a position that is both the last day of the week, when it comes to the weekly count of the days, and, at the same time, the inspiration for the following week. And that is for sure true. I always like to say that life is like going up the stairs to Shabbat. You pause from the week before, but you plan the week ahead. And Mekor HaBerachah (source of blessings) is going to be announcing what the next week is going to look like.
Based on this, maybe we could understand, says Tzadok HaKohen, what Shabbat HaGadol is. One of the most auspicious and special dates of the entire calendar is the Night of the Seder (Passover ritual meal). The Night of the Seder is a night of special significance, with very special siyata dishmaya, of help from heaven, to combat any slavery we have. It is not just the slavery of Mitzrayim (Egypt) that we are celebrating, but it is the slavery of Mitzrayim that we are celebrating. It is going out from Mitzrayim. It is also going out of our personal slavery.
It is the Shabbat of greatness because the day that is coming during the week after is already coming as Mekor HaBerachah from Shabbat. And therefore, Shabbat is considered Shabbat HaGadol of what is coming, which is the Shabbat that is announcing the Night of the Seder, which is such a very, very important date. It is similar to Shabbat Shuvah, when Yom Kippur is going to come. The Shabbat before is called the Shabbat of Teshuvah (repentance), because it is announcing, it is already connecting. Maybe the siyata dishmaya, or the success that is going to be, that Yom Kippur is going to bring, comes from the Shabbat before. Here, too, the success that the Night of Pesach is going to bring to the person is already coming from the Shabbat before. And because of that, we call this Shabbat HaGadol, the Shabbat of greatness that is going to be coming.
This is a wonderful Shabbat, but that means that from Shabbat, we have to start working on ourselves. If we want to come out of our personal slaveries, of our personal difficulties, it is definitely a date that we should work on. The whole Pesach is for that, so we should start already from the Shabbat before. As we know, the people in Egypt who took the sheep combated their own Yetzer Hara (evil inclination). By doing that, we have to start working already, from the Shabbat before. Shabbat Shalom.