The Big Shabbos
למכה מצרים בבכוריהם כי לעולם חסדו
To the one who smites Egypt with its firstborn – as his kindness is universal.[i]
Background information
The Tradition of the Great Sermon
The Shabbos immediately preceding Pesaĉ has been distinguished by a unique custom[ii]; the longstanding practice of the community Rabbi delivering a lengthy, comprehensive (and often complicated) דרשה – sermon on this day. Accordingly, this Shabbos is called the שבת הגדול – the Great Shabbos.
- Why is this day elevated to the status of a minor holiday?
The Miracle of the Firstborns
The historical event that gives this Shabbat its name is found in Tosefos[iii]. In the year of the Exodus[1], the tenth (10th) of Nisan fell on a Shabbos. At that time, G-d issued the command of[iv] בעשור לחדש הזה ויקחו להם איש שה – on the tenth (10th) day of this month, and they shall each take a sheep etc. G-d commanded the Jewish people to take sheep, which the Egyptians worshipped as deities[2], and tie them to their bedposts in preparation for the Pesaĉ sacrifice.
When the Egyptians asked what they were doing, the Israelites answered that they were preparing to slaughter the sheep as a sacrifice to G-d. The Midrash[v]explains that this was the start of the “War of the Firstborns.” The Egyptian firstborns, terrified of the impending final plague, actually took up arms against Pharaoh’s army, demanding the Israelites be released. A civil war erupted, fulfilling the verse in Tehillim למכה מצרים בבכוריהם. This great miracle is formally codified in Jewish Law[vi] as the reason for the day’s name.
The Haftorah Connection: General vs. Ĉabad Custom
This profound subversion of the natural order – where the Egyptians’ own firstborns fought for the Jewish people – demonstrated G-d’s ultimate control over nature for the sake of redemption. Because Shabbos Hagadol is defined by this theme of miraculous deliverance, it features a unique Haftorah from the prophet Mal’aĉi. However, customs differ as to when it is read.
the General Custom: Most communities read this Haftorah on Shabbos Hagadol regardless of the calendar date, due to several key thematic links within the Haftorah:
- The Linguistic Connection: Mal’aĉi prophesizes[vii], הנה אנכי שולח לכם את אליה הנביא לפני בא יום ה’ הגדול והנורא – behold I send to you Eliyah the prophet before the coming of the Day of G-d – the great and the awesome. And according to the Avudraham naming a Shabbos after a prominent phrase in its Haftorah[3] is a standard Jewish practice.
- Redemption: Pesaĉ celebrates the past redemption, while Mal’aĉi speaks of the future, ultimate redemption. This connection is highlighted in the statement of the Gemara[viii] בניסן נגאלו ובניסן עתידין להגאל – in Nisan they were redeemed and in Nisan they will be redeemed in the future. Therefore, in the coming week in which Pesaĉ will be celebrated, it is appropriate to have a Haftorah talking about that redemption.
- Eliyahu the Prophet: Mal’aĉi identifies Eliyahu as the herald of redemption, which highlights the connection of the Haftorah to the coming Pesaĉ Seder in which we have the Cup of Eliyahu in reference to the coming redemption.
- Spiritual Spring Cleaning: (Although this is not a part that is included in the Haftorah,) in the verses[ix] immediately preceding the Haftorah, Mal’aĉi prophetically states וישב מצרף ומטהר that G-d will acting like a “refiner’s fire,” mirroring the physical purging of Ĉometz from Jewish homes in the coming week.
the Ĉabad Custom: The Ĉabad custom, based on the rulings of the Alter Rebbe[x], approaches this differently. In Mal’aĉi, the verse[xi] הביאו את כל המעשר is a strong rebuke regarding the giving of מעשר. According to Jewish law, the deadline for completely removing undistributed tithes from one’s home falls precisely on Erev Pesaĉ.
Because the central theme of the Haftorah is intrinsically tied to the mitzvah of clearing tithes, Ĉabad tradition dictates that this Haftorah is only read when Shabbos Hagadol actually coincides with Erev Pesaĉ. If Shabbos Hagadol falls earlier, the regular weekly Haftorah is read instead.
