Concerning the Shabbos before Pesach, that it has a special name, Shabbos Hagadol, and it's a special day, we find in sefarim different reasons. In the Shibolei HaLeket, סימן ר\"ה, it says that in many קהילות, in many communities, they used to call every Shabbos before a Yom Tov Shabbos Hagadol. Even the Shabbos before Shavuos and before Sukkos, to show that this is a special Shabbos which is before Yom Tov. But the truth is this is not mentioned in Shulchan Aruch, and it's not really accepted in most communities nowadays. Then there are other reasons why it's called Shabbos Hagadol. The Pri Chadash in Orach Chaim סימן ת\"ל says יש מפרשים that some explain שלכך נקרא שבת הגדול, that this is why it's called שבת הגדול, לפי שהוא שבת ראשון שנכנסו ישראל למצות. It's the first Shabbos that the Yidden entered the mitzvot. As the Abudraham writes in חודש ניסן before the סדר תפלת הפסח. And the Chizkuni in פרשת בא קפיטל י\"ב פסוק ג' also says לפי שעשו בו ישראל מצוה ראשונה, because then the Yidden did the first מצוה, כגון מקח הפסח בעשור, that they took the קרבן פסח on the tenth day of ניסן. Because the year of Yetzias Mitzrayim the tenth day of ניסן came on a Shabbos, and the Yidden had a commandment to take the קרבן פסח on the tenth day of ניסן. So he says since this was the first mitzvah they did, therefore נקרא שבת הגדול, it's called Shabbos Hagadol. Then in other sefarim it says that the reason it's called Shabbos Hagadol is because since Pesach is also called שבת, because the Torah says that you have to bring the קרבן העומר ממחרת השבת, the day after Shabbos, and by Sefiras HaOmer it says וספרתם לכם ממחרת השבת, you should count, start counting from the day after Shabbos, which means the day after the first day of Pesach. So in this פסוק Pesach is called Shabbos, not like the צדוקים who said that the Omer has to be brought always on a Sunday because the פסוק says after Shabbos. But we know from Torah Shebaal Peh that here the word Shabbos means Pesach. So since Pesach is also called Shabbos, in order to show that the real Shabbos is a different thing than Pesach, that's why the Shabbos before Pesach we call it Shabbos Hagadol, to show that there is going to come another Shabbos after this day, but that Shabbos is not as great as this one because we know that Shabbos is greater than Yom Tov, so that's why the Shabbos before Pesach was called Shabbos Hagadol. That this is the great Shabbos, and the Shabbos afterwards, which is Pesach, is not as great as this Shabbos.

Then there's another reason why it's called Shabbos Hagadol, and this is the reason that's brought down in the Tur Orach Chaim סימן ת\"ל, and it's also brought down in the פירוש of Raboseinu Baalei HaTosafos in פרשת בא קפיטל י\"ב פסוק ג' בשם Midrash, and also brought down in many ספרים which are connected to Rashi, like the Sefer HaOrah חלק ב' סימן ס\"ב, in the Siddur Rashi סימן שנ\"ב, Sefer HaPardes LeRashi, and many other ספרים. And this is that since the Shabbos before Pesach was the day that they had to take the קרבן Pesach, so each one took his שה for the קרבן פסח, he tied him up בכרעי מטתו, at the foot of the bed, and the Mitzrayim asked them, \"Why do you do this?\" And they answered, \"לשחטו לשם פסח במצות השם עלינו, that we're going to shecht it לשם קרבן פסח by the commandment of Hashem on us.\" So the Tur says, \"והיו שיניהם כהות על ששוחטין את אלהיהם,\" so the teeth of the Mitzrayim hurt that they're going to shecht their gods, \"ולא היו רשאין לומר להם דבר,\" and they couldn't say anything, \"ועל שם אותו הנס קורין אותו שבת הגדול,\" and because of that miracle they call it Shabbos Hagadol. Truth is that the same inyan that we said now is mentioned in the Tur, we said is also mentioned in Rabboteinu Baalei Hatosafos and also in the sefarim of Rashi, but there a certain point is added to what the Tur does not mention. The Baalei Hatosafos when they bring this, they say that when the Mitzrayim heard that the Yidden are going to shecht this for the קרבן פסח, נתקבצו עליהם להרגם. The Mitzrayim got together to kill the Bnei Yisrael because they were going to shecht