What are you not allowed to do on the sabbath?

Answer 1

Any of the 39 forms of prohibited creative labor (the 39 Melachot), or any form of labor derived from one of these. They are:

1. Carrying
2. Burning
3. Extinguishing fire
4. Finishing a creative process
5. Writing
6. Erasing
7. Cooking
8. Laundering
9. Sewing
10. Tearing
11. Knotting
12. Untying
13. Shaping
14. Plowing
15. Planting
16. Reaping
17. Harvesting
18. Threshing
19. Winnowing
20. Selecting
21. Sifting
22. Grinding
23. Kneading
24. Combing plant fibers
25. Spinning threads
26. Dyeing
27. Stitching
28. Warping a loom
29. Weaving
30. Unraveling
31. Building
32. Demolishing
33. Trapping
34. Shearing
35. Slaughtering
36. Skinning
37. Tanning
38. Scraping a hide
39. Marking

Answer 2

There are 39 broad categories of work from which observant Jews abstain during Shabbat, usually listed as ploughing earth, sowing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, selecting, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking, shearing wool, washing wool, beating wool, dyeing wool, spinning, weaving, making two loops, weaving two threads, separating two threads, tying, untying, sewing stitches, tearing, trapping, slaughtering, flaying, tanning, scraping hide, marking hides, cutting hide to shape, writing two or more letters, erasing two or more letters, building, demolishing, extinguishing a fire, kindling a fire, putting the finishing touch on an object and transporting an object between the private domain and the public domain, or for a distance of 4 cubits within the public domain.

Many modern activities not included on the list can be fitted into one of the categories, for example the use of electrical equipment such as domestic lights and elevators - switching a light on and off or operating the buttons to select a floor in an elevator completes or breaks an electrical circuit, which is considered the same as kindling or extinguishing a fire. However, there are many inventive ways in which these prohibitions can be circumvented, ways which allow certain activities to take place without breaking Shabbat law. Examples include use of timer switches for lights, "Shabbat Elevators" which stop for a short time at each floor, allowing Jewish passengers to use them without pressing any buttons and the establishment of eruvin, areas defined by being enclosed by wires (often atop tall poles so as not to be in the way) which allows the enclosed area to be considered an enclosed, non-public domain so that Jewish inhabitants can "carry" - without eruvin, push chairs, wheel chairs and other vital items cannot be used without breaking this law. Most urban areas with a high Jewish population, including parts of London, Brooklyn and other cities around the world, as well as Israeli towns, have eruvin.

Answer 3

A:"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant [slave], nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. "

This means that no work can be done. It means that you can not ask or even allow a stranger to do work on your behalf. Ultra-orthodox Jews interpret it as meaning that they can not drive a car or even walk outside the boundaries of their home on the Sabbath, although some ingenious means are sometimes employed to extend the boundaries to cover an entire neighbourhood. Until the middle of the twentieth century, many Christians interpreted it as a prohibition on playing or watching sport on Sundays.

But some work is allowed. You should not work most of the time but if you are a firefighter, or a doctor etc., and and you really need to work then thats ok, because your work is important to save lives. Just remember its the Lord's day, so just be careful of what you do and say

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Catholic AnswerFor the Catholic Christian, the Sunday Obligation, above all, is to attend Mass. The Sabbath obligations have been transferred to Sunday by the early Church as this is the day on which Our Blessed Lord arose from the grave, finishing the new creation. The old Code of Canon Law forbid all servile work on Sunday. The current law is covered in the Catechism at the link below. One must attend Mass, for those for whom working on Sunday is unavoidable, for whatever reason (nurses, doctors, etc.) the Church now has an anticipated Mass on Saturday evening. All of us are responsible for this, though. We should avoid shopping, going out to restaurants, etc. on Sunday so as not to make others have to work for us. This obligation to keep holy the Lord's Day extends to how we treat others. Works of charity, of course, visiting the sick, doing something for those in need, is always appropriate.

Another Answer:

All general work and any unnecessary tasks. God made the 7th day a Sabbath or rest in order for man to think about their Creator and His awesome creation. God does not need physical rest but man does as modern science has recently verified that our minds work on a 7 day cycle - coincidence? The 4th Command is for all to stop their usual practices and come together to give thanks to their Creator God - of which Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a sign between man and God and no authority has been given to change it.

Christ came to correct the 'letter' of the Law and show the original intend of the Law of Love that had been lost over the millennia - He gave us the spirit of the Law. On several occasions, He taught all by His examples like here:

Mark 2:24-28New King James Version (NKJV)

24 And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"

25 But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"

27 And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."