Sabbath

1. The seventh day of the week, Saturday, observed as the day of rest and worship by the Jews and some Christian sects.
2. The first day of the week, Sunday, observed as the day of rest and worship by most Christians.

[Middle English sabat, from Old French sabbat and Old English sabat, both from Latin sabbatum, from Greek sabbaton, from Hebrew šabbāt, from šābat, to cease, rest.]

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Three basic themes of Judaism characterize the day: Creation, Revelation, and Redemption. They are seen in the biblical passages which serve as the cornerstone of the Sabbath, and in some of its practices, notably the public Reading of the Law.

Biblical Sources The first key text is Genesis 2:1-3: "The heaven and the earth were finished and all their array. And on the seventh day God finished the work which He had been doing, and He ceased [or "rested"] on the seventh day from all the work which He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation which He had done." The Bible does not mention that the Patriarchs observed the Sabbath (although rabbinic sources do, e.g., Gen. R. 11:17, or 64:4).

During their wanderings in the Wilderness of Zin and with the provision of Manna, the Israelites were first commanded to observe the Sabbath; they were told that five days of the week they were to collect a single portion of manna, but on the sixth they should collect a double portion, for "tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath of the Lord" (Ex. 16:23). When some searched on the seventh day for manna and found none, "the Lord spoke to Moses, 'How long will you men refuse to follow My commandments and My teachings? Mark that the Lord has given you the Sabbath ... Let no man leave his place on the seventh day" (Ex. 16:28-29). Three weeks later, the Israelites received the Ten Commandments, the fourth of which is devoted to the Sabbath. The version in Exodus 20:8-11 reads: "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God: you shall not do any work, you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."The version in Deuteronomy 5:12-5 begins "Observe" instead of "Remember," and concludes: "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God freed you from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day." In both versions, the emphasis is on the Sabbath as a day of rest for the entire household, animals included.

The Sabbath is also a covenant between Israel and God: "Keep My Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout the generations, that you may know that I the Lord have consecrated you ... a covenant for all time: it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and was refreshed" (Ex. 31:13-17).An instance of the death penalty being meted out for transgressing the Sabbath is found in Numbers (15:32-36). A sacrifice was the penalty for unwitting desecration of the day.Little information is available about Sabbath observance during the First Temple period, although something may be gleaned from statements in Amos and Hosea. There is no prohibition against trading on that day in the Pentateuch, but Amos (8:5) implies that it existed in his time. Hosea (2:13) includes the Sabbath in the happy times which will cease. Isaiah (1:13) bears witness to the Sabbath's being a national institution. Jeremiah (17:21-22) exhorts the people to observe the Sabbath as it was commanded, for the future of Jerusalem depended on it.

Nehemiah (ch. 10) tells of the covenant he made with the returned exiles, one point of which was not to buy items on the Sabbath. However, upon his return from Persia he saw that the covenant had not been adhered to and introduced changes to ensure Sabbath observance (Neh. 13:15-22). Ezra and his disciples began to systematize rules and interpretation of the Bible and tradition to preserve and encourage Sabbath observance. The men of the Great Assembly and the Scribes ordained strict observance of the Sabbath. The residents of Jerusalem would not defend themselves on the Sabbath when besieged by Ptolemy I. Some 150 years later, however, during the Maccabean wars, Mattathias the Hasmonean ruled that the laws of the Sabbath could be transgressed to save lives, therefore the Jews could defend themselves on the Sabbath (I Macc. 2:40-41).

After the Sanhedrin began to operate, Sabbath laws became more formalized in the Halakhah, and the rabbinic laws became the touchstone for all further development of these rules until modern times.

Work Prohibited on the Sabbath The basic feature of the Sabbath is abstention from "work" (melakhah), following the injunction in Exodus 20:10, "The seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God: you shall not do any work."

The Pentateuch mentions only a few specific types of prohibited work, including kindling a fire (Ex. 35:3) and plowing or harvesting (Ex. 34:21). Exodus 16:29 is the source for the prohibition against carrying things from domain to domain and for the rabbinic ruling that one is not to walk more than 2,000 cubits beyond the boundaries of a city or town.

The early rabbis determined that the primary categories of forbidden activities are those involved in the building of the Tabernacle, listing them under the heading of Av Melakhah (lit. "father of work") in the Mishnah (Shab. 7). These are: (1) sowing, (2) plowing, (3) reaping, (4) binding sheaves, (5) threshing, (6) winnowing, (7) sorting, (8) grinding, (9) sifting, (10) kneading, (11) baking, (12) shearing sheep, (13) washing wool, (14) beating wool, (15) dyeing wool, (16) spinning, (17) weaving, (18) making two loops, (19) weaving two threads, (20) separating two threads, (21) tying (a permanent knot), (22) loosening (a permanent knot), (23) sewing two stitches, (24) tearing in order to sew two stitches, (25) hunting a deer, (26) slaughtering, (27) flaying, (28) salting, (29) curing a skin, (30) scraping the hide, (31) cutting, (32) writing two letters (of the alphabet), (33) erasing in order to write two letters, (34) building, (35) pulling down a structure, (36) extinguishing a fire, (37) lighting a fire, (38) striking with a hammer (i.e., putting the finishing touch on something), and (39) moving something, i.e., carrying, from one domain to another.

The definition of the categories was elaborated upon in the Talmud, and broadened by including within their scope other types of similar work, which are called toledah (pl. toledot, "derivatives"). For example, a derivative of reaping would be to cut flowers or pick fruit. The derivative rulings were to be observed as strictly as the basic category.

In order to prevent anyone from unwittingly transgressing any of the prohibitions, or doing something not in harmony with the spirit of the day, the rabbis enacted further rulings. Examples of these, which serve as a "fence around the law," are: gezerot ("decrees"; see Gezerah), e.g., a tailor should not go out just before sunset with a needle on him, lest he forget about it until after the onset of the Sabbath and "carry" it (Shab. 1.3); Muktseh ("set apart"), i.e., certain things should not be touched even if they are not forbidden as such, since this might lead to a prohibited act; nolad ("born"), i.e.., something that comes into existence during the Sabbath, such as a freshly laid egg, is not to be used; and shevut, i.e., an act not in the spirit of the day, for example climbing a tree (Béts. 5:2).