their עבודה זרה, ועשה להם הקדוש ברוך הוא נס וניצולו, and Hashem made a nes and they were saved. And also in the sefarim of Rashi it says that when the Mitzrayim saw this, היו רוצים לקום ולהנקם מהם, they wanted to take revenge in the Bnei Yisrael for what they did, והיו מעיהם מחותכים ובאש נדכאים, so their insides were turning, ונדונים ביסורים וחלאים רעים ומרים. And they were punished with suffering, terrible sicknesses, bitter things, ולא הזיקו לישראל, and they couldn't harm the Bnei Yisrael, and that's why it's called Shabbos Hagadol because of these miracles. So lichora, from the way it's described in the peirush Baalei Hatosafos and in the sefarim of Rashi, the goyim wanted to harm the Yidden for what they were going to do. And Hashem saved the Bnei Yisrael from the Mitzrayim. And according to the way it says in the sefarim of Rashi, not only did He save them, but He also punished the Mitzrayim. L'chorah, this is the main point here. The main point here, why it's called Shabbos Hagadol, is because the Yidden were saved from the harm that the Mitzrayim wanted to do to them. But the way the Tur brings it, he doesn't mention that at all. All he says is that when they heard that the Bnei Yisrael are going to shecht this for the קרבן פסח, היו שניהם כהות, their teeth hurt them, ולא היו רשאין לומר להם דבר, and they couldn't say anything. So he doesn't mention it at all that the Mitzrayim wanted to hurt the Bnei Yisrael, and the Yidden were saved, the Mitzrayim were punished for this. So the main thing, the main nes is missing in what the Tur writes, because all that the Tur writes is, והיו שניהם כהות על ששוחטים את אלהיהם, their teeth hurt them because they were shecht-ing their god, ולא היו רשאין לומר להם דבר, and they couldn't say anything. So he doesn't mention that they wanted to hurt the Bnei Yisrael, and the Yidden were saved, he just mentions the nes is they couldn't do anything. So l'chorah, the main point, that they wanted to hurt the Bnei Yisrael and the Bnei Yisrael were saved, that should be mentioned in the Tur. Why doesn't the Tur mention that? So we must say that the Tur learns that that is not the main reason why we call it Shabbos Hagadol. But what is the main reason? So we see in the Tur he writes that when the Mitzrayim asked the Bnei Yisrael, \"What are you doing?\", so it says they answered, לשוחטו לשם פסח במצות השם עלינו, \"We're going to shecht it for the קרבן פסח by the commandment of Hashem on us.\" So the Tur stresses the point that they said to them that we're going to do this because we were commanded by Hashem. Why does the Tur have to mention these words? It's self-understood! Why else would they do that? Just to tease the Mitzrayim? Obviously they did it because they were commanded by Hashem, it's self-understood! Why does the Tur stress this? Because this is what the Tur is trying to tell us. That the main reason we call it Shabbos Hagadol is not so much because physically the Yidden were saved from the Mitzrayim, which is also true, but that's not the main point. The main point is that the Yidden were able to fulfill the מצות השם without any obstacles. And even though it was dangerous for them to take this שה, to take the sheep and want to שחט it for a korban to Hashem, nevertheless they didn't care, they went on mesirut nefesh, they were ready to give up their lives for it. So since they were ready to do the mitzvah of Hashem with mesirut nefesh, they were actually able to do it! Nothing could stop them from doing the מצות השם. That's the reason why it's called Shabbos Hagadol. It's a day that stresses the point that if a Yid wants to do the מצות השם, nothing can stop him! Nothing in the world, no people can stop him from doing the mitzvos of Hashem if he really wants to do it. And this is why the Tur skips the words that the other Rishonim bring, that the Yidden were saved from the goyim, but he stresses the words that they said that they're going to שחט this במצות השם, to show that the main thing of Shabbos Hagadol is that the Yidden were able to fulfill the מצות השם without any problems.

