Shabbat

One must examine the context. The subject is not about the sabbath being required or commanded of all mankind. The subject is about the abuse of the law, specifically the sabbath command, so that, instead of the sabbath serving "the man", "the man" ended up serving the sabbath.

In this context, the sabbath was made for the man to whom it was given; namely, the Hebrews. To conclude this is referring to all mankind is to treat the passage eisegetically, and to ignore the rest of Scripture. No where is there a commandment for all mankind to observe the sabbath. The sabbath was the sign of the old covenant between God and the Hebrews. If all mankind were required to keep it, the sabbath could not have been that sign.

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The Sabbath was in existence long before there was a Jew. Were Adam and Eve Jews? Certainly not. But they surely kept the Sabbath, for it was there from the first week of creation.

Genesis 2

1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Here, you will see a repitition of the same reasoning as to why we are to keep the Sabbath:

Exodus 20

8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Furthermore, it is intersting that people say that the Sabbath was for the Hebrews, but they do not say that about the rest of God's comamndments. More still, the sabbath is mentioned in the bBIble BEFORE the ten commandments were given to the Israelites:

Exodus 16

23And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

24And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.

25And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.

26Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.

27And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.

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Edit by Lightdweller: Your additional comments only demonstrate a lack of proper scholarship. The sabbath was given to Israel via the old covenant. You are attempting to take that which God required of Israel and apply it to Christians. This is called replacement theology and is invalid. Your citation of v. 11 stands as written without extrapolation beyond what it literally says. God rested on THAT seventh day and blessed THAT seventh day. It does not say God blessed every seventh day and rests every seventh day. Hebrew linguistics prove this cannot be the weekly seventh day simply because that day shows having no end.

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Aren't we missing the bigger picture of the Sabbath though. The seventh day was created by God to spend with man. The Sabbath is God's on going day for all of mankind. It was not limited to one day a week by the Mosaic covenant for man to not work and think about God. God never left the seventh day, so His Sabbath has never ceased. This is what Jesus is getting at.

As a Christian however, there is no biblical evidence in the New Testament that states that a Sabbath day should be maintained. However, it is TRADITION that we keep at least one day for God and was made to be Sunday as it is known as the "first day of the week" which also represents the day of Jesus' resurrection.

Furthermore, as a Catholic Christian, you are obligated to attend mass on a Sunday which by canon law has been chosen to be the Sabbath. No where in the Bible does it mention Sunday, the first day of the week as the Sabbath. The Ten Commandments were and will NEVER be changed!

On the 7th day God ceased from all of His work, as recorded in Genesis (2:2-3). This is the only day that God set aside and made Holy, and which he blessed. "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

In the 4th commandment (Exodus 20:8-11) we are clearly informed:

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Mark 2:27 says, ".....The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Hebrew 4:4-10 says, (4) "For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works. (5) And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. (6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: (7) Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (8) For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. (9) There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.

Jewish Answer

The Commandment in the Torah to keep Shabbat is only binding on Jews, and those who dwell within the Jewish community. Jews believe that Christians and other non-Jews have no obligation to keep Shabbat.

It is a day of bounty, festive food, rest. prayer, and study. Traditional Jews do not engage in 39 tasks (The Jewish definition of work).

Non-Traditional Jews may not follow the same laws, but they honor Shabbat in different ways, such as making time for family, and avoiding stressful situations.

Most practicing Jews, Orthodox or not, go to synagogue on Shabbat, either on Friday night, Saturday morning/afternoon, or both. Orthodox Jews may also go again in the evening, or they may do the evening prayers at home.

Shabbat is a palace in time.

Shabbat is a taste of the World to Come.

Shabbat ends with a short, beautiful ceremony on Saturday at sunset, called Havdalah (הבדלה) which involves a braided candle, a cup of wine, and a box of sweet smelling spices. At the end of the Ceremony we wish each other Shavua Tov! (a good week!).

