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Shabbat ha-Gadol
John D. Rayner
Thank you for inviting me, and let me take this opportunity to wish you a happy
anniversary. 1953 was an important year in world history because, among other
things, it saw the conquest of Mount Everest by Hillary and Tenzing; in British
history because it saw the coronation in Westminster Abbey of Queen Elizabeth
11; and in the history of the ULPS because, in addition to the celebration of Lily
Montagu’s 80“I birthday, it saw the establishment of the North Finchley Liberal
Jewish Group which became the Finchley Progressive Synagogue.-
Since then I have visited this synagogue many times — 15, to be exact including both the induction and the retirement of Rabbi Frank Hellner as well as
the induction of Rabbi Mark Goldsmith, and it is always a pleasure to come here,
partly because your synagogue is nice and near from where I live and partly
because your slightly more informal way of doing things makes a pleasant
change, once in a while, from the L18.
.1v Emma 1:, ’At the age of fifty for counsel,’ said Judah ben Tema (Avot
I
5:21). am sure I am not the first person during your anniversary year to point
that out, but have you ever wondered why? Our tradition offers two
explanations. According to Rashj, it derives from a law in the book of Numbers
(8:25) which requires levites to retire from active service in the sanctuary on
reaching the age of fifty. What then did they do after that? Obviously, says Rashi,
they became counsellors, advising their younger colleagues how to carry out
their duties. The other, more philosophical explanation comes from Menachem
Meiri. According to him, counsel requires two things — common sense and
experience - both of which one acquires at the age of fifty (Pinchas Kahati,
Mishmzyat ad 10c.).
Well, I am sure FPS, after 50 years, satisfies all those conditions and
therefore is in no need of any counsel from me. Nevertheless, I thought you
might be interested
to
Sabbath’, as that name
different theories.
know why
Sabbath
called 5113:: nail), ’the Great
is usually translated. About that there are half-a-dozen
this
is
which dates from the 11lh century, is a bit complicated. It
reckons that in the year of the Exodus — as this year! — the first day of Pesach was
a Thursday, and therefore the Shabbat before Pesach fell, as this year, on the 10th
of Nisan — the very day on which, according to the passage we have read from
the Torah this morning, the Israelites were commanded to select their sacrificial
lambs for the forthcoming festival (Ex. 12:3). But such a massive operation! with
one lamb for every household, would surely have aroused the suspicion of the
Egyptians! Indeed it did, but then a miracle happened: they were all taken ill
with a stomach complaint which confined them to bed and figevented them from
The
oldest,
doing anything about
it.
Because of that miracle the Shabbat before Pesach
became known as "The Great Sabbath’ (Menachem Kasher, .1a mm, p. 50).
A second theory points out that the selection of the lambs was the first
Mitzvah the Israelites performed after their liberation from Egyptian slavery, and
that the day was called “mm mm for that reason (53pm to Ex. 12:3).
A third theory points to the extra long sermon which, in the Middle Ages,
rabbis used to preach on this Shabbat to remind their congregations: about all the
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laws and customs of the forthcoming festival (Kasher, loc. cit). But have no fear,
it is not my intention this morning to follow their example.
—In any case I must now tell you that the three theories I have mentioned
—
the Miracle Theory, the Mitzvah Theory and the Marathon Sermon theory are
the word mm is
all mistaken. Why? For a very simple grammatical reason: that
feminine, so that ’The Great Sabbath’ would have to be 715113;: mm!
Fortunately, that leaves three more theories. Theory Number Four points
Psalm 136,
to an ancient practice of reading on Pesach, as we still do in the Seder,
is
the one with the refrain won 0513b *3, ’for God's kindness is everlasfing’, which
known in Jewish tradition has 51151 55a, ’the Great Hallel’. Therefore, it is
suggested, this Sabbath became known as “mm 5'77: mm, ’the Sabbath of the Great
Hallel’, which was then abbreviated to 5112:! mm.
Then there is Theory Number Five, according to which 511)?! mm is actual
mm, which in turn refers to the fact that it used to be customary
a mistake for
to read the Haggadah, by way of rehearsal, on the afternoon of the Sabbath
before Pesach (Kasher, pp. 52-54). In some manuscript, this theory assumes,
'm may and then misread and miscopied by a scribe
7112.1 mm was abbreviated to
as 'mjn r1327. But that seems pretty far-fetched and leaves us with only one
remaining theory, which, though perhaps also not completely convincing, must,
by a process of elimination, be the correct one.
To understand it, you have to remember that 5113:: mw is not the only
Shabbat in the Jewish calendar that has a special name. There are several; all of
them have a fixed Haftarah, regardless of the Sidra; and all of them take their
name from the key word of the Haftarah in question. There is, for instance,
‘n’m’ 11m, ’The Vision of Isaiah’ (Isa.
11m rum, so called because its Haftarah begins
mm mm, 'Comfort,
begins
1:1). There is mm mm, so called because its Haftarah
its Haftarah
because
0 comfort My'n people’ (Isa. 40:1) There is mm) mm, so called
God’(I-Ios.
1:: 531% mm, ’Return, 0 Israel, to the Eternal One, your
begins 15a
"mm me), so called because
14:1). And, to give only one more example, there is mm
on a Shabbat before the New Moon the Haftarah tradifionally read begins with
Jonathan saying to David, arm “m, ’Tomotrow is the new moon, and you will be
missed because your seat will be empty’ (1 Sam. 20:18).
The.Shabbat before Pesach also has a special Haftarah which is invariably
it includes the verse,
read on it, regardless of the Sidra, and, as we have heard,
’n
m: *155, ’before the
’Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet mum 5mm
One’
3:23). Evidently,
(Mal.
Eternal
coming of the great and awesome day of the
therefore, 511m rm; was so called on account of that verse and the key word, 5112,
'
mm
m
m
in it.
that raises one last question: why was that verse singled out as the
most important of the Haftarah? And the answer, of cqse, is that it is a
messianic verse, and that Pesach is, above all else, a messianiq fgsfival. Indeed, the
m’ for ’day’ a
messianic understanding of the Malachi verse gave the very
messianic significance, and that, in turn, was reinforced by a famous story in the
Talmud with which I will conclude.
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, of third-century Palestine, sees an apparition of the
prophet Elijah, and. takes the opportunity, since such opportunities don’t occur
’Go and ask him yourself’,
every day, to ask him: ’When will the Messiah come?’
among,the
says Elijah, and sends him to Rome. There, outside the city gate,
’When
will you
wounds.
their
lepers, he does indeed spot the Messiah, dressing
But
qd
come?“ he asks him, and the Messiah answers mm, ’Today’. So Rabbi Joshua, full
of excitement, rushes back to Palestine to await his arrival. But the days pass and
nothing happens. And when he again encounters Elijah he complains that the
Messiah lied to him. To which Elijah replies: ’He didn’t lie, for when he said am
he was alluding to the Psalm verse (95:7), 19mm Man-ca awn, ‘Today if you will
hearken to God’s voice’ (San 98a).
The Messiah did not lie. The Psalm verse is perfectly true, but it will come
into effect only when the condition it so clearly states is fulfilled. That day is not
Some of us may think that the victory of the Coalition in Iraq has brought it
nearer; others may entertain grave doubts about that. But what is clear is that to
yet.
the very meaning and purpose of our lives as Jews. And this
Sabbath about ’the great and awesome day of the Eternal One’ should be to us a
solemn reminder of our unfinished task.
bring
it
nearer
is
Finchley Progressive Synagogue
Shabbat ha—Gadol, 12 April 2003