Shabbat Hagadol in More Than One Way

Another of my Bnai Mitzvah students, an exceptional young man, will be having his Bar Mitzvah this coming Shabbat, Sabbath, the one just before Pesach, Passover. The Shabbat is known as Shabbat Hagadol, the Great Shabbat. There are a number of reasons for this designation, an obvious one being it occurs ahead of an important biblical holiday, with all its history, its careful preparation, and the rules that will soon apply.