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

Friday sundown until Saturday after twilight. A more precise definition would depend upon custom. See also the Related Link.

More about Shabbat

• A. Think about it--what makes more sense: for a new day to begin when the old day ends, or in the middle of the night? That's basically why the Jewish day begins at sundown--it follows the laws of nature as stated in the Torah (Genesis ch.1). But a fuller understanding of why the Jewish day starts at sundown requires a quick examination of time:
• B. When God created the universe, He created time, space and matter simultaneously. At the very beginning of Creation, the clock began ticking at 00:00 at the precise moment which space and matter burst into being. Twenty-four hours later, Day One was complete. What does the Torah say? "It was evening and it was morning, one day." That first 24-hour day began with night and ended with day--and it's been that way ever since.
• C. Later, on Day Four, God assigned the sun and the moon as day and night markers, setting up the solar system the way it is today. The Jewish day begins with night, because that's how time began.

Jewish children are not allowed to do many things. Here is a short list of things they are not allowed to do:

• use bad words
• hit their sisters or brothers
• waste food
• leave a mess without cleaning it up
• talk while someone else is talking
• use the bathroom without washing their hands
• talk to strangers
• talk with their mouths full

The laws concerning what Jews can and cannot do on the Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew or Shabbos in Yiddish) are complex - so much so that rabbis still discuss the matter even after all these thousands of years, not least of all because new technology requires new guidelines.

In brief, activities which are not permitted include travelling in a motorised vehicle; writing; laundry; using the telephone; any form of business transaction; kindling fire - this includes activities such as cooking, for which a process of producing heat must be instigated, and switching electrical appliances on or off); gardening. These raise certain complexities - for example, while a refrigerator may be used the internal light must be disabled since if it turns on when the fridge is opened you have kindled fire by switching on a device that produces heat and thus "kindled fire." However, it does not mean that Jews spend their Shabbat sitting in dark and cold houses, being miserable - indeed, quite the opposite: Jews prepare for the Shabbat in advance and celebrate in luxury. Many look forward to cholent, a traditional and very popular dish which is made during the Friday daytime before Shabbat begins, cooked slowly and consumed on the Saturday (it's delicious, and every family has its own version).

Slightly more complex are the laws regarding muktzah, items which may not be moved - either by direct or indirect contact - during Shabbat. However, moving them in an unusual or accidental way is permitted - such as with the teeth. Examples of muktzah include those items that have no designated use - such as plants, stones, a twig on the ground - as well as those items that have only one designated use (and are usually valuable) - for example, a camera, certain certificates and documents (including passports, which can be tricky when travelling), a television. Muktzah also includes items which are expressly forbidden by the Torah, including treif (non-kosher) food, and items associated with those activities forbidden during Shabbat such as pens, matches and so on. Also banned is the carrying of any item from a private place - such as a home - to a public place, such as a park. This applies to any item; meaning that - as an example - a pram or wheelchair cannot be used during Shabbat since it must be transported from the home (private) into the street (public). As a result, areas with a high Jewish population often establish an eiruv whereby a large area - which may be several streets - becomes designated a private place, allowing inhabitants to bypass this law.

Every Jew is not just permitted to break Shabbat rules if harm will arise as a result of not doing so, but expected to. Thus, a Jew would be allowed to use a car to take an injured person to hospital despite the law against driving as human life and wellbeing is considered to always take precedence against all other laws. Similarly, if a Jew has neglected to light a fire prior to Shabbat but it unexpectedly becomes cold and somebody within the home may suffer ill as a result - ie; children, the inform, the elderly - then he or she is both permitted and expected to light a fire.

It all sounds very complex - and it is - but it's remarkable how quickly you get used to it!

The below is very full and complete - however in my experience - most reform Jews only do the short portion which translates to: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

The text of the Friday night kiddush begins with a passage from genesis, testifying to God's creation of the world. Most people stand during the recital of these verses, since one of the reasons for keeping Shabbat is to affirm that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.

