This year, Shabbat Hagadol has special significance. It falls on the Tenth of Nissan, just as it did in Egypt. Pesach falls on the fifteenth, which is Thursday. The Jewish people left Egypt on Thursday, as well.

It is called Shabbat Hagadol for two reasons. The first is because of the great miracle that occurred on that day. The Jews tied lambs to their bedposts in preparation for the Korban Pesach on the fourteenth.

The miracle was that the Egyptians remained silent, even though they worshipped the lamb as some kind of deity.

The second reason comes from the Hatarah in Malachi, that speaks of the יום הגדול, the great day, when Eliyahu Hanavi will herald the coming of the Mashiach. In Kabbalistic terms, this day represents a kind of התהפכות, overturning. It is an end to darkness and the beginning of a period of light.

In essence, Shabbat Hagadol represented an end to the darkness of slavery in the most decadent place on earth. The Jewish people would be redeemed in order to receive the Torah. Its teachings would bring light to the world.

We are also witnessing a period where the darkness and evil of Iran, is being destroyed, that will bring light into the world. Let us hope that we will also celebrate our own redemption this Pesach, as it falls on Thursday, just as it did in Egypt.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)