We're just a couple of hours from שבת הגדול. My daughter thought that it was שבת הגדה, which is not that far off, as one of the only minhagim for the day is to say a portion of the Hagada on שבת afternoon. (It also makes a nice parallel to the commonly misstated שבת תשובה.) You might also have thought that it got its name from the other minhag - that the Rav (or Gadol) gives a דרשה - a lengthy talk usually divided between lomdus, halacha and hashkafa. Really it is called שבת הגדול - "the Great Shabbat" - because it is when the great miracles started in Mitzrayim. That year, the 10th of Nissan, when the Jews took the קרבן פסח into their home while the angry Egyptian could do nothing but watch, was on שבת.
It is curious that we celebrate it on the day of the week (like Thanksgiving or Memorial Day), rather than celebrating the calendar date - like all other significant days in Jewish life. The באר היטב asks the question, and points us to the חוות יאיר (I assume), which I haven't had a chance to look up yet. If anyone knows the answer, please let me know.
Have a "great" Shabbos.
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