• [And it was evening and it was morning], the sixth day. And the heavens and the earth and all their hosts were completed. And God finished by the seventh day His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He rested from all His work which God created to function.

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, has desired us, and has given us, in love and good will, His holy Shabbat as a heritage, in remembrance of the work of Creation; the first of the holy festivals, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us from among all the nations, and with love and good will given us Your holy Shabbat as a heritage. Blessed are You Lord, who sanctifies the Shabbat. (Amen)

Since the Shabbat morning kiddush is Rabbinically rather than Biblically mandated, it has a lesser status than the Friday-night kiddush. In order to elevate its importance, it is referred to as "Kiddusha Rabba" -קידושא רבא- "The Great Kiddush." This kiddush, too, is preceded by Biblical verses, although not all the verses are said by all families.

• And the Children of Israel shall observe the Shabbat, establishing the Shabbat throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for all time, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested

• Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Shabbat for the Lord your God; you shall not do any work-you, your son or your daughter, your manservant or your maidservant, or your cattle,or the stranger within your gates. For [in] six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Shabbat day and made it holy 20:8-11).

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

Amen is said by the congregation after the Kiddush or any other blessing is read. It means "I agree" and is usually only said by those who hadn't read the blessing.

Holiday night kiddush

This version of kiddush is said on the festival nights of passover

The sections in brackets are added when the holiday coincides with Shabbat (Friday night).

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who chose us from all the nations, and elevated us above all tongues,and sanctified us with His commandments. And You gave us, Lord our God, with love, [Shabbats for rest and] festivals for happiness, holidays and times for joy, this day [of Shabbat and this day of]

• (on Passover): the Festival of Matzos, the time of our freedom

• (on Shavuot): the Festival of Weeks, the time of the giving of our Torah

• (on Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah): the eighth day, the Festival of Assembly, the time of our happiness

• [with love], a holy convocation, a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. Because You chose us, and sanctified us from all the nations, [and Shabbat] and Your holy festivals [in love and in favor] in happiness and in joy You have given us as a heritage.Blessed are You, God, Who sanctifies [the Shabbat] and Israel and the holiday seasons. (Amen)

On Sukkot, the following blessing is added immediately after kiddush when the meal takes place in a kosher sukkah:

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to dwell in the sukkah. (Amen)

On all the holidays, this blessing is recited after the nighttime kiddush (except on the last two nights of Passover,when it is omitted):

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this season.(Amen)

When the festival coincides with Shabbat, first the Biblical verses (above, Shabbat morning kiddush) are recited,followed by two additional verses and the blessing over wine. When the holiday falls on a weekday, the morning kiddush begins with the two verses:

• These are the festivals of God, holy convocations, that you should announce at their appointed times

• And Moses declared the festivals of the Lord to the Children of Israel

• Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

By extension, the term "kiddush" may also refer to a reception of wine, cake, soft drinks, and buffet items such as herring, kugel, following Shabbat morning services or other happy occasion. In some synagogues the celebrant is honored with reciting the Shabbat morning kiddush on behalf of all the attendees.

• Jews have the practice of mixing some water into the wine used for the evening Kiddush as a memorial of the original "mixing of the wine" that was required since wine was, at one time, too strong (and too syrupy) to be drunk without dilution.
• Some Jews also have the custom to make Kiddusha Rabba(i.e. in the morning) on liquor, however, the blessing she-hakol nihyeh bid'varo is said instead of borei p'ri ha-gafen. Note, however, that the mishnah berurah" and other codes are against using liquor for Kiddush under most circumstances and when they do allow it, it is only on Hamar Medina, which is generally interpreted as an important drink one would serve to a guest. Water, tea and coffee are not considered Hamar Medina. Most people consider non-wine alcoholic beverages to be Hamar Medina, but there is some disagreement as to the status of soft drink and some other non-alcoholic beverages. There is also a question as to whether kiddush requires a revi'it when recited over hard liqour where the typical serving is far less than a revi'it.