This Ĉabad custom, which strictly anchors the Haftorah to the exact calendar date of Erev Pesaĉ, and otherwise ignores Shabbos Hagadol, highlights a historical anomaly regarding the holiday of Shabbos Hagadol itself.
Question
The Mystery of the Date: Why Shabbos?
For forty years in the wilderness, the Jewish people presumably celebrated this miracle on the calendar date it occurred: the tenth (10th) of Nisan. We can make this assumption because, as the Gemara[xii] establishes, an individual who experiences a miracle must recite a blessing upon returning to that spot, but a miracle that happens to the entire nation warrants public celebration whenever it is recalled[4].
However, later, the celebration was shifted from the calendar date of the tenth (10th) of Nisan to the day of the week on which the original event occurred – Shabbos.
- Why was the date celebrating this holiday changed from the tenth (10th) of Nisan to the Shabbos before Pesaĉ?
The Taz[xiii] explains that thirty-nine (39) years after the Exodus, the prophetess Miriam passed away on the tenth (10th) of Nisan. Consequently, the tenth (10th) of Nisan was established as a day of mourning and fasting. The Sages could not permanently anchor a joyous celebration to a day of mourning, so they shifted the commemoration to the day of the week in which the miracle originally occurred.[5]
Miriam’s Legacy: A Faith Above Nature
The collision of these two events – the miracle of the firstborns and the passing of Miriam – is not a coincidence; rather, Miriam’s legacy is intrinsically connected to the holiday, and is the lesson by which we are to understand the transition from the miracles of Egypt to the ongoing service of the Jewish people.
The Torah[xiv] commands us to daily remember זכור את אשר עשה ה’ אלקיך למרים בדרך בצאתכם ממצרים – Remember what G-d your Almighty did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt. As Rashi notes on the verse, she was punished with Tzara’as for speaking about her brother [Moshe].
- Why do we commanded to recall this punishment of Tzara’as, for the violation of לשון הרע, daily – if the very recollection itself would seem to violate the prohibition of לשון הרע in speaking about slander and embarrassing others [Miriam]?
The answer lies in the phrasing: we are remembering what G-d did לְמִרְיָם – for[6] Miriam. In relating the occurrence of her episode with Tzara’as, the Torah notes[xv] והעם לא נשא עד האסף מרים – the people did not set out until Miriam was brought in. The entire nation halted their journey to their destiny out of respect for her. Rashi explains this was her reward for waiting by the Nile River to see what would happen to her baby brother, Moshe. She had prophetic certainty he would be saved; she simply waited to witness the miracle.
Miriam’s life was defined by instilling faith in the fledgling Jewish nation. When even her father despaired about bringing more children into servitude, she convinced him, and the nation who followed him, to remarry and have more children – including Moshe himself who was born as a result. And then, she went to risk her life in defiance of Pharaoh’s edict to not only help Jewish mothers, but to make them happy and prevent their children from crying[7]. Understandably, when she heard that Moshe had separated from Tzipporah, she spoke up.
Although, she had to be punished with Tzara’as for speaking לשון הרע, her intentions were just and worthy. And therefore, while she herself experienced the pain of being struck with Tzara’as and being separated from G-d and the Jewish people – the nation, who had been raised by her to believe in miracles, took upon themselves to experience that same pain. The entire nation came to a standstill, as they were now separated from Miriam, and put their entire mission in life on hold [reflecting their separation from G-d] while she was suffering.
While Moshe’s merit brought miraculous food (Manna) and Aharon’s brought miraculous protection (Clouds of Glory), Miriam’s merit brought water – a totally natural substance. It in itself was not miraculous, but its unending source from a rock was.[8] Similarly, in Egypt, while providing for their base physical needs, she taught the Jewish people to look to their roots, and prepare for the redemption, whether it arrived through supernatural miracles or natural events (like an Egyptian civil war). G-d would provide, and his providence is infinite, even if what we need is just a drink of water in the wilderness.