Then there's another reason for Shabbos Hagadol which is similar to this one, but not exactly like this one. And this is the reason that's brought down in Tosafos מסכת שבת דף פ״ז עמוד ב׳, and also in the Rabboseinu Baalei HaTosafos in Parshas Bo, as another pshat, this is also mentioned. That when the Yidden took the Korban Pesach on the tenth day of Nisan, the בכורי מצרים came to the Bnei Yisrael asking them, \"What are you doing?\" And they answered that, \"We're going to שחט this as a Korban Pesach, and Hashem is going to kill the firstborn.\" So all the בכורים came to their parents and to Pharaoh, asking them to send the Bnei Yisrael out. And they didn't want to listen to them. So the בכורים of Mitzrayim, the firstborn of the Mitzrayim themselves, made a war against the other Mitzrayim, and they killed many of them. And that's what the pasuk means in תהלים, קפיטל קל״ו פסוק י׳, למכה מצרים בבכוריהם, that they hit the Mitzrayim with their own bechorim, that their own bechorim made a war against the Mitzrayim. Now, in this reason, we don't find any mention that the Yidden were saved. There's no mention here that the Mitzrayim wanted to kill the Bnei Yisrael or any other benefit to the Bnei Yisrael. This is only something that happened within the Mitzrayim themselves. Lichora, what's so special about this? Why do we celebrate a special day, Shabbos HaGadol, because the Mitzrayim killed themselves? What do we gain from this? So we must say the pshat that even though we didn't gain anything from it, but this is the beginning of the nisim and the beginning of the geulah. Because it's self-understood that the geulah went through a certain process, so the beginning of the process of the geulah started already when the bechorim started realizing that you have to let the Bnei Yisrael out. And not only did they realize this, they actually did something about it, they started fighting with Paro and their parents, etc., etc. This led up later that the Yidden actually went out of Mitzrayim. So the reason we celebrate Shabbos HaGadol according to this pshat, which means the pshat of Tosafot, and the other pshat in the רבותינו בעלי התוספות, and this is also the reason brought down in the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, in the Shulchan Aruch of the Baal HaTanya in Orach Chaim, so according to this pshat, it is not because the Yidden were saved that day, and it's not because this shows that if a Yid wants to do the mitzvot Hashem, nothing will stop him, but this is because this is already the beginning of the geulah and the nisim. So it comes out that even though the reason given in the Tur and the reason given in Tosafot in Masechet Shabbos are basically the same, but nevertheless, in detail, they are different. Basically, they're the same, that the reason it's called Shabbos HaGadol is because that the day they took the korban Pesach, and the Mitzrayim asked them what they're doing, and they told them they're gonna shachat this as a korban Pesach, and the Yidden were saved from the Mitzrayim. Not only that, but the Mitzrayim killed each other, and that's why this day is called Shabbos Hagadol. So basically, it is one reason. But when we look into the details of it, as we said before, they are two separate פרטים. According to the Tur, the reason we celebrate Shabbos Hagadol is because this is the day that shows that if a Yid wants to do the מצוות השם, nothing will stop him. And the way it comes out from the reason of the Tosafos in Maseches Shabbos, the reason we celebrate Shabbos Hagadol is because this is already the beginning of Yetzias Mitzrayim.

Now being these are two reasons why it is called Shabbos Hagadol, obviously, there is a special connection between these two inyanim and the concept of Shabbos. And as we see that all the Yomim Tovim, whenever we celebrate a certain event, it's always in connection to the day of the month. This is the only one that we celebrate in the day of the week. We don't celebrate this on the tenth day of Nisan, but on Shabbos as it was then on Shabbos. So there are different reasons given why we connect this davka to the day of the week, not to the day of the month. But still, whatever reasons we're gonna give, we must say that there must be a special connection between what happened then and the concept of Shabbos. And that is why we celebrate it on Shabbos. And that is why it's called Shabbos Hagadol. It's not only that on this day a certain miracle happened or we celebrate something, this makes the Shabbos into a big Shabbos, which means that whatever Shabbos stands for, because of this miracle, the Shabbos itself became great, which means this is an additional thing to what Shabbos is. So these two reasons that we're saying now, the reason of the Tur and the reason of Tosafos, they both have to fit to what Shabbos stands for. And therefore, according to these two inyanim, we call it Shabbos Hagadol.

