הגדול שבת:
The שבת before פסח is called שבת הגדול because of the נס גדול that happened on the שבת before the Yidden left מצרים.
On that day, the tenth of ניסן, the Yidden took their sheep for the קרבן פסח.
When the יםר כוֹב of מצרים asked what they were doing, and heard about the upcoming תרוֹכוֹת ב כ מ , they demanded of their elders and of פרעה to let the Yidden go. When they refused, the בכורים waged war against them and killed many of them.
QUESTION:
Usually we commemorate special events on the day of the month on which they occurred. Why do we commemorate this miracle on the day of the week?
ANSWER:
Hashem created the world in six days, and rested on שבת. So the seven days of the week represent Hashem’s creation of the natural order.
The monthly calendar follows the cycle of the moon, which is renewed once again each month. This represents Hashem’s miracles, which bring something new into the world.
This is why we usually celebrate miracles on the day of the month (חודש, means new).
But unlike other miracles, the events of שבת הגדול seem very natural. Having seen that all the previous כותמ they were warned about came true, it was only natural for the בכורים to believe that מכת בכורות would happen as well. And so it was only natural that they would try to save themselves by letting the Yidden go, and fighting those who were stopping them.
Since Hashem worked the miracle of שבת הגדול by changing the nature of things, we celebrate it on the day of the week, which represents Hashem’s power in nature.
Further discussion:
Why is this miracle specifically called a נס גדול? (See אות ד in the שיחה)
