What Makes This Shabbat So Great?
Tech Tribe Dispatch #148
💡 Think:
This Shabbat, the last before Passover, is called Shabbat Hagadol - the Great Shabbat. The name refers to a great, if somewhat esoteric, miracle that took place shortly before the Exodus. When the first born of ancient Egypt heard about the impending plague smiting the first born, they rebelled against Pharaoh, demanding that the Jews be set free before this final plague. This rebellion further destabilized the situation in Egypt, shaking the country's infrastructure and paving the way for the Jews to finally leave.
Pretty great.
But stop for a moment and think about this miracle. How miraculous can it really be? On its face, it’s a fairly natural response to events - after all, if the Egyptians had already experienced nine of the ten plagues, doesn't it stand to reason that hearing about a plague targeting the first born would elicit civil unrest from said first born in an attempt to set the Jews free and avoid the plague?
The answer lies in our understanding of miracles. A miracle that breaks nature shows how G-d may be above the natural realm, but also presents a world where G-d, on some level, is in conflict with the world: There is a world, there is a Creator, and then when the Creator wishes to be felt in the world, He must break the rules . . .
But on Shabbat Hagadol, G-d's presence was expressed through the natural order. G-d doesn't need to break the world to be felt, but rather can be experienced through it.
This is also hinted in the date we choose to remember this miracle: Not on the day of the month like every other Jewish holiday (Passover, Chanukah, Purim) but rather uniquely on the day of the week the miracle first occurred: The Shabbat before the Exodus.
This is because the day of the month, with the waxing and waning of the Moon, represents cosmic shifts that transcend the natural order. The weekly cycle, however, built around the rising and setting sun, represents nature at its fullest.
We’ve permeated the natural order with the divine.
🏃 DO:
🫓 Get set for Passover with free handcrafted Ukrainian matzah for your Matzah + Wine and Cheese to nosh on April 12. It’s a schmooze!
🍷 Get a seat at the table! Join us for the Tech Tribe seder with the Lightstone family in our socially distant Tech Tribe HQ backyard space!
🤝 Sell your Chametz online! It’s a super easy way to prep for Passover.
🎬 Watch:
We made some faux-matzah with our friends at Google. Join along
📈 Invest:
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📚 Read:
Passover in Space: Astronaut to Blast Off With Matzah in Hand Israeli Eytan Stibbe to take shmurah matzah to the International Space Station.
In the LA Times: Ukraine can find inspiration from its resilient Jewish.
✨Chai Society Members, don’t miss An Emoji For Our Times.
The Other History of the Holocaust Like many Jews from the former Soviet Union, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky grew up in a world that suppressed the truth about the Nazi genocide.
Jewish Values & Social Media: A Roundtable conversation with Mordechai.
Liel Leibovitz writes about Start-Up Nation vs. Jewish State and finding the soul in Israeli tech.
🔥 Lit:
This week, light Shabbat candles in NYC at 7:10
For Shabbat candle-lighting time in your area click here.
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