Rabbinical sources devote much space to discussing the prohibition against carrying objects. One is not to carry them from the public domain to the private and vice versa, and from one point to another within the public domain. Since this may involve effort under certain circumstances, and in order to allow carrying in the prohibited areas, they formulated the ERUV, involving legal devices making carrying possible within a determined area.

Situations Which Supersede Sabbath Prohibitions Witnesses of the New Moon, who had to inform the Sanhedrin or Bet Din, were allowed to do so on the Sabbath. Circumcision is performed on the Sabbath and all the required preparations are permitted; dangerous animals may be killed; one may fight in self-defense; anything necessary to save someone's life may be done (see Piku'Aḥ Nefesh) as well as any action to assist a woman in childbirth. A basic rule established by R. Akiva was that whatever can be done before the Sabbath may not be performed on the Sabbath (Pes. 66b).

Contemporary Jewish Attitudes All streams in Judaism have stressed the centrality of the Sabbath. For several decades the Reform movement distanced itself from traditional observances and practices, including attempts to transfer the Sabbath to Sunday (an idea which did not succeed). Today, in both Conservative and Reform Judaism the main weekly synagogal service is held on Friday night and/or Sabbath morning. Lighting Candles in the home and reciting the Kiddush are widely practiced private rituals. Abstention from commercial activity and gainful employment are encouraged, as is dedication of the Sabbath day to spiritual and contemplative endeavors. Although Reform Judaism does not require fulfillment of all the traditional commandments as defined in the halakhah, it stresses the fundamental goals of kedushah (holiness), menuḥah (rest), and oneg (joy) in celebration of the Sabbath day. The specific form of expression given to these values is a matter of contemporary individual interpretation and not merely the adoption or even adaptation of historical expressions and forms. Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist synagogues have experimented with and often adopted creative innovations in their Sabbath services.

The Sabbath Day The Sabbath is to be a day of joy: relaxation, spiritual harmony, and a change of pace from workdays. In the home, this is expressed by festive meals with choice dishes, some traditionally associated with the Sabbath (see Food, Sabbath and Festival). Time is to be devoted to study, rest, and conjugal relations are encouraged (the Book of Jubilees and the Karaites forbid marital relations on the Sabbath). Hosting guests is traditional on the Sabbath.

The Sabbath begins on Friday at sunset. By late Friday afternoon all is in readiness to welcome the Sabbath. Approximately 20 minutes before sunset, candles are lit with the blessing, "Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has hallowed us by Your commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Sabbath light." In some non-traditional congregations with late Friday evening services, candles are lit at that time in the synagogue with the same blessing. According to the Mishnah, only one candle is required; however, it has long been customary for at least two to be used (in honor of the "Remember" of Ex. 20:8 and the "Observe" of Deut. 5:12; OH 263). In some families, one candle is lit for each member. Kabbalists lit seven candles, one to represent each day of the week. The mistress of the house has the obligation of lighting the candles. Should no woman be present, a man must do it.

The kindling of the Sabbath lights was considered so significant by the sages that they ruled that if a person in need financially has to choose between buying wine for Kiddush or candles for the Sabbath, the candles should take precedence.

Kabbalat Shabbat ("reception," i.e., "welcoming or accepting the Sabbath"). This is the service preceding Friday Ma'ariv, traditionally at twilight, generally not later than half an hour after sunset. It is a late addition to the Friday Evening Service traced back to the 16th-century kabbalists of Safed, who would go out to the fields on Friday afternoon to "greet the Sabbath Queen," the Sabbath also representing for them the Divine Presence or Shekhinah. This practice in turn harks back to the custom of the amora, R. ḥanina, who, having readied himself for the Sabbath, would stand at sunset and say, "Come let us go forth to welcome the Sabbath Queen," and R. Yannai, who would say, "Come, Bride! Come Bride!" (Shab. 119a). These sentiments inspired the Sabbath hymn Lekhah Dodi, written by Solomon Alkabets and constituting a central feature of the service.

In Sephardi rites Psalm 29 and Lekhah Dodi are recited. The Ashkenazi rite consists of Psalms 95-99, Lekhah Dodi, and Psalms 92-93. The Reform movement in Israel follows the general Ashkenazi form, to which is added the modern Hebrew poet Bialik's Sabbath eve poem, "The Sun from the Treetops." The U.S. Reform prayer book offers a number of alternate services, which include abridged versions of the Psalms mentioned and the entire Lekhah Dodi, to be read in Hebrew and in English. The Reconstructionist service opens with biblical passages (Deut. 5:12-15; Isa. 56:1-2, 58:12-14), proceeds to an invocation and meditation on the Sabbath, and then to the reading of one or more of the psalms mentioned and Lekhah Dodi. From geonic times it became customary to read Ba-Meh Madlikin with the Evening Service, either prior to it (Sephardi custom) or after it (Ashkenazi custom).

Evening Service A special Amidah is recited on Sabbath eve, followed by Genesis 2:1-4. The reader then blesses God, after which the paragraph magen avot ("shield to our forefathers") is recited, and then the reader concludes the service.

The prayer book of the Reform movement (Gates of Prayer, 1975) offers ten alternate Sabbath Evening Services, none of which includes magen avot, but which do have, in addition to abridged traditional texts, other readings, particularly in the English portions of the service.

When a Sabbath coincides with a festival, the festival Amidah is recited, with additions referring to the Sabbath. When praying at home these additional paragraphs are not recited.

In some congregations Kiddush is recited in the synagogue following the services.

Sabbath Evening in the Home In the late afternoon, the table is prepared for the festive Sabbath meal. There is a long-standing custom in many homes for the father to bless the children when they return from the synagogue, with both hands placed on the head of the child, saying, to a boy, "May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh," and to a girl, "May God make you like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah." The Priestly Blessing is also said. The Reform movement proposes that any individual blessing may be used.

All present then sing Shalom Aleikhem, a hymn which until recently was part only of the Ashkenazi ritual; it welcomes the Sabbath angels who, according to the Talmud, accompany the worshiper home from the synagogue (Shab. 119b). Printed versions of the hymn are known from the 17th century and its institution met with some opposition. Eshet ḥayil, the verses from Proverbs (31:10-31), singing the praise of the valorous woman, is then recited.

At the table, Kiddush is then recited, followed by the washing of the hands and the blessing over bread on the Sabbath loaves, the ḥallot (see ḥallah). Two loaves are used, reminiscent of the double portion of manna gathered on Fridays in the desert.

The meal is followed with the singing of table hymns (SC>ZEMIROT) and concluded with the GRACE AFTER MEALS, including an additional paragraph for the Sabbath.

Sabbath Morning The prayers consist of the MORNING SERVICE, the READING OF THE LAW portion (sidrah) of the week, a selection from the Prophets (the HAFTARAH), and the ADDITIONAL SERVICE.

In the Morning Service, the introductory prayers prior to the SHEMA differ in part from those of weekdays and the Amidah is a special one. Seven persons are called to the Reading of the Law and an eighth for the Prophetic reading. In Orthodox synagogues only men are called to the reading; in the other movements women also participate. The Reform movement's service is abridged and has no Additional Service. Six alternate services are given in the U.S. Reform prayer book (Gates of Prayer, 1975, pp. 283-387).

In many congregations it is customary for the rabbi to deliver a sermon, since the Sabbath day is to be exploited as a day of learning. In some communities the morning services are followed by a congregational Kiddush.

On returning home, the Sabbath meal is eaten: the morning Kiddush and the blessing over the bread are recited. The pattern of the meal follows that of the preceding evening.

Afternoon Service The Sabbath afternoon service is unique in that the Torah is read prior to the Amidah. Three persons are called to the Torah and the first portion of the Reading of the Law for the following week is chanted.

The rabbis determined that there should be three meals on the Sabbath day (Shab. 117b-118a). The third meal is known as the SE'UDAH SHELISHIT; it does not include Kiddush and should take place late enough to end just in time for the Evening Service. It is accompanied by the singing of zemirot. Under kabbalistic and Ḥasidic influence, the meal is often prolonged out of reluctance to part from the Sabbath, and is known as MELAVVEH MALKAH ("accompanying the [Sabbath] Queen").

End of the Sabbath The Evening Service is held well after sunset and is preceded by the recitation of Psalms 16, 144, and 67 by sephardim and only the latter two by ashkenazim.

The HAVDALAH service, the ritual ending the Sabbath, is usually recited at home, but in some communities also in the synagogue.

Ceremonial Objects and Other Sabbath Appurtenances Initially, simple oil lamps, probably made of clay, were used for the Sabbath light. In the Middle Ages, hanging lamps, with a variety of systems for controlling the flow of oil, became quite common. It was also from the Middle Ages that candles were used, becoming prevalent in the 17th century. To make them distinctively Jewish, the candlesticks were inscribed with the blessing over the candles, or with "In honor of the Holy Sabbath," or designed with elements symbolizing some Jewish tradition. The cups for Kiddush were also artistically designed. Covers made of linen or other fine fabrics were used for covering the Sabbath loaves (ḥallah covers). They were often embroidered with words such as "In honor of the Sabbath" or another relevant phrase, decorative floral patterns, or Sabbath themes. Bread knives intended for Sabbath use only, incised with relevant phrases, are also found in many Jewish homes.

In earlier times special appliances for keeping the food warm on the Sabbath were used. As food may not be warmed over an open fire on the Sabbath, in many Orthodox homes a piece of tin or copper is placed over the burner on a gas stove.

Innovations In the United States, in the 19th century, Liberal rabbis instituted a Friday Evening Service after dinner, since worshipers could not reach the synagogue in time for the traditional service. This began in 1866 in the Reform movement. Many Conservative and Reform congregations hold a late Friday Evening Service and this includes an address by the rabbi. In some synagogues candles are then lit. Some congregations use this service for creative innovations.

Orthodox synagogues have no instrumental accompaniment to the service, but other movements, particularly the Reform, do. Some congregations in America have instituted a devar Torah, a short speech delivered at the Saturday Morning Service, delivered each week by a different congregant.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (Genesis 2:2-3)

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work.… For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth … but he rested on the seventh day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-10)

These verses from the Hebrew scriptures constitute the driving command for Shabbat, or Jewish Sabbath, the weekly day of rest that begins with sunset on Friday and continues through sunset on Saturday evening.

The Talmud (See Judaism, Development of) outlines the laws and statutes tradition has regulated, defining what "work" is, what is and is not allowed, and how the day is to be celebrated. The Friday night kiddush, the benediction offered over wine and bread, ushers in the holy day that begins the weekly commemoration of creation. It is such a strong tradition that there have been times, such as during the Maccabean revolt, that Jews refused to defend themselves rather than break Shabbat.

The day is not viewed as a burden, something one must keep, but rather as a joy-something one gets to observe. The celebration of "Queen" Shabbat has, over the years, developed into a ritual.

On Friday night there is a blessing over candles, generally said or sung by the woman of the house, just before sunset. There is usually public worship at the synagogue. Evening and morning, after synagogue worship, a kiddush, or prayer of blessing, is spoken.

Three special meals are observed-the first on Friday evening, the second at noon on Saturday, and the third later in the afternoon. The Zemirot, one of many liturgical hymns, is often sung during these meals.

Shabbat is a time for study and reflection, usually of a section of Torah.

The day is concluded with the Havdalah ceremony, a separation ritual, on Saturday night.

Not all Jews hold to this strict observance, of course. Many families have developed their own traditions. But what has become known as the spirit of the Sabbath is very important. Even if traditional observances are not followed, a time of rest, refreshment, and remembrance is still observed even by many nonreligious Jews. Because the rest of the world does not recognize Saturday as a day of rest, many Jews-shopkeepers, for instance, or those who work at jobs requiring their presence on Saturdays-have had to make compromises.

In addition to the weekly Sabbaths, there are also anniversary Sabbaths held throughout the year, with yearly Sabbaths held every seventh year. Traditionally these were years set apart to let the land enjoy a Sabbath rest, to be replenished by lying fallow for a season.

There is a widely held belief that Sunday became a Christian Sabbath, a change in the day of rest. But Sunday is never referred to in the Bible by the name Sabbath. It was called the Lord's Day by early Christians, referring to the fact that Jesus was said to have risen on Sunday. It rapidly became a day of worship. But Shabbat continued to be a Jewish observance, and the early church never intended to supersede it.

Sources: Bridger, David, ed. The New Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Behrman House, 1962.

The concept that the last of the seven days of the week is a day of rest is contained in the story of Creation at the very outset of the Bible. God rests from his work of Creation on this day and blesses it accordingly (Gen 2:1-3). In the Mosaic code, Sabbath observance is one of the basic Ten Commandments (Ex 20:8-11) and thereafter is regularly stressed. Throughout the biblical era, it remained one of the distinguishing signs of the Jewish people.

While all societies subdivided time into years, months and days, the seven-day week culminating in a holy day called Sabbath, which means "cessation", was unique to Israel among the peoples of the ancient Near East. The eventual universal adoption of the seven-day week as a unit of time came about as a result of the influence of the Hebrew Bible upon Christianity and Islam.

Some scholars believe that the biblical week may reflect the concept, frequently reflected in Mesopotamian and Ugaritic literature, that seven represents "the whole" or "the culmination." The hypothesis that the Hebrew Sabbath derived from an Assyrian "day of ill-luck" called shapattu is unacceptable for three reasons: (a) the Assyrian days of ill-luck varied from month to month, were dependent on the lunar cycle, and did not fall every seven days; (b) the Assyrian days of ill-luck were never called either shapattu or shabattu; (c) Assyro-Babylonian shapattu designates the 15th of the month.

The Sabbath appears at the head of the lists of holy days in Exodus 23:12; Leviticus 23:3; Numbers 28:9. According to all of the sources into which biblical criticism divides the Pentateuch, it is forbidden on the Sabbath to engage in work (Ex 23:12; 34:21; 35:2; Lev 23:3; Deut 5:14). The prohibition of work on the Sabbath, observed from sundown on Friday until nightfall on Saturday, applies not only to Israelites but also to resident aliens, slaves and farm animals (Ex 20:10; 23:12; Deut 5:14). Several biblical texts specify the kinds of work prohibited on the Sabbath. Baking, cooking, food-gathering and travel are forbidden on the Sabbath (Ex 16:23-30). Food for the Sabbath is to be prepared in advance. Plowing and reaping on the Sabbath are prohibited (Ex 34:21). Most likely the expression plowing and reaping denotes all work connected with agriculture. Kindling fire on the Sabbath is forbidden (Ex 35:3) and the carrying of burdens is forbidden on the Sabbath (Jer 17:21-27); moreover, Jeremiah 17:27 asserts that the violation of this prohibition may result in the destruction of Jerusalem. Nehemiah asserts that when he saw Jews pressing grapes into wine, carrying burdens and engaging in commerce on the Sabbath, he warned them that it was as punishment for these transgressions that God had exiled the Jews to Babylon (Neh 13:14-18). Nehemiah proudly reports that he was able to put a stop to the violation of the sanctity of the Sabbath by closing the gates of Jerusalem during the Sabbath and stationing guards atop the walls (Neh 13:19-21). Amos intimates that in his time (mid-8th century B.C.) even the most unscrupulous merchants refrained from engaging in commerce on Sabbath and the New Moon (Amos 8:5). The Sabbath was an occasion for visiting the Temple (Is 1:13) or a prophet (II Kgs 4:23).

Rabbinic exegesis sees in the juxtaposition of the prohibition of kindling fire on the Sabbath (Ex 35:3) with the description of the building of the tabernacle, its appurtenances, and the making of the priestly vestments (Ex 35:4-39:32) an intimation that none of this work may take place on the Sabbath. However, the 8th century B.C. prophet Isaiah takes this for granted (Is 1:13); and both Numbers 28:9-10 and Ezekiel 46:4 prescribe the offering of sacrifices on the Sabbath. This form of worship requires the use of fire, which is otherwise forbidden on the Sabbath. Hence in the NT Jesus reasons that since the priests in the Temple are permitted to perform labors otherwise forbidden on the Sabbath and since Jesus is greater than the Temple, it should be permitted for Jesus and his disciples to violate the Sabbath (Matt 12:5-8). The observance of the Sabbath is a basic requirement which is demanded of Gentiles who adopt the worship of the Lord and thereby attach themselves to Israel (Is 56:3-8). The reward for the observance of the Sabbath, which includes calling it "a delight" and refraining from any commercial activity, is Israel's possession of the land of Israel (Is 58:13-14). The Sabbath and the New Moon are occasions when people of all nations will come to Israel to pay homage to the Lord (Is 66:23). While according to Genesis 2:1-3 and Exodus 20:11 the Sabbath is part of the natural order established at Creation, Deuteronomy 5:14-15 states that God ordained the Sabbath as a reminder of his having liberated Israel from enslavement in Egypt. Jesus asserts, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

In NT times the celebration of the Sabbath in the synagogue already included reading from the Pentateuch and the Prophets and a sermon based upon a biblical text (Matt 4:23; Mark 1:21-22; 6:2; Luke 4:16-21, 31-32; Acts 13:27; 15:21; 17:1-2; 18:4). The chanting of Psalm 92 by the Levites in the Second Temple on the Sabbath (Mishnah Tamid 7:4) is intimated already by the designation of that psalm as "A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day" in Psalms 92:1. The Hebrew term "Sabbath" may also refer to the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:31; 23:32), the week (Lev 23:15-16), or "the year of rest" (Lev 25:5, 8). In Leviticus 23:11 "the Sabbath" may designate the first day of the festival of unleavened bread (see PASSOVER). Such usages of "Sabbath" are not included in the list of references of this entry.

Concordance
Ex 16:23, 25-26, 29; 20:8,10-11; 31:15-16; 35:2-3. Lev 19:3, 30; 23:3; 24:8. Num 15:32; 28:9-10. Deut 5:12, 14-15. IIKgs 4:23; 11:5,7, 9; 16:18. I Chr 9:32; 23:31. II Chr 2:4; 8:13; 23:4,8; 31:3; 36:21. Is 1:13; 56:2,4, 6; 58:13; 66:23. Jer 17:21-22, 24,27. Lam 2:6. Ezek 20:12-13,16, 20-21, 24; 22:8, 26; 44:24; 45:17; 46:1, 3-4, 12. Hos 2:11. Amos 8:5. Neh 9:14; 10:31,33; 13:15, 17-19, 21-22. Ps 92:1. Matt 12:1-2, 5, 8,10-12; 24:20; 28:1. Mark 1:21; 2:23-24,27-28; 3:2, 4; 6:2; 15:42; 16:1. Luke 4:16, 31; 6:1-2, 5-7, 9; 13:10, 14-16; 14:1, 3, 5; 23:54, 56. John 5:9-10,16, 18; 7:22-23; 9:14, 16; 19:31. Acts 1:12; 13:14,27, 42, 44; 15:21; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4. Col 2:16

The seventh day of the week; the day of religiously mandated rest.

In Judaism, the Sabbath (in Hebrew, Shabbat, or rest) was and is the holiest day of the week. Historically, no work of any kind could be done; hence, fire could not be made and, by extension, nothing that runs electrically or mechanically can be started up by observant Jews. Food is prepared in advance and special customs ensure rest and reflection on the past week, and thereby restoration of the soul for the coming week.

The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown Friday and lasts twenty-five hours, until nightfall Saturday; the Christian Sabbath is usually celebrated on Sunday. In Israel on the Sabbath, public facilities are closed. Outside of Haifa, buses of the state cooperatives do not run, no El Al (Israeli) airliners take off or land, and no Hebrew newspapers are published.

Public observance of the Sabbath has been the source of some tension within Israeli society. Since the formation of the state, Orthodox and, in particular, haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews have been insistent that restaurants, movie theatres, and other "profane" public establishments remain closed in observance of the Sabbath. Although such closings have been common, increasing numbers of businesses are remaining open on the Sabbath.

There is no ban in Israel on the driving of private cars on the Sabbath, but haredi Jews, in an effort to enforce the religious prohibitions of the Sabbath, have periodically clashed with local authorities and drivers by demanding the closure to automobile traffic of public thoroughfares that pass near or through their enclaves on the holy day of rest. This has occasionally led to violent demonstrations, stone-throwing, and mass protests by Orthodox Jews against "desecration of the Sabbath." Although most of these demonstrations ultimately have led to the limitation or eventual halt of the flow of traffic on these thoroughfares during the Sabbath, the protests have also led to increased tensions between Orthodox and secular Israelis and often hostile debates about religious coercion in Israeli society.

— SAMUEL C. HEILMAN

The holy day of rest and reflection observed each Saturday among the Jews. This custom fulfills the third of the Ten Commandments (“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”). The Sabbath commemorates the last of the seven days of Creation as described in the Book of Genesis, the day God rested from his labors of creating the heavens and the Earth.

n.

A weekly festival having its origin in the fact that God made the world in six days and was arrested on the seventh. Among the Jews observance of the day was enforced by a Commandment of which this is the Christian version: "Remember the seventh day to make thy neighbor keep it wholly." To the Creator it seemed fit and expedient that the Sabbath should be the last day of the week, but the Early Fathers of the Church held other views. So great is the sanctity of the day that even where the Lord holds a doubtful and precarious jurisdiction over those who go down to (and down into) the sea it is reverently recognized, as is manifest in the following deep-water version of the Fourth Commandment:

    Six days shalt thou labor and do all thou art able,
    And on the seventh holystone the deck and scrape the cable.

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Contents 1 Biblical tradition 1.1 Sabbath as day 1.2 Sabbath as week 1.3 Annual Sabbaths 1.4 Seventh-year Sabbatical 2 Jewish tradition 2.1 Weekly Sabbath 2.2 Weekend Sabbath 3 Christian tradition 3.1 First-day Sabbath 3.2 Seventh-day Sabbath 3.3 Monthly Sabbath 3.4 Annual Sabbath 3.5 Millennial Sabbath 4 Other religious traditions 4.1 Babylonian rest days 4.2 Buddhist rest day 4.3 Sabbath as Saturday 4.4 Islamic rest day 4.5 Wiccan sabbat 4.6 Bahá'í weekend 4.7 Unification Sabbath 5 Secular traditions 5.1 Rest day in seven-day weeks 5.2 Rest day in other weeks 5.3 Work day in seven-day weeks 5.4 Annual rest days 5.5 Rest-year sabbatical

For other uses, see Sabbath (disambiguation).

Sabbath or a sabbath is generally a weekly day of rest and/or time of worship that is observed in Abrahamic religions and other faiths. Many viewpoints and definitions have arisen over the millennia. The term has been used to describe a similar weekly observance in any of several other traditions; the new moon; any of seven annual festivals in Judaism and some Christian traditions; any of eight annual festivals in Wicca (usually "sabbat"); an annual secular holiday; and a year of rest in religious or secular usage, originally every seventh year.

Biblical tradition

Sabbath as day

For more details on this topic, see Biblical Sabbath.

The term "Sabbath" derives from the Hebrew shabbat (שבת), "to cease", which was first used in the Biblical account of the seventh day of Creation (Genesis 2:2-3). Observation and remembrance of Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments (the fourth in the original Jewish, the Eastern Orthodox, and most Protestant traditions, the third in Roman Catholic and Lutheran traditions). Most people who observe Biblical Sabbath regard it as having been instituted as a "perpetual covenant [for] the people of Israel" (Exodus 31:13-17), a sign in respect for the day during which God rested after having completed the Creation in six days (Exodus 20:8-11); Isaiah extends the term to include even corrupted rest-day traditions (Isaiah 1:13). Sabbath desecration was originally officially punishable by death (Exodus 31:15).

Sabbath as week

For more details on this topic, see Seven-day week.

By synecdoche (naming a part for the whole), the term "Sabbath" also came to mean simply a "se'nnight" or seven-day week in Jewish sources by the time of the Septuagint, namely, the interval between two Sabbaths. Jesus's parable of the Pharisee and the Publican describes the Pharisee as fasting "twice a week" (Greek dis tou sabbatou, literally, "twice of the Sabbath").

Annual Sabbaths

For more details on this topic, see High Sabbaths.

Seven annual Biblical festivals, called by the name miqra ("called assembly") in Hebrew and "High Sabbath" in English, serve as supplemental testimonies to the plan of Shabbat. These are recorded in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy and do not necessarily occur on Shabbat. They are observed by Jews and a minority of Christians. Three of them occur in spring: the first and seventh days of Pesach (Passover), and Shavuot (Pentecost). Four occur in fall, in the seventh month, and are also called shabbaton: Rosh Hashanah (Trumpets); Yom Kippur, the "Sabbath of Sabbaths" (Atonement); and the first and eighth days of Sukkoth (Tabernacles).

Seventh-year Sabbatical

For more details on this topic, see Shmita.

The year of Shmita (Hebrew שמיטה, literally, "release"), also called the Sabbatical Year, is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah for the Land of Israel. During Shmita, the land is to be left to lie fallow and all agricultural activity—including plowing, planting, pruning, and harvesting—is forbidden by Torah law. In traditional interpretation, other cultivation techniques—such as watering, fertilizing, weeding, spraying, trimming, and mowing—may be performed as preventative measures only, not to improve the growth of trees or plants; additionally, any fruits which grow of their own accord are deemed ownerless and may be picked by anyone, and a variety of laws apply to the sale, consumption, and disposal of Shmita produce. A second aspect of Shmita concerns debts and loans: when the year ends, personal debts are considered nullified and forgiven. In similar fashion, the Torah required a slave who had worked for six years to go free in the seventh year.

Jewish tradition

Weekly Sabbath

For more details on this topic, see Shabbat.

Jewish Shabbat (shabbos, shabbes, shobos, etc.) is a weekly day of rest, observed from sundown on Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night; it is also observed by a minority of Christians. Thirty-nine activities prohibited on Shabbat are listed in Tractate Shabbat (Talmud). Customarily, Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles shortly before sunset, at halakhically calculated times that change from week to week and from place to place. Judah ha-Levi in the 12th century proposed what amounted to a Jewish date line for dating of Shabbat, later calculated to fall between China and Japan (other lines exist, and travelers are expected to note both personal and local Shabbat); and Pinchas Elijah Horovitz in the 18th century stated that polar regions should observe Shabbat based on calculating 24-hour days, though without establishing a date line. Shabbat is a widely noted hallmark of Jewish peoples: the Subbotniks (literally, Sabbatarians) are a Russian sect, categorized as either Jews or Judaizing Christians, that became particularly branded by strict Shabbat observance; the Sabbateans are followers of Sabbatai Zevi, the most notable holder of the name form "Shabbethai"; sabesdiker losn (Shabbat speech) is a feature of the Northeastern Yiddish language that merges to "sh" and "s" sounds; and the Sambation is the Shabbat-observant river in rabbinic literature, beyond which the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel were exiled by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser V. Several weekly Shabbats a year are designated as Special Sabbaths, such as Shabbat Teshuvah (Repentance Sabbath), prior to Yom Kippur. (Radical Hungarian-born Reform rabbi Ignaz Einhorn even shifted his congregation's Shabbat worship to Sundays.)

Weekend Sabbath

For more details on this topic, see Shabbaton.

The modern Hebrew term shabbaton or shaboson also means a retreat or program for education, and usually celebration, that is held on Shabbat or over a weekend with special focus on Sabbath.

Christian tradition

In Christianity, both those who observe the seventh day as Sabbath and those who observe the first day as Sabbath consider themselves "Sabbatarian" and regard Sabbath as "Lord's Day", each group believing its position to be taught by the Bible; similarly for others who hold to strong Sabbath principles.

First-day Sabbath

For more details on this topic, see Sabbath in Christianity.

In most Christian denominations (Roman Catholic, some Eastern Orthodox, and most Protestant), "Sabbath" is a synonym of "Lord's Day" (Sunday), which is kept in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ, and often celebrated with the Eucharist. It is often the day of rest, and usually the day of communal worship. The Lord's Day is considered both the first day and the "eighth day" of the seven-day week (or, in some calendars, Sunday is designated the seventh day of the week as also in the ISO 8601 standard). Relatively few Christians regard first-day observance as entailing all of the ordinances of Shabbat. The related Latter Day Saint movement generally follows the stronger of Christian Sabbatarian traditions, avoiding shopping, leisure activities, and idleness on the first day, and avoiding work unless absolutely necessary; in Tonga, all commerce and entertainment activities cease from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday, and the Constitution declares Sabbath to be sacred forever. Sometimes the Lord's Day is observed by those who believe Sabbath corresponds to Saturday but is obsolete. In Oriental Orthodoxy, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has observed both Sunday Lord's Day and Saturday Sabbath in different ways for several centuries, as have other Eastern Orthodox traditions. As another minority view, some modern Christians uphold Sabbath but do not limit its observance to either Saturday or Sunday, instead advocating rest on any chosen day of the week, or advocating Sabbath as instead a symbolic metaphor for rest in Christ.

Seventh-day Sabbath

For more details on this topic, see Sabbath in seventh-day churches.

Several Christian denominations observe Sabbath in similar manner as in Judaism, but observance ends at Saturday sunset instead of Saturday nightfall. Seventh Day Baptists have observed Sabbath on Saturday since the mid-17th century, and influenced the similar but larger Seventh-day Adventist group toward that doctrine in the mid-19th century. They and others believe that keeping seventh-day Sabbath is a moral obligation arising out of the Ten Commandments that honors God as Creator and Deliverer. They also use "Lord's Day" to mean the seventh day, based on Scriptures in which God calls it "my day" and "of the LORD". Adventists popularized the question of defining Sabbath worldwide on a round earth; some seventh-day Sabbatarians make use of the International Date Line, while others (such as some Alaskan Adventists) observe Sabbath according to Jerusalem time. Many of the Lemba in southern Africa, like some other African tribes, are Christians yet claim common descent from the Biblical Israelites, keep one day a week holy like Shabbat, and maintain many beliefs and practices associated with Judaism.

Monthly Sabbath

For more details on this topic, see New moon.