When she died, it was by a “kiss” from G-d[xvi] – the ultimate expression of closeness to a person, a status known as ידיד – Beloved. In discussing the term ידיד, the Gemara[xvii] outlines the connection[9] between G-d and the various others coined by the same term, including: the Bais Hamikdash, and the Jewish people, who are all intimately referred to as ידיד.[10] Even when punishing Miriam with Tzara’as, G-d compared his relationship to Miriam as that of a father to his daughter, in the verse[xviii] ואביה ירק ירק בפניה.
From Passive Faith to Active Conduits
Miriam’s service and prophecies in Egypt epitomized the pre-Exodus approach: maintaining absolute unwavering faith and waiting for G-d to act. Her passing signaled the end of the era in which the people would simply wait for the waters of salvation to flow to them.
After the Exodus by choosing the Jewish people as his ממלכת כהנים, G-d introduced a new paradigm: the Mishkan, a place for G-d’s active, visible presence, maintained by the active service of the Kohanim. We were no longer meant to just be the passive recipients of miracles; we were empowered to draw the divine down into the natural world ourselves.
This transition from passive faith to active conduit is hidden in the very grammar of the Torah.
When G-d commands[xix] that Aharon and his sons serve as Kohanim, the Hebrew word used is וכהנו and they shall serve as priests. Normally, the grammatically correct way to write the infinitive root is simply לְכַהֵן. The addition of the suffix Vav (ו) at the end of the word is grammatically unusual.
As the Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson explains; the Hebrew word vav literally translates to “hook” (referencing the ווי העמודים – the hooks of the pillars that held the Mishkan together). In Ĉassidic thought:
- The Conduit: The letter Vav acts as a vertical chute, drawing spiritual energy from the hidden realms down into the physical world.
- The Suffix: While a prefix Vav means “and” [the joining of that which comes before starting the process], a suffix Vav represents the successful drawing down of divine light all the way to the end of a process. The Kohanim are the “hooks” tasked with grounding spiritual energy into daily reality.
The Golden Math of the Kohanic Purpose
Reb Levik reveals the depth of this “hook” through gematria: the addition of the suffix Vav changes the numerical value of the root word to exactly eighty-seven (87)[11], which corresponds to:
- פז – Pure Gold: The Kohen Gadol’s garments were heavily adorned with pure gold.
- Sweetening the Severity: In Kabbalah, כסף – silver represents Ĉesed from the term used in the verse[xx] נכספה וגם כלתה נפשי. Gold though represents Gevurah[12]. The Kohanim are considered the embodiment of Ĉesed. By weaving the numerical and physical equivalent of Gevurah [Pure Gold (87)] into their garments and their very purpose וכהנו, they achieve המתקת הדינים – the sweetening of severities. They take raw, strict justice and soften it into a blessing – which is the purpose of much of the sacrifices offered: to take a person who should otherwise be punished, and change him to someone who has learnt from his actions, and resolves to be a better person to the point where he sacrifices from himself to become closer to G-d.
- The Divine Name’s plus One: The Divine Name associated with strict justice and nature is אלקים, which equals 86[13]. By adding an additional one, corresponding to the כולל – the unifying container of the word[14], we arrive again at 87.
Through the “hook” of the suffix Vav, the Kohanim draw down the intense, fiery energy of אלקים and sweetening it with their innate kindness to channel pure blessing which is הנחמדים מזהב ומפז רב – more precious than gold and much pure gold into the physical world.
Conclusion: Our Modern Mission
This active sweetening of nature is not meant to be a one-time, miraculous event like the plagues of Egypt, but a constant, unchanging service. On the final verse[xxi] of this week’s Parsha [the suffix of the Parsha] ויעש אהרן ובניו – this verse tells of Aharon’s praise; that he changed nothing in the service in the Mishkan; he acted as the perfect, transparent conduit for the Almighty’s will.
Also, on the tenth (10th) of Nissan, the Prince of the Tribe of Dan – אחיעזר בן עמישדי – brought his inaugural sacrifice. This was of course no coincidence. His very name symbolizes the merging of opposites. The Or HaĈaim explains, the term אחי – my brother, actually refers to the divine prophetic presence, as in the verse[xxii] למען אחי ורעי. Thus, his first name means, the divine presence is my assistance. The second name עמישדי is a portmanteau of the name of G-d which sets up the natural boundaries of the world שד-י is עמי – my nation.
