בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם. אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְרָצָה בָנוּ. וְשַׁבַּת קָדְשׁו בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצון הִנְחִילָנוּ. זִכָּרון לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית. כִּי הוּא יום תְּחִלָּה לְמִקְרָאֵי קדֶשׁ זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם. כִּי בָנוּ בָחַרְתָּ וְאותָנוּ קִדַּשְׁתָּ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים וְשַׁבַּת קָדְשְׁךָ בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצון הִנְחַלְתָּנוּ:
Blessed are You God, King of the Universe, who made us holy with his commandments and favored us, and gave us His holy Shabbat, in love and favor, to be our heritage, as a reminder of the Creation. It is the primary day of the holy festivals a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. For You chose us and made us holy from all the nations, and You gave us Your holy Shabbat, in love and favor, as our heritage.
What does Pesach teach us about Shabbat?
This pasuk is from the instance of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy, the commandment to keep Shabbat.
וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי־עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וַיֹּצִאֲךָ ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה עַל־כֵּן צִוְּךָ ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־יוֹם הַשַׁבָּת׃
Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the LORD your God took you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
וזכרת כי עבד היית וגו'. עַל מְנָת כֵּן פְּדָאֲךָ שֶׁתִּהְיֶה לוֹ עֶבֶד וְתִשְׁמֹר מִצְווֹתָיו:
וזכרת כי עבד היית וגו׳ "Remember that you were a slave, etc." On that condition He freed you — that you should be a servant to Him and observe His commandments.
ואם תאמר למה השמיט טעם השבת שאמר ה' בדברות ראשונו' שהוא כי ששת ימים וגו', טעם זה הוא טעם המצוה מעיקרא לא טעם החיוב ומשה אמר טעם חיוב אמונת טעם המצוה, על פי מה שאמרו רבותינו ז''ל וכתבנוהו במקום אחר כי יציאת מצרים גלתה אמונת בריאת העולם (ש''ר י''ב) והוא מה שרשם באומרו וזכרת וגו' ויוציאך וגו' ביד חזקה ובזרוע נטויה ושם ראית כי הוא אדון הכל ובזה יתאמת לך טעם האמור בדברות ראשונות כי ששת ימים וגו':
You may ask why he [Moses] omitted the reason for the Sabbath that God said in the first instance of the Ten Commandments, "that in six days..." [and on the seventh day of creation God rested] (Exodus 20). This reason is the essential reason for this commandment, not the reason of the obligation [given in this verse]. Moses said this reason [based on] faith in the reason for the commandment. According to what our sages said and wrote elsewhere, the Exodus from Egypt illuminates faith in creation of the world. He [Moses] wrote saying "Remember...and God took you out...with a strong hand and an outstretched arm..." since there you will see that He is the Master of All and from there it will be evident to you the reason stated in the first instance of the Ten Commandments, "that in six days...".
In the next two chapters, Moses gives instructions about entering the Land of Israel. Deuteronomy 6 contains the shema, the v'ahavta, and instructions to teach your children about the Exodus.
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת־ה' אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִיאֲךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים׃
[When you are flourishing not due to your own labor...] take heed that you do not forget the LORD who freed you from the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.
לֹא תִירָא מֵהֶם זָכֹר תִּזְכֹּר אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ לְפַרְעֹה וּלְכָל־מִצְרָיִם׃
You need have no fear of them [the seven nations living in Israel]. You have but to surely remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and all the Egyptians:
These are the commandments about Shabbat from the two instances of the Ten Commandments. What do the words zachor and shamor mean?
זָכוֹר אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
שָׁמוֹר אֶת־יוֹם הַשַׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ
Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.
Exodus 12 commands the observance of the holiday of Pesach, and to explain the meaning of the holiday to your children. It also contains the tenth plague, smiting of the firstborn. and the exodus itself. Exodus 13 begins with a continuation of the topic of firstborns.
וְהָיָה הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה לָכֶם לְזִכָּרוֹן וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַה' לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם חֻקַּת עוֹלָם תְּחָגֻּהוּ׃
This day [Pesach] shall be to you one of remembrance: you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD throughout the ages; you shall celebrate it as an institution for all time.
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־הַמַּצּוֹת כִּי בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הוֹצֵאתִי אֶת־צִבְאוֹתֵיכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם חֻקַּת עוֹלָם׃
You shall observe the [Feast of] Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day throughout the ages as an institution for all time.
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה לְחָק־לְךָ֥ וּלְבָנֶ֖יךָ עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃
“You shall observe this [Pesach] as an institution for all time, for you and for your descendants.
לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַה' לְהוֹצִיאָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם הוּא־הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה לַה' שִׁמֻּרִים לְכָל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְדֹרֹתָם׃
That was for the LORD a night of vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt; that same night is the LORD’s, one of vigil for all the children of Israel throughout the ages.
וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־הָעָם זָכוֹר אֶת־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר יְצָאתֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים כִּי בְּחֹזֶק יָד הוֹצִיא ה' אֶתְכֶם מִזֶּה וְלֹא יֵאָכֵל חָמֵץ׃
And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how the LORD freed you from it with a mighty hand: no leavened bread shall be eaten.
Pesach is mentioned again in Deuteronomy 16, which reviews the Shalosh Regalim.
שָׁמוֹר אֶת־חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב וְעָשִׂיתָ פֶּסַח לַה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ כִּי בְּחֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב הוֹצִיאֲךָ ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ מִמִּצְרַיִם לָיְלָה׃
Observe the month of Aviv and offer a passover sacrifice to the LORD your God, for it was in the month of Aviv, at night, that the LORD your God freed you from Egypt.
לֹא־תֹאכַל עָלָיו חָמֵץ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל־עָלָיו מַצּוֹת לֶחֶם עֹנִי כִּי בְחִפָּזוֹן יָצָאתָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְמַעַן תִּזְכֹּר אֶת־יוֹם צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ׃
You shall not eat anything leavened with it; for seven days thereafter you shall eat unleavened bread, bread of distress—for you departed from the land of Egypt hurriedly—so that you may remember the day of your departure from the land of Egypt as long as you live.
From these verses about Pesach with zachor and shamor, what can we learn about Shabbat?
This pasuk is sung on Shabbat evening at maariv and on Shabbat lunch at kiddush.
וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת לְדֹרֹתָם בְּרִית עוֹלָם׃
The Israelite people shall observe the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time:
Zachor and shamor are not just about the past and the present. To carry out these commandments properly, we must teach these holidays to our children, throughout the ages, to make them an institution for all time.