“The custom is that at Mincha (on the Shabbos before Pesach) we read the Haggadah from Avadim Hayinu until Lichaper…” (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 430:1)

This Shabbos is called “Shabbos Hagadol”, as it refers to that special Shabbos that preceded the Exodus from Egypt. On that day, Klal Yisrael were commanded to take the Paschal Offering and tie it to their beds. The calendar date was the 10th of Nissan, which that year fell out on Shabbos. The commentators ponder: Why do we celebrate that event on the Shabbos before Pesach rather than the calendar date, the 10th of Nissan? All other holidays are celebrated on their calendar day!

One of the answers that is given is that the 10th of Nissan that year was special because it was Shabbos. Shabbos actually gave them the strength to succeed in executing this difficult commandment, which started the practical and spiritual preparations for the redemption. Shabbos actually gives a certain level of kedusha to the following week, and it also gives energy to a Yom Tov that falls out during that week.

Rav Gedaliah Schorr (1910-1979) tells us that this is one reason that the Torah lists Shabbos in the Parsha of the holidays (Bamidbar 28:9-10) prior to all the other holidays. This is to hint to this idea that the success of the holiday, to a great extent, will be influenced by the preceding Shabbos.

There is an old tradition in Klal Yisrael to say part of the hagadah on Shabbos Hagadol. The idea seems to be that we familiarize ourselves with the text that we are going to expound upon in a few days. However, in light of the aforementioned thought, it seems obvious that if we do a good job saying the hagadah on Shabbos Hagadol, that should catalyze the success of our Seder night. By making Shabbos Hagadol “Pesachdik”, we will have amplified our connection between Shabbos and Pesach.

I believe that there is another important point in saying the hagadah beforehand. There are so many technical aspects that are necessary for the preparation of the seder. We try to perfect every aspect of the seder night, but very often the script will be rusty. The success of the seder is not about the karpas or the maror, rather the focus should be on Magid: To say over the story, relive it and feel it and to marvel at Hashem’s enabling our exodus, is the main point of the night.

I once heard an interview of a Chazzon who was asked, “What do you do a whole week, as you only work on Saturday and Holidays?” He responded, “The entire week I look to add a new nuance to the prayers in order to make it fresh. For if one would just repeat the prayer service – as lofty as it is, it gets stale. However, when I add even just one tiny new nuance, the entire prayer is revitalized.” Upon hearing that, I took to heart that each of our prayers must always be a little bit different, and if we are praying exactly the same three times a day, we are not praying correctly.

Similarly, the seder night demands ingenuity to make it fresh, alive, and relevant to our current situations. Those who think that by merely reading the hagadah they have fulfilled the custom, may technically be correct, but they are still missing out on the main point. It is necessary for us to be inspired, and to inspire others, on the seder night – and that requires preparation.

I once met a man who told me that he reads the hagadah on Shabbos Hagadol in about three minutes. I wondered: Will his speed-reading make his upcoming seder more alive; or is he just reinforcing a bad habit of superficially reading the Hagadah? It is obvious to me that one should prepare, but it is not enough just to prepare divrei Torah. Rather, one should think about and appreciate the gift that Hashem has given us, fashioning us as a nation and his Chosen People, and share these feelings with one’s family.

It seems to me that this Shabbos Hagadol, in addition to the Shabbos aspect, has to be Gadol for us too, appreciating the opportunity it affords us.