Taken together, his name symbolizes G-d’s personal prophetic divine presence on an individual level, being successfully hooked and incorporated into the larger national mission of the Jewish people: the nation that highlights the divine presence within the very rules of the “natural” world.
We no longer just wait passively for miracles. Endowed with the legacy of Miriam’s faith and the active “hook” of the Kohanim, we are charged as a “nation of priests” to draw the Divine presence down and make it a tangible reality in the natural world – even within the fundamental pillars of our personal Mishkan.
But, although we read the Hagada on Shabbos Hagadol, we do not wait until the Seder to begin this active service; our job as the Kohen begins today, on this very Shabbos.
Right now, in the four (4) days leading up to Pesaĉ, our homes are often filled with the intense pressure, stress, and strict deadlines of cleaning and preparing. This atmosphere is the physical manifestation of גבורה – severity, the exact energy of אלקים and the physical demands of this world.
Today though, we are reminded by the offering of אחיעזר בן עמישדי to bring the divine presence within our lives. We are not alone in this; our brother, the divine presence, is in this with us. We are only called upon to hook our physical world with the spiritual reality of G-d’s presence. To introduce the כולל into our lives and sweeten the severities – whether:
- Within the family dynamic, by emulating Miriam and introducing kindness to a suffering mother or her child, including the use of kind words (and not לשון הרע) and actions to the frenetic pace of cleaning.
- Or regarding one’s relationship with G-d: We are empowered to be his ממלכת כהנים. We bring the divine into this world. We unfurl the נס – banner of G-d’s presence in this world. We make our own miracles.
[1] As it does this year as well.
[2] Unlike certain modern religions which deem a physical cow as something holy, the Egyptians worshiped the spiritual representation of the sheep – namely the astrological sign of Aries, the Ram (which is associated with the month of Nisan) [Their idol Ra was depicted as having the head of a ram]. In other words, they believed themselves constantly at the head of the heavenly order. Similarly, they assigned spiritual importance to the firstborn, being the physical manifestation of what they believed in. That the firstborn might not now who his father was due to the promiscuous nature of their mothers was beside the point – and perhaps reflected the idea that they didn’t care who the source of nature was. The Jewish people slaughtered this conception, placing G-d before the natural order of the universe.
[3] Similar to Shabbos נחמו and Shabbos חזון (and Shabbos שובה), both of which are terms that come from the Haftorah of the day. The Mateh Moshe, quoting the Maharal of Prague, asks a question – why isn’t this Shabbos called Shabbos וערבה – after the first word in the Haftorah, as the others are. He answers that the name Shabbos Hagadol does both: it references the Haftorah, as well as the great miracle that occurred (and will occur) in the redemption.
[4] And since, as noted elsewhere, the Jewish people did not observe the Pesaĉ sacrifice throughout the majority of the their time in the wilderness, it would make sense that the recollection of this miracle would not be tied to the Shabbos before the day in which they were not celebrating with the Pesaĉ offering – but rather to the calendar date in which the event occurred.
[5] Other commentators, like the Ĉasam Sofer, emphasize that the original Israelites who acted on Shabbos to take the sheep for slaughtering represented a spiritual awakening and a rejection of idolatry. In other words, they chose Shabbos and obeying G-d’s commands over idolatry.
However, because the laws of Shabbos had not yet been formally given to the Jewish people, and the shift to celebrating on the day of the week happened after Miriam’s passing, the Taz’s historical approach remains the answer which aligns with what actually occurred.
Others note that the date on which the Jewish people eventually crossed the Yarden river to inherit the land of Israel was on the tenth (10th) of Nisan. To ensure there was no confusion as to which miracle was being celebrated, Shabbos Hagadol was moved to the day of the week, and not the day of the month.
