Shabbos HaGadol - The Source of the Name
Torah Source

וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה לְכָל־זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵקֶם מִשְׁכוּ וּקְחוּ לָכֶם צֹאן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיכֶם וְשַׁחֲטוּ הַפָּסַח׃

Moses then summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go, pick out lambs for your families, and slaughter the passover offering.

The Name

(א) שבת שלפני הפסח קורין אותו שבת הגדול והטעם לפי שנעשה בו נס גדול שפסח מצרים מקחו בעשור כדכתיב בעשור לחודש הזה ויקחו להם שה לבית אבות שה לבית ופסח שיצאו ישראל ממצרים היה ביום יקוק כדאיתא בסדר עולם ונמצא שי' בחדש היה שבת ולקחו להם כל אחד שה לפסחו וקשר אותו בכרעי מטתו ושאלום המצריים למה זה לכם והשיבו לשחטו לשם פסח במצות השם עלינו והיו שיניהם קהות על ששוחטין את אלהיהן ולא היו רשאין לומר להם דבר ועל שם אותו הנס קורין אותו שבת הגדול:

(1) The Sabbos before Pesach is called "Shabbat HaGadol" (The Great Shabbos). And the reason is because a miracle occurred during the Exodus from Egypt. On the 10th [they took a sheep] as it says: "On the tenth of this month you shall take for yourselves a sheep into your homes."

(2) And the year that the Exodus took place was on a Thursday as we see in Seder Olam, and therefore the "10th of the month" was Shabbos, and [on that Shabbos] every Jew took a sheep as a Paschal offering and tied it to their bedposts. And the Egyptians asked them "Why is this so [why do you have a sheep (the Egyptian god) tied to your bed]?" And they responded: "To slaughter for a Pesach offering for HaShem." And they got upset that they were going to slaughter their gods, but they could not say anything due to the miracle. And thus it is called Shabbat HaGadol.

Avraham Observed the Torah

(בראשית כד, א) "ואברהם זקן ויקוק ברך את אברהם בכל." מצינו שעשה אברהם אבינו את כל התורה כולה עד שלא ניתנה שנאמ' (בראשית כו, ה) עקב אשר שמע אברהם בקולי וישמור משמרתי מצותי חוקותי ותורותי

“And Abraham was old, well stricken in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things” (Genesis 24:1). We found that Abraham our forefather fulfilled the entire Torah before it was given, as it is stated: “Because that Abraham listened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:5), which indicates that Abraham observed all the mitzvot of his own accord and was rewarded in his old age as a result.

אמר רב קיים אברהם אבינו כל התורה כולה שנאמר (בראשית כו, ה) עקב אשר שמע אברהם בקולי וגו' א"ל רב שימי בר חייא לרב ואימא שבע מצות הא איכא נמי מילה ואימא שבע מצות ומילה א"ל א"כ מצותי ותורותי למה לי

Rav said: Abraham our Patriarch fulfilled the entire Torah before it was given, as it is stated: “Because [ekev] Abraham hearkened to My voice and kept My charge, My mitzvot, My statutes and My Torahs” (Genesis 26:5). Rav Shimi bar Ḥiyya said to Rav: And say that the verse means that he fulfilled only the seven Noahide mitzvot and not the entire Torah. The Gemara asks: But isn’t there also circumcision that Abraham clearly observed, which is not one of the Noahide laws? Apparently, Abraham fulfilled more than just those seven. The Gemara asks: And say that he fulfilled only the seven mitzvot and circumcision. Rav said to him: If so, why do I need the continuation of the verse, that Abraham kept: My mitzvot and myTorah? That is a clear indication that he fulfilled mitzvot beyond the seven Noahide mitzvot, and apparently fulfilled the entire Torah.

Even Yossef Kept the Torah!

