This shabbas is called Shabbat HaGadol, as it is the Shabbas before Pesach. It is a time when the Jewish People while in Egypt experienced miracles as this was the day when the Jewish People took calves and tied them to their beds in preparation of slaughtering them for the Pesach offering. The fact that the Jewish People were able to do this without being attacked by the Egyptians who viewed these animals as their gods was miraculous.

This has been a time when the Jewish People prepare in a spiritual sense for the upcoming holiday. Many congregations have sermons focusing on the laws of Pesach and others have a custom of reading part of the Haggadah.

There is a story of a man, Rabbi Yaakov Weiss who was a survivor of the holocaust. He was in the concentration camps with another man who he was friendly with and whenever they were faced with some difficulty, Rabbi Weiss would always remind his friend that "Hashem is with us". His friend was so broken and he simply couldn't strengthen himself in the reality that G-d was still watching over them. As their situation deteriorated they were finally rounded up and led to the gas chambers. They were crammed into the gas chamber and Rabbi Weiss's friend turned to him and asked "is G-d still with us even here"? Rabbi Weiss in his incredible faith responded to his friend "yes, He is with us even here". As the wicked Nazi ym"s attempted to close the door to the gas chamber he couldn't because the room was filled to capacity. Rabbi Weiss who was a heavy man and was standing right by the door was pulled out by the nazi who then succeeded in slamming shut the door.

Rabbi Weiss moved to England and his children and grandchildren would ask him how we managed to have so much strength and faith in G-d. He told them that he remembers the Seder Night with his family and how his father related the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The faith that his father instilled within him remained  steadfast as he realized that no matter how dire the circumstances are, Hashem is always with the Jewish People.

The Seder Night is a time when we can instill in ourselves and are commanded specifically to relate and instill in our children as well, the great miracles and salvation that we experienced.

May we all merit a happy and kosher holiday. May we merit to eat from the Pesach offering!

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath