In Jewish communities and households across the globe excitement is mounting. Feverish preparations are finally being completed, as Jews worldwide fervently await Chag Hamatzos, zman cheiruseinu (the Passover holiday, time of our freedom). The religious excitement and fervor are, of course, entirely appropriate. That is just as it ought to be. "Bechol dor vador chayav adam liros es atzmo k'ilu hu yatza miMitzrayim - in every generation one is obligated to view himself as though he had been liberated from Mitzrayim", teaches the Mishna. We are not commanded to delude ourselves.[1] The seder night, in particular, and the entire yom tov of Chag Hamatzos, in general, possess an intrinsic quality which allows us to relive the Exodus and actually experience the spiritual elevation and transformation of Yetzias Mitzrayim. [2] Chag Hamatzos is anunique, rarified time and deserves to be greeted with the aforementioned excitement and fervor.
Before Chag Hamatzos, however, comes Shabbos Hagadol. Various interpretations for the nomenclature of this Shabbos have been advanced. The interpretation upon which I would like to focus suggests that the Shabbos before Chag Hamatzos is given the appellation Shabbos Hagadol to distinguish it from the other day of Shabbos in the coming week. The Torah refers to the first day of Pesach as Shabbos. Thus on erev Shabbos Hagadol we anticipate two days of Shabbos in the coming week - viz; "regular" Shabbos and the first day of Chag Hamatzos. To distinguish these two Shabbosos we designate Shabbos as Shabbos Hagadol as distinct from the Shabbos which is the first day of Chag Hamatzos.
There is a profound, fundamental lesson conveyed in the designation of Shabbos Hagadol. Indeed Chag Hamatzos is an unique, rarified time. It is a time which should be cherished and appreciated. And, of course, this is true for all yomi tovim. Each one in its own way is rarified time. And yet the holiest of days is not one of the shalosh regalim or even the yomim noraim, but Shabbos. On the Shabbos which is the first day of Chag Hamatzos one can relive yetzias Mitzrayim and directly experience the attendant spiritual elevation and transformation. What an incredibly great day indeed. And yet Shabbos - "yom hashevii laHashem Elokecha - the seventh day [holy] unto Hashem, your G-d" - is even greater!
Let us reflect upon that hierarchy for a moment. The greatest, holiest day of the Jewish calendar is Shabbos. Although this halachic hierarchy is indisputable[3], we do not give Shabbos its due. Human nature tends to neglect what is frequent, and lavish attention upon the infrequent. Ein navi beiro, a prophet is not recognized in his hometown. Such is the tendency of human nature. A glimpse at the natural world already exposes the folly of this tendency. Oxygen is virtually omnipresent on earth. So too is the warmth of the sun. The frequency and pervasiveness of these elements do not diminish their importance. On the contrary, they attest to their indispensability. Without oxygen and the warmth of the sun, life could not exist.
The analogue, of course, is Shabbos. The regularity of Shabbos points to its singular significance. Shabbos, explains the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh, comes weekly because without Shabbos the world would not continue to exist. "Ki sheishes yamim osoh Hashem es hashomayim vees haaretz" - because Hashem created heaven and earth for six days. The Torah does not say "besheishes yomim", in six days. Rather the Torah says "sheishes yomim", for six days. Hashem created the word with an initial charge that would last only six days. Shabbos recharges the cosmic batteries and sustains the world for another weekly cycle. "Ubayom hashevii shoves vayinofash" - and on the seventh day Hashem provided the soul (nefesh) to sustain the coming six days.
Shabbos sustains the world because Shabbos is a day entirely devoted to Hashem Yisborach who, of course, ultimately sustains all of creation. "Sheishes yomim taavod veasisa kol melachtecha veyom hasehvii Shabbos laHashem Elokecha" - six days you shall work, and attend to all your tasks, but the seventh day is (consecrated) to Hashem, your G-d. [Even the mitzvah of oneg Shabbos, enjoying Shabbos on a physical level by eating delicacies, celebrates malchus shomayim, Hashem's kingship. The pleasure which guests experience at a wedding feast does not shift the focus away from the nuptials; it is one aspect of the celebration. So too mitzvas oneg Shabbos.[4] By recognizing Hashem and celebrating malchus shomayim on Shabbos, we give purpose to the continued existence of the cosmos. And thus Shabbos sustains the entire briah.
Shabbos offers the possibility and promise not only of celebrating malchus shoamyim, but also experiencing it. We greet Shabbos, writes the Rambam, as one greets a king. That is why Shabbos, and only Shabbos, is meein olam habbah.
So our feverish preparations for Chag Hamatzos should continue unabated. But they should not for a moment eclipse our appreciation for Shabbos. We should not squander Shabbos on idle conversation. We should immerse ourselves, through davening, learning, and zemiros, in kedushas Shabbos. We should anticipate Shabbos with unparalleled excitement because Shabbos Hagadol is coming imminently - this week and every week.
[1] This insight is based upon the teachings of the Sfas Emmes
[2]For further elaboration, see "And it Happened at Midnight"
[3] This halachic hierarchy is, inter alia, reflected in the different punishments prescribed for performing melacha on Shabbos and Yom Kippur. On Shabbos, one is liable for the most sever punishment of misas beis din, whereas on Yom Kippur one is liable "only" for kareis. See Megillah 7b. The greater kedusha of Shabbos also underlies the normative position of R' Yishmoel who assigns six aliyahs to Yom Kippur and seven to Shabbos [R' Akiva employs a different criteria for assigning the number of aliyahs.]
[4] For this and other fundamental perspectives regarding Shabbos, see Rav Pinkos' Kuntres Shabbos Malkesa