Now we know concerning Shabbos, we have two reasons, and both mentioned in Aseres Hadibros. One is that Shabbos is זכר למעשה בראשית, it's a zecher, a remembrance to the creation of the world, כי ששת ימים עשה השם את השמים ואת הארץ, Hashem created the earth and heaven in six days, וינח ביום השביעי, He rested on the seventh day, so we have Shabbos. Then we have Shabbos being zecher l'Yetzias Mitzrayim. וזכרת כי עבד היית בארץ מצרים, that you should remember that you were a slave in מצרים, על כן צווך השם אלוקיך לעשות את יום השבת, therefore Hashem commanded you to make Shabbos. And as the Rambam discusses this in Moreh Nevuchim in the second חלק, פרק ל״א, brought down in the Ramban in פרשת ואתחנן, etc., etc. And in short, these two inyanim are as follows: On one hand, Shabbos is part of the creation. It's the epitome of the creation. It's the highest level of creation, but still part of the creation. It's the seventh day of creation. That's why it says in the Chazal, brought down in Rashi, beginning of פרשת בראשית, and in Rashi in Gemara Megillah דף ט׳ עמוד א׳, that מה היה העולם חסר, when Shabbos came, what was the world, the creation missing? מנוחה, rest. בא שבת בא מנוחה, when Shabbos came, rest came. So Shabbos finished off the creation. So Shabbos is the highest level of creation, but nevertheless, it's part of the creation. Which means, as the Rambam says in Moreh Nevuchim there, that on Shabbos we have to we start realizing the חידוש העולם, the fact that Hashem created the world. Which means Shabbos is the day that gives us the understanding that the world was created by Hashem. So it's still part of the creation, because it's making us realize something within the inyan of the creation, but within the creation the highest level, the recognition of the truth of creation. But then there is something else in Shabbos which is higher than the creation בכלל. Shabbos is beyond teva. And that is connected to יציאת מצרים. Because יציאת מצרים is also something which is beyond nature. מצד nature, the Yidden weren't able to go out of Mitzrayim. Hashem performed nissim geluyim, nissim gedolim, great nissim, in order to take us out of Mitzrayim, which was beyond the teva completely. So therefore, this concept of Shabbos, which is beyond the creation completely, beyond nature completely, was given to the Bnei Yisrael at the time of יציאת מצרים because of יציאת מצרים. Because יציאת מצרים is the same inyan as what Shabbos really is beyond creation. Now, the two reasons that we said before for Shabbos Hagadol fit to these two inyanim in inyan of Shabbos. The inyan of Shabbos being זכר למעשה בראשית, which means that that it just gives us the recognition that the world was created by Hashem, certainly stresses the point that since the world was created by Hashem, it's created for a purpose. What was the purpose? For the sake of the Bnei Yisrael, for the sake of Torah. Now, if the world was created for the sake of Bnei Yisrael and Torah, there's nothing in the world that can stop a Yid from doing Torah u'mitzvot. If the whole world was created for the sake of the Yid being able to do Torah u'mitzvot, how can anything stop him from doing it? So this is what happened on Shabbos Hagadol, that the Yidden showed that even though that it was very hard, but nothing in the world could stop them from doing the mitzvah of Hashem. So this is similar to the first inyan in the Shabbos of זכר למעשה בראשית, that we recognize that the world was created by Hashem, so therefore everything is for the sake of Torah u'mitzvot. So this is what Shabbos in itself stands for, and since this happened on that Shabbos, so the two things come together, so it became a Shabbos Hagadol. And the same is according to the other reason, that if the day that the Yetzias Mitzrayim started, this fits to the second inyan in Shabbos, which is זכר ליציאת מצרים. Because Shabbos is beyond nature and Yetzias Mitzrayim is beyond nature. So when the התחלה of Yetzias Mitzrayim came on a Shabbos, so this added גדלות, greatness, to what Shabbos in itself stands for. Shabbos in itself stands for the inyan of למעלה מן הטבע, beyond nature. So too, the inyan of Yetzias Mitzrayim is beyond nature. So when the התחלה, the beginning of Yetzias Mitzrayim came on a Shabbos, so this added to the Shabbos itself, and therefore it is called שבת הגדול according to this