(שמות טז, ה): וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי וְהֵכִינוּ וגו', הֲדָא אָמְרָה שֶׁשָּׁמַר יוֹסֵף אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת קֹדֶם שֶׁלֹא תִּנָּתֵן

"On the sixth day they prepared..." (Exodus 16:5) That is to say that Yossef kept Shabbos before it was given.

See Ramban on Genesis 26:5 עיין רמב"ן עה"ת ספר בראשית כו:ה

Brotherly Love

(ב) אֵ֣לֶּה ׀ תֹּלְד֣וֹת יַעֲקֹ֗ב יוֹסֵ֞ף בֶּן־שְׁבַֽע־עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה שָׁנָה֙ הָיָ֨ה רֹעֶ֤ה אֶת־אֶחָיו֙ בַּצֹּ֔אן וְה֣וּא נַ֗עַר אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בִלְהָ֛ה וְאֶת־בְּנֵ֥י זִלְפָּ֖ה נְשֵׁ֣י אָבִ֑יו וַיָּבֵ֥א יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־דִּבָּתָ֥ם רָעָ֖ה אֶל־אֲבִיהֶֽם׃

(2) This, then, is the line of Jacob: At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended the flocks with his brothers, as a helper to the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought bad reports of them to their father.

(ב) את דבתם רעה כָּל רָעָה שֶׁהָיָה רוֹאֶה בְאֶחָיו בְנֵי לֵאָה הָיָה מַגִּיד לְאָבִיו, שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹכְלִין אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי וּמְזַלְזְלִין בִּבְנֵי הַשְּׁפָחוֹת לִקְרוֹתָן עֲבָדִים, וַחֲשׁוּדִים עַל הָעֲרָיוֹת וּבִשְׁלָשְׁתָּן לָקָה וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ שְׂעִיר עִזִּים בִּמְכִירָתוֹ וְלֹא אֲכָלוּהוּ חַי וְעַל דִּבָּה שֶׁסִּפֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁקּוֹרִין לַאֲחֵיהֶם עֲבָדִים – "לְעֶבֶד נִמְכַּר יוֹסֵף“ וְעַל עֲרָיוֹת שֶׁסִּפֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם, וַתִּשָּׂא אֵשֶׁת אֲדוֹנָיו וְגוֹ:

(2) Their evil report — Whatever he saw wrong in his brothers, the sons of Leah, he reported to his father: that they used to eat flesh cut off from a living animal, that they treated the sons of the handmaids with contempt, calling them slaves, and that they were suspected of living in an immoral manner. With three such similar matters he was therefore punished. In consequence of his having stated that they used to eat flesh cut off from a living animal Scripture states, (Genesis 37:31) “And they slew a he-goat" after they had sold him and they did not eat its flesh whilst the animal was still living.

A Potential Problem
עובד כוכבים ששבת חייב מיתה שנא' (בראשית ח, כב) ויום ולילה לא ישבותו

A non-Jew that rest (observes) on Shabbos is obligated for death as it says "Day and night you shall not rest" (Genesis 8:22)

A Loophole
(ה) וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹקִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ (פ)

(5) God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.

ולחושך קרא לילה - לעולם אור תחילה, ואח"כ חשך.

ויהי ערב ויהי בקר - אין כתיב כאן ויהי לילה ויהי יום, אלא ויהי ערב, שהעריב יום ראשון ושיקע האור, ויהי בוקר, בוקרו של לילה, שעלה עמוד השחר, הרי הושלם יום א' מן השישה ימים שאמר הקב"ה בעשרת הדברות, ואח"כ התחיל יום שני, ויאמר אלקים יהי רקיע. ולא בא הכתוב לומר שהערב והבקר יום אחד הם, כי לא הוצרכנו לפרש אלא היאך היו ששה ימים, שהבקיר יום ונגמרה הלילה, הרי נגמר יום אחד והתחיל יום שני.

And the darkness He called night - Light is always first, and afterwards, darkness.

