[Mesorah] How widespread is ignorance of Hebrew?

[Mandel, Seth]

"The Shabbos preceding Passover is traditionally known as Shabbos HaGadol — the Great Shabbos."

As you all know, that is not what the Hebrew means  The great Shabbos would be haShabbos haG'dolah.

But the term first appeared in medieval Ashk'naz, when knowledge of Hebrew grammar was weak. If the people who composed the term knew Hebrew, as is very probable, then the term Shabbos HaGodol means "the Shabbos of the Godol," which would make excellent sense: it was one of the only two Shabbosen  in a year when the rov gave a drosho, the other being the other Shabbos that has a special name in medieval Europe: Shabbos Shuva or Shabbos T'shuva.


As far as my opening question: go not farther than the t'shuva of the Noda biYehudah about how to pronounce HaShem. He expresses astonishment at the question.  Apparently when he grew up everyone was taught it. But the world was changing: chasidus and Reform had just started, and the Jewish traditions of teaching and studying were falling to pieces.


Rabbi Dr. Seth Mandel
Rabbinic Coordinator
The Orthodox Union

Voice (212) 613-8330     Fax (212) 613-0718     e-mail mandels at ou.org
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