Sabbath
