Shabbat HaGadol 5779 The Days of Nissan: The True Days of Awe

(6) Although it is ever well to cry out and repent, during the ten days time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur it is exceedingly better, and the supplication is presently accepted, as it is said: "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found" (Is. 55.6). But that is solely concerning an individual, but a community every time they cry out a whole hearted repentance they are answered, as it is said: "As the Lord- God is in all things that we call upon him for" (Deut. 6.7).

(2) We do not fall in Supplication through the entire month of Nissan.

It is taught Rabbi Eliezer says: In Tishrei the world was created; in Tishrei the Patriarchs were born; in Tishrei the Patriarchs died; on Passover Isaac was born; on Rosh HaShana Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah were remembered; on Rosh HaShana Joseph came out from prison; on Rosh HaShana our forefathers’ slavery in Egypt ceased; in Nisan we were redeemed and in Tishrei in the future we will be redeemed. Rabbi Yehoshua says: In Nisan the world was created; in Nisan the Patriarchs were born; in Nisan the Patriarchs died; on Passover Isaac was born; on Rosh HaShana Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah were remembered, on Rosh HaShana Joseph came out from prison; on Rosh HaShana our forefathers’ slavery in Egypt ceased; in Nisan we were redeemed and in Nisan we will be redeemed.

If Rosh Chodesh Nisan (Or Tevet) falls out on Shabbas...

Rabbi Kruspedai said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Three books are opened on Rosh HaShana before G-d: One of wholly wicked, and one of wholly righteous, and one of middling. Wholly righteous are immediately written and sealed for life; wholly wicked are immediately written and sealed for death; and middling are left suspended from Rosh HaShana until Yom Kippur. If they merit, they are written for life; if they do not so merit, they are written for death.

(2) This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.

And the reason for, "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months" is that Israel will count the first month, and from there will count all the months until the completion of the year with the twelfth month, so that this will be a reminder of a great miracle, for any time that the months will be mentioned the miracle will be remembered, and therefore the months have no names in the Torah, but rather it says, "in the third month" (Exodus 19:1), and, "in the second year in the second month...that the cloud was taken up" (Numbers 10:11), and, "in the seventh month on the first of the month, etc." (Numbers 29:1) and so with all of them [i.e. all verses mentioning dates]... And just as the Sabbath Day is remembered by our counting from it the first [day] from the Sabbath and the second [day] from the Sabbath, as I will explain, so too the Exodus from Egypt is remembered by our counting of the first month and so on from our redemption, for this counting is not for [numbering] the year, for the start of our year is in Tishrei, as it is written (Exodus 34:22), "and the feast of ingathering at the turn of the year," and it is written (Exodus 23:16), "(and the feast of ingathering), at the end of the year." If so, then when the month of Nisan is called the first [month] and Tishrei the seventh, the solution is that [Nisan is] the first [month] from redemption and [Tishrei is] the seventh. This is why"it shall be the first...to you," for it is not the first in the year, but it is the first for you, for such is it called as a remembrance of our redemption.

Why are we so strict when it comes to cleaning for Pesach?

(2) The worshiper because of love, engages himself in the study of the Torah and the observance of precepts and follows the paths of wisdom on no account in the world, neither for fear of evil nor in order to inherit the good; but he does the true thing because it is true, and in the end the good comes because thereof,. That degree is a great degree, indeed and not every scholar attains it; for such was the degree of Abraham our father, whom the Holy One, blessed is He! called His beloved, because he worshiped not, save because of love, and it is, furthermore, the degree concerning which the Holy One, blessed is He! commanded through Moses, saying: "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God" (Deut. 6.5); for, when man will love the Lord with a proper love, he will momentarily perform all of the commandments because of love.