However, this explanation leaves us with the question – when is the celebration of the miracle of crossing the Yarden commemorated? The day of the month is reserved for a non-holiday of the Yahrzeit of Miriam, and the day of the week is reserved for recalling the miracle of the civil war in Egypt. Presumably then, Shabbos Hagadol serves as a remembrance for both miracles – which counters the assumption of confusion.
[6] The prefix ל can mean ‘to’ or ‘for’.
[7] Rashi comments on the names Shifra and Puah noting that one was Miriam who would make funny noises to calm and entertain the children – which is why she was called Puah (in addition to being a hint at her prophetic nature).
[8] The connection between Miriam, her well, and Shabbos is also seen in the Midrashic tradition that the Well of Miriam did not vanish after the Jewish people left the wilderness. As explained by the Arizal, it moved into the ים הכנרת. And there is a Kabbalistic tradition that on Motzei Shabbos, its waters continue to flow from there into all natural bodies of water. This is the basis of the tradition to drink water on Motzei Shabbos.
[9] The phrase in the Gemara is: יבא ידיד בן ידיד ויבנה ידיד לידיד בחלקו של ידיד ויתכפרו בו ידידים – the beloved [Shlomo – Shmuel II 12:25] descendant of the beloved [Avrohom – Yirmiyahu 11:15] will come and build the beloved [Bais Hamikdash – Tehillim 84:2] for the beloved [G-d – Yeshayahu 5:1] in the portion of the beloved [the tribe of Binyomin – Devarim 33:12] in which the beloved [the Jewish people – Yirmiyahu 12:7] will be atoned for.
[10] Further highlighting the connection of Miriam to the term ידיד: the Arizal states that the entire כי לעולם חסדו chapter of Tehillim [Tehillim 136] is sung by various angels, with each one singing his own verse. The verse our sages identify as referencing the miracle of the tenth (10th) of Nisan is sung by the angel ידידאל.
[11] וכהנו = 6+20+5+50+6 = 87
[12] Gold is considered to represent Gevurah due to its color reflecting the color of fire (red or yellow). Furthermore, it requires intense heat and pressure (צמצום) to properly form something from gold.
[13] אלקים = 1+30+5+10+40 = 86
[14] Here, we are adding the sum of the entirety of the Sefira of Ĉesed, represented by the Kohanim, to their service, represented by the act of the sacrifice. The insertion of the entirety of Ĉesed (1) into Gevurah.
Perhaps, we can say that this concept is hinted at in the poem we recite on Shabbos, specifically, the stanza היחוד והיראה לחי עולמים – the unity and the awesomeness; to the life of the worlds. The unity (1) is to be added the יראה – Gevurah. This stanza is the tenth, and therefore corresponds to the angelic stanza of למכה מצרים בבכוריהם
[i] Tehillim 136:10
[ii] See Early medieval sources, including the Sefer HaManhig and the Ritva (on Gem. Shabbos 87b)
[iii] Tosefos ואותו יום Gem. Shabbos 87b
[iv] Shemos 12:3
[v] Midrash Tehillim 136:6
[vi] Tur and Shulĉan Aruĉ Oreĉ Ĉaim 430:1
[vii] Mal’aĉi 3:23
[viii] Gem. Rosh Hashana 11a
[ix] Mal’aĉi 3:2-3
[x] Shulĉan Aruĉ Harav Oreĉ Ĉaim 430:1
[xi] Mal’aĉi 3:10
[xii] Gem. Beraĉos 54a
[xiii] Taz on the Shulĉan Aruĉ Oreĉ Ĉaim 430:1
[xiv] Devarim 24:9
[xv] Bamidbar 12:15
[xvi] See Gem. Bava Basra 17a & Gem. Moed Katan 28a. The Gemara notes that the phrase על פי ה’ was noted used in the passing of Miriam for modesty reasons.
[xvii] Gem. Menaĉos 53a
[xviii] Bamidbar 12:14
[xix] See Shemos 28:41. Shemos 40:15 provides that this is not a temporary mandate, but one that applies for all future generations of Kohanim.
[xx] Tehillim 84:3
[xxi] Vayikra 8:36
[xxii] Tehillim 122:8