A few thoughts for Shabbat Hagadol

The Sabbath before the start of Passover holds a special place in Jewish tradition

This coming Shabbat is the Sabbath just before Passover, and it is known in our tradition as Shabbat Hagadol – the Great Sabbath.  For centuries, in Jewish communities around the world, this would be the Shabbat when, during Saturday’s services, the rabbi would give a lengthy talk on the intricacies of the rules of keeping your home kosher for Pesach.  

Historically, the rabbi’s sermon on this Sabbath has been known to go on for so long that congregants are at risk of, shall we say, losing focus… Photo by Camila Quintero Franco on Unsplash

Instead of explaining what kinds of counter-top surfaces can or can’t be made kosher for Passover, and going into the Jewish legal minutae of the debate about whether corn and legumes are kosher for Passover, I thought what I’d do is spend some time considering one of the great areas of higher meaning that we encounter when we celebrate Passover.  And I thought a good way to do that would be to start with the Haggadah, the book we use at our seders th…