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Torah Portion
Why Is This Sabbath 'Greater'
Than All Other Sabbaths?
assertion of the children of Israel.
Another explanation refers to the
well-known tradition of marking a bar
mitzvah, the time when a young man
passes from the status of katan, minor,
to the status of gadol, grown up. The
rite of passage from katan to gadol is
marked by the fact that from now on
he Sabbath immediately
he is a bar mitzvah, namely one who
preceding Pesach is known
is personally obligated to fulfill the
in Jewish tradition as
commandments.
Shabbat HaGadol — the
The first mitzvah with the Israelites
"Great Sabbath." But what is it that
as a people or commanded was the
makes a day in the calendar "great?"
one regarding the Pesach sacrifice.
Elsewhere in Jewish liturgy, every
This was given to them on
Sabbath day is referred to as
the 10th of Nisan, the
great and holy. Why then
Sabbath preceding the
should this particular
Exodus. It is thus on this
Sabbath, the last before
Sabbath that Israel cele-
Pesach, be singled out as the
brates its communal bar
"Great Sabbath?"
mitzvah, declaring that it is
. Many are the answers
ready to enter from now on
offered to this question in
as one people the status of
both ancient and recent rab-
gadol,
one committed
binic literature. The fact that.
to mitzvot.
we find so many answers
The Sabbath represents
RABBI IRWIN
suggests that none of them
two
aspects: It brings to
GRONER
contain the exclusive expla-
mind
the creation, the idea
Special to the
nation for the title. •
that
the
Almighty made the
Jewish News
According to rabbinic cal-
world in six days and rested
culations, the 10th day of
on the seventh and also the
the month of Nisan in the year in
liberation from Egypt where we were
which the Exodus occurred fell on the
enslaved and the Almighty freed us.
Sabbath. It was the last Sabbath prior
Creation and liberation are both men-
to the Exodus itself, which took place
tioned in the Kiddush liturgy, which
four days later. Regarding this day, we
ushers in the Sabbath every Friday
read, "Speak unto, all the congregation
night.
of Israel, saying on the 10th day of
It is only when the liberation from
this month each of them shall take a
Egypt became an immediate reality
lamb to a family, a lamb to a house-
that we reached the great and com-
hold ..."
plete Sabbath, Shabbat HaGadol,
The Torah shows its awareness of
which, up until now, has appeared
the fact that the sheep was a sacred
only in one of its aspects, that of cre-
animal to the Egyptians and they
ation.
would not dare slaughter a deity for
Shabbat HaGadol, according to one
any purpose. Now, four days before
medieval source, should not be ren-
the liberation, the Israelites are
dered as the "Great Sabbath," but
ordered to publicly set aside lambs for
rather, as the "Sabbath of the Great" or
the purpose of the Pesach sacrifice that
will mark their actual departure from
bondage. It was thus on this last
Sabbath prior to Pesach, that the first
major act of defiance against the
Parshat Metzora outlines the
Egyptian oppressors took place. It
ways a person was brought back
took great courage for the hitherto
into the community once puri-
oppressed slaves to openly demon-
fied (healed of disease). In
strate their intention and belief in
today's society, what actions and
their imminent liberation.
thoughts tend to isolate us from
The Sabbath on which this
our community and how can we
occurred is thus forever called
free ourselves of them? As we
HaGadol, the Great Sabbath, as it
ready our homes for Passover,
marks the real beginning of the libera-
what other rituals can you recall
tion, which would not have come
involving a•thification? (Hint:
about without the courage and self-
think Rosh I LiShana and
Shabbat.)
Irwin Groner is senior rabbi of
Shabbat HaGadol:
Leviticus 14:1-15:33;
Malachi 3:4-24.
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