“Hark! I shall send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the great, fearful day of Adonai, and he shall turn the hearts of the parents to the children and the hearts of children to their parents, saving the land from destruction.”
—Malachai 3:23-24
The Shabbat before Passover is known as Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Sabbath, named for the day of judgment referenced at the end of the Haftarah, in which God promises to send the prophet Elijah before the great, fearful day of Adonai. According to the Midrash, this is also the day that the Israelites set aside the paschal lamb in preparation for Passover.
Shabbat HaGadol reminds us, too, to turn our full attention toward Passover and its rituals. At Wise, we began the Passover season early, with our Wise Temple Youth teens preparing for Passover through our annual chocolate seder. This year, we welcomed a dozen teens from Leo Baeck Temple, providing a friendly and tasty experience to deepen our teens’ observance of Passover in the coming weeks.
To learn more about our incredible teen offerings, visit https://wisela.org/cyeteens.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Josh Knobel