And it was evening, and it was morning – It is not written here, “And it was night, and it was day”, but rather, “and it was evening, and it was morning” – the first day became evening and the sun set, and it became morning, the morning following the night, for the dawn broke” – behold, one day was completed from the six that Hashem spoke of in the Ten Commandments, and afterwards began the second day: “G-d said, ‘let there be a firmament’”. The text does not come to state that the evening and the morning are part of a single day, for it only needs to explain how there were six days – that the morning broke and the night was finished: behold, one days was completed and another day began.

How to Make an Acquisition

(א) אֶחָד הַבְּהֵמָה וְאֶחָד שְׁאָר הַמִּטַּלְטְלִין נִקְנִין בְּמָעוֹת דִּין תּוֹרָה. וּמִשֶּׁנָּתַן אֶת הַמָּעוֹת קָנָה וְאֵין אֶחָד מֵהֶן יוּכַל לַחְזֹר בּוֹ. אֲבָל חֲכָמִים תִּקְּנוּ שֶׁלֹּא יִקְנוּ הַמִּטַּלְטְלִין אֶלָּא בְּהַגְבָּהָה אוֹ בִּמְשִׁיכַת דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין דַּרְכּוֹ לְהַגְבִּיהַּ:

(1) Animals or other movable objects are acquired with money according to the Torah, and once the money is given then the object is acquired, and neither can go back. But the Sages established that movable objects would only be acquired with lifting or pulling that which is not lifted.

The Literal Translation

(כא) וַיִּקְרָ֥א מֹשֶׁ֛ה לְכָל־זִקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵקֶ֑ם מִֽשְׁכ֗וּ וּקְח֨וּ לָכֶ֥ם צֹ֛אן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיכֶ֖ם וְשַׁחֲט֥וּ הַפָּֽסַח׃

(21) Moses then called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pull and take for yourselves lambs for your families, and slaughter the Passover offering.

הַשּׁוֹחֵט אֶת הַבְּהֵמָה אֲפִלּוּ שָׁחַט בָּהּ שְׁנֵי הַסִּימָנִין. כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהִיא מְפַרְכֶּסֶת אֵבֶר וּבָשָׂר הַפּוֹרְשִׁין מִמֶּנָּה אֲסוּרִין לִבְנֵי נֹחַ מִשּׁוּם אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי:
Any limb or flesh which falls off of a slaughtered animal, even though both its signs99The trachea and the esophagus, both of which must be cut to affect a Kosher slaughtering. were cut is forbidden to the non-Jew because of the prohibition of eating a limb from a live animal as long as the animal is still quivering about100Has post-slaughter spasms..
כָּל שֶׁאָסוּר עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל מִשּׁוּם אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי אָסוּר עַל בְּנֵי נֹחַ. וְיֵשׁ שֶׁבְּנֵי נֹחַ חַיָּבִין וְלֹא יִשְׂרָאֵל. שֶׁבְּנֵי נֹחַ אֶחָד בְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה בֵּין טְמֵאָה בֵּין טְהוֹרָה חַיָּבִין עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי. וּמִשּׁוּם בָּשָׂר מִן הַחַי. וְאֵבֶר וּבָשָׂר הַפּוֹרְשִׁין מִן הַמְפַרְכֶּסֶת אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁשָּׁחַט בָּהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁנֵי סִימָנִין הֲרֵי זֶה אָסוּר לִבְנֵי נֹחַ מִשּׁוּם אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי:
Anything which is forbidden to a Jew because of the prohibition of eating flesh from a live animal is also forbidden for a non-Jew. There are cases when it would be forbidden for a non-Jew, but not for a Jew. For a non-Jew, there is no difference if it is an animal or a beast, whether it was a non-kosher (species of) animal or a kosher (species of) animal. In all these cases, non-Jews are obligated in the prohibition of eating a limb or flesh from a live animal. Limbs and flesh which separated from the quivering animal are forbidden to a non-Jew because of this prohibition, even though a Jew slaughtered it through both its signs.