The new moon, occurring every 29 or 30 days, is an important separately sanctioned occasion in Judaism and some other faiths. It is not widely regarded as Sabbath, but some native messianic Pentecostals, such as the New Israelites of Peru, do keep the day of the new moon as Sabbath or rest day, from dusk to dusk. Their new moon services can last all day.

Annual Sabbath

For more details on this topic, see Day of the Vow.

In South Africa, Christian Boers have celebrated December 16, now called the Day of Reconciliation, as annual Sabbath (a holy day of thanksgiving) since 1838. Commemorating a famous Boer victory over the Zulu, the anniversary and its commemoration are intimately connected with various streams of Afrikaner and South African nationalism.

Millennial Sabbath

For more details on this topic, see Millennialism.

Since Hippolytus of Rome in the early third century, Christians have often considered that some thousand-year Sabbath, expected to begin six thousand years after Creation, might be identical with the millennium described in the Book of Revelation. This view was also popular among 19th and 20th century dispensational premillenialists. The term "Sabbatism" or "Sabbatizing" (Greek sabbatismos), which generically means any literal or spiritual Sabbath-keeping, has also been taken in Hebrews 4:9 to have special reference to this definition.

Other religious traditions

Babylonian rest days

For more details on this topic, see Babylonian calendar.

Counting from the new moon, the Babylonian calendar celebrated the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th as "holy-days", also called "evil days" (meaning "unsuitable" for prohibited activities). On these days officials were prohibited from various activities and common men were forbidden to "make a wish", and at least the 28th was known as a "rest-day". On each of them, offerings were made to a different god and goddess. Tablets from the sixth-century BC reigns of Cyrus the Great and Cambyses indicate these dates were sometimes approximate. The lunation of 29 or 30 days basically contained three seven-day weeks, and a final week of nine or ten days inclusive, breaking the continuous seven-day cycle. The Babylonians additionally celebrated the 19th as a special "evil day", the "day of anger", because it was roughly the 49th day of the (preceding) month, completing a "week of weeks", also with sacrifices and prohibitions. Further, reconstruction of a broken tablet seems to define the rarely attested Sapattu^m or Sabattu^m as the 15th day of the lunation: this word is cognate with Hebrew Shabbat, but is monthly rather than weekly; it is regarded as a form of Sumerian sa-bat ("mid-rest"), attested in Akkadian as um nuh libbi ("day of mid-repose").

For more details on this topic, see Shappatum.

The pentecontad calendar, thought to be of Amorite origin, includes a period known to Babylonians as shappatum. The year is broken down into seven periods of fifty days (made up of seven weeks of seven days, containing seven weekly Sabbaths, and an extra fiftieth day, known as the atzeret), plus an annual supplement of fifteen or sixteen days, called shappatum, the period of harvest time at the end of each year. Identified and reconstructed by Hildegaard and Julius Lewy in the 1940s, the calendar's use dates back to at least the third millennium B.C. in Western Mesopotamia and surrounding areas; it was used by the Canaanite tribes, thought by some to have been used by the Israelites prior to King Solomon, and related to the liturgical calendar of the Essenes at Qumran. Used well into the modern age, forms of it have been found in Nestorianism and among the Palestinian fellaheen. Julius Morgenstern believed that the calendar of the Jubilees had ancient origins as a somewhat modified survival of the pentecontad calendar.

Buddhist rest day

For more details on this topic, see Uposatha.

The Uposatha has been observed since Gautama Buddha's time (500 BC), and is still being kept today in Theravada Buddhist countries. It occurs every seven or eight days, in accordance with the four phases of the moon. Buddha taught that Uposatha is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind", resulting in inner calm and joy. On this day, disciples and monks intensify their practice, deepen their knowledge, and express communal commitment through millennia-old acts of lay-monastic reciprocity.

For more details on this topic, see Thai lunar calendar.

Thai Chinese likewise observe their Sabbaths and traditional Chinese holidays according to lunar phases, but not on exactly the same days as the uposatha. These Sabbaths cycle through the month with respect to the Thai solar calendar, so common Thai calendars incorporate Thai and Chinese calendar lunar dates, as well as uposatha dates, for religious purposes.

Sabbath as Saturday

For more details on this topic, see Saturday.

One folk tradition is the widespread use of "Sabbath" and cognates as synonyms of midnight-to-midnight "Saturday" (in English, literally, Saturn's day): this is a simplification of the use of "Sabbath" in other religious contexts, where the two do not coincide. In over thirty languages other than English, the common name for this day in the seven-day week is a cognate of "Sabbath". "Sabbatini" (originally "Sabbadini", often "Sabatini", etc.) is a very frequent Italian name form, indicating a family whose ancestor was born on Saturday, Italian sabato ("Domenico" indicated birth on Sunday), and Sabbatos is the Greek form. In vampire hunter lore, people born on Saturday were specially designated as sabbatianoí in Greek and sâbotnichavi in Bulgarian (rendered in English as "Sabbatarians"). It was also believed in the Balkans that someone born on a Saturday could see a vampire when it was otherwise invisible.

Islamic rest day

For more details on this topic, see Jumu'ah.

Jumu'ah (Arabic: جمعة ), also known as "Friday prayer", is a congregational prayer (salat) that Muslims hold every Friday, just after noon, in place of the otherwise daily dhuhr prayer; it commemorates the creation of Aadam on the sixth day. The Quran states: "O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday [the Day of Assembly], hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business [and traffic]: That is best for you if ye but knew" (62:9). Attendance is strictly incumbent upon all free adult males who are legal residents of the locality.

Wiccan sabbat

For more details on this topic, see Wheel of the Year.

The annual cycle of the Earth's seasons is called the Wheel of the Year in Wicca and neopaganism. Eight sabbats (occasionally "sabbaths", or "Sun sabbats") are spaced at approximately even intervals throughout the year. Samhain, which coincides with Halloween, is considered first sabbat of the year.

For more details on this topic, see Esbat.

An esbat is a ritual observance of the full moon in Wicca and neopaganism. Some groups extend the esbat to include the dark moon and the first and last quarters. "Esbat" and "sabbat" are distinct and are probably not cognate terms, although an esbat is also called "moon sabbat".

For more details on this topic, see Witches' Sabbath.

European records from the Middle Ages to the 17th century or later also place Witches' Sabbaths on similar dates to sabbats in modern Wicca, but with some disagreement; medieval reports of sabbat activity are generally not firsthand and may be imaginative, but many persons were accused of, or tried for, taking part in sabbats.

Bahá'í weekend

For more details on this topic, see Bahá'í calendar.

The Bahá'í week ends on Istiqlál (literally, Independence). It begins at sunset on Thursday and ends at sunset of Friday.

Unification Sabbath

For more details on this topic, see Ahn Shi Il.

The Unification Church has a regular day of worship on Sunday, but also has a Family Pledge service every eight days on the day of Ahn Shi Il, considered as Sabbath but cycling among the weekdays. The Family Pledge, formerly recited at 5:00 a.m. on Sundays, was moved to Ahn Shi Il in 1994. The pledge recited at this event includes eight verses containing the phrase "by centering on true love".

Secular traditions

Rest day in seven-day weeks

For more details on this topic, see Blue law.

Secular use of "Sabbath" for "rest day", while it usually refers to the same period of time (Sunday) as the majority Christian use of "Sabbath", is often stated in North America to refer to different purposes for the rest day than those of Christendom. In McGowan v. Maryland (1961), the Supreme Court of the United States held that contemporary Maryland blue laws (typically, Sunday rest laws) were intended to promote the secular values of "health, safety, recreation, and general well-being" through a common day of rest, and that this day coinciding with majority Christian Sabbath neither reduces its effectiveness for secular purposes nor prevents adherents of other religions from observing their own holy days. Massachusetts, uncharacteristically, does not specify the weekday in its "Day of Rest" statute, providing only that one day off from work is required every week; an unspecified weekly day off is a very widespread business production cycle. The Supreme Court of Canada, in R. v. Big M Drug Mart Ltd. (1985) and R. v. Edwards Books and Art Ltd. (1986), found some blue laws invalid for having no legitimate secular purpose, but others valid because they had no religious purpose.

Rest day in other weeks

For more details on this topic, see Chinese week.

State-mandated rest days are widespread. Laws of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) required imperial officials to rest on every mu (every fifth day), within a ten-day Chinese week. The rest day was changed to huan or xún (every tenth day) in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

For more details on this topic, see Soviet calendar.

From 1929 to 1931, the Soviet Union mandated a five-day week, with each day designated by color as a state rest day for a different 20% of the workforce; families usually did not share rest days. Three weeks a year were six or seven days, because interrupted by holidays. From 1931 to 1940, the Soviets mandated a six-day week, with state rest days for all upon the 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th, and 30th of each Gregorian month, as well as upon March 1. This also necessitated varying weeks of five to seven days over the year.

For more details on this topic, see Calendar reform.

Among many calendar reform proposals that eliminate the constant seven-day week in exchange for simplified calculation of calendrical data like weekday names for given dates, some retain Sabbatical influences. The Hermetic Lunar Week Calendar uses moon phases, resulting in weeks of six to nine days. The International Fixed Calendar and World Calendar both consist of 364-day years containing exactly 52 weeks (each starting on a day designated as Sunday), with an additional one or two intercalary days not designated as part of any week (Year Day and Leap Day in the International Fixed Calendar; Worldsday and Leapyear Day in the World Calendar). Reform supporters sought to accommodate Sabbatical observance by retaining the modified week and designating the intercalary days as additional Sabbaths or holidays; however, religious leaders held that such days disrupt the traditional seven-day weekly cycle. This unresolved issue contributed to the cessation of reform activities in the 1930s (International Fixed Calendar) and again in 1955 (World Calendar), though supporters of both proposals remain.

Work day in seven-day weeks

For more details on this topic, see Subbotnik.

The subbotnik is a weekly day of volunteer work on Saturday in Russia, other (former) Soviet republics, the Eastern Bloc, and the German Democratic Republic, sporadically observed since 1919. The voskresnik is a related volunteer workday on Sunday. They focus on community service work; "Lenin's Subbotnik" was also observed annually around his birthday.

For more details on this topic, see Working Saturday.

Russia and Hungary, and formerly the Soviet Union, also have declared Saturday a workday in lieu of a nearby Friday or Monday, if the contiguous Thursday or Tuesday is a public holiday. Poland has declared a working Saturday as an unofficial monthly occurrence. Many other working-Saturday practices are unorganized.

Annual rest days

For more details on this topic, see List of holidays by country.

Many sovereign nations, territories, regions, and international entities observe holidays based on events of significance to their history, most of which are public holidays from work.

Rest-year sabbatical

For more details on this topic, see Sabbatical.

From the Biblical Sabbatical Year came the modern concept of sabbatical, a prolonged, often one-year, hiatus in the career of an individual (not usually tied to a seven-year period). Such a period is often taken in order to fulfill some goal such as writing a book or traveling extensively for research. Some universities and other institutional employers of scientists, physicians, or academics offer paid sabbatical as an employee benefit, called "sabbatical leave"; some companies offer unpaid sabbatical for people wanting to take career breaks.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - sabbat, hviledag

Nederlands (Dutch)
sabbat, sjabbes

Français (French)
n. - sabbat, jour du seigneur

Deutsch (German)
n. - Sabbat, Sonntag

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) (ιουδαϊκό) Σάββατο, (για Προτεστάντες) Κυριακή (αργία), (μτφ.) αργία

Italiano (Italian)
sabato, il giorno di riposo ebraico secondo il Decalogo (sabato)

Português (Portuguese)
n. - sábado (m), sabá (m)

Русский (Russian)
священный день отдохновения, покой, шабаш

Español (Spanish)
n. - (judío) sábado, (cristiano) domingo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - sabbat, vilodag

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
安息日, 主日

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 安息日, 主日, 猶太教為星期六, 基督教為星期日, 安息日, 主日

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 안식일, 휴식기간, 정적

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 安息日, 休息, 平和, 静寂

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) يوم السبت‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮יום שבתון דתי שבועי - שבת (יהודים) או יום ראשון (נוצרים), זמן נופש‬

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