The Tur (Orach Chaim 430) writes that the Shabbos before Pesach is called Shabbos Hagadol because of the great miracle that occurred on Shabbos at the time of yetzias Mitzrayim. When Hashem commanded the Jewish people to set aside the korban Pesach on the tenth of Nisan, which in that year fell out on Shabbos, they did as they were told. Despite the fact that the sheep was a god of the Egyptians, the Jewish people were open about their plans to sacrifice the sheep, and nevertheless, the Egyptians did not protest. Since this unlikely response happened on the Shabbos before Pesach, we refer to the Shabbos before Pesach every year as Shabbos Hagadol. The Tur understands that the name Shabbos Hagadol refers to the great miracle – the neis hagadol – that occurred on Shabbos. But perhaps there is another message here as well.
The possuk says, “And there (in Egypt) they became a nation – great, strong and numerous” (Ki Savo 26:5). Chazal explain that the statement “And there they became a nation” is hinting to the fact that the Jewish people were a distinguished nation in Egypt. They maintained their Jewish names, their language and their dress (see Vaykira Rabbah, Emor 32:5 and Pesikta Zutrasa, Shemos 6:6). In these three ways, they were different than the surrounding culture.
This version of Chazal’s comment is the one that appears in our Haggadah. But the Avudraham, the Vilna Gaon and others have a different version of this drasha. According to their view, the comment that Klal Yisrael were distinguished in Mitzrayim is not linked to the word “nation” in the phrase, “And there they became a nation”, but rather to the word gadol – “And there they became a great nation (a goy gadol)”. What does the uniqueness of the Jewish people in Egypt have to do with the word gadol?
Rav Soloveitchik (Harerei Kedem vol. 2, p. 221) explained that sometimes the words gadol and katan – great and small – do not refer to physical size or age. The Mishna (Bava Metzia 12a) says that an item found by one’s son or daughter who are minors belongs to their father, while an item found by of one’s adult son or daughter belongs to them. At what age is a child defined as a minor for this law and at what age is he considered an adult? The Gemara (ibid 12b) quotes an opinion that the terms gadol and katan in the mishna are not referring to an actual adult and an actual minor. Rather, an adult son who is dependent on the food of his father’s table is considered a minor in the context of the mishna, and the lost object that he finds belongs to his father. On the other hand, a minor son who is not dependent on his father for financial support is considered an adult regarding the law of the mishna, and a lost object that he finds belongs to him, even though he is considered a minor for other halachos.
The Rav suggested that this halacha demonstrates that sometimes a person is defined as a gadol if he is independent. In the context of the mishna, adulthood is defined by financial independence. But in other contexts, gadlus can by defined by other types of independence. A physical body may be referred to as gadol simply because it is physically independent of other things. In Parshas Bereishis (1:16), the sun is called the great light – ma’or hagadol – while the moon is referred to as the small light – ma’or hakatan. The sun is called gadol because it is an independent source of light, while the moon is called katan because it merely reflects the light of the sun.
Similarly, a person might be called a gadol if he is intellectually or emotionally independent, namely if he is not influenced by his surroundings. At a bris milah, we give the parents a bracha that their child should grow to become great – zeh hakatan gadol yi’hiye. Our tefillah is not only that the baby should grow physically, but that he should mature emotionally. The baby who at birth is so dependent on others for his very well-being should one day become a gadol, one who is self-sufficient in his Torah learning, in his attitudes and perspective on life. He should have the strength to remain unaffected by any negative influences around him, so that he will be able to faithfully transmit the mesorah to the next generation. By maintaining their names, their language and their unique mode of dress in Mitzrayim, the Jewish people demonstrated an independence of spirit, and that is why they are referred to as a goy gadol.
This could be the deeper meaning behind the name Shabbos Hagadol. When the Jewish people took the sheep and tied it to their beds and stood up to the Egyptians without fear, they showed greatness (gadlus). They demonstrated that they felt independent and were no longer subservient to the Egyptians. In addition to bringing the korban pesach, the Jewish people were also commanded to perform the mitzvah of bris milah before yetzias Mitzrayim. This also showed their independence from the Egyptians. Chazal say that after Yosef died, the Jewish people disregarded the mitzvah of milah. “They mingled with the nations and they learned from their ways” (Tehillim 106:35). They wanted to blend in more with Egyptian society (see Beis Haleivi, beginning of Shemos). Hashem commanded the Jewish people to perform the mitzvah of milah before yetzias Mitzrayim to give them the opportunity to show that they were no longer afraid to be different than the non-Jews around them. By fulfilling the mitzvos of korban pesach and bris milah, the Jewish people demonstrated that they were worthy of yetzias Mitzrayim because they were willing and prepared to act as independent free men (bnei chorin).
Perhaps this is why Shabbos Hagadol is such an appropriate introduction to the yom tov of Pesach because one of the messages of Pesach is that we have to break free of our limitations (our metzarim). We should try not to be controlled by our physical drives and desires, by the lifestyle of society at large, or by whatever constrains us and prevents us from achieving our full spiritual potential. The message of Pesach is that to be a true ben chorin, a person cannot just follow the crowd. He has to be a leader. He has to stand up for his principles and be ready to act like a gadol, even when it is difficult to do so.
Shabbos Hagadol and Pesach are times we are reminded of the inspiring example of Klal Yisrael in Mitzrayim, who were prepared to fulfill the will of Hashem even when it was uncomfortable. When we emulate that model, we show that we are worthy of being called a goy gadol, and we can hope that Hashem will respond by showering us with His bracha. May we be zoche to see yeshuos v’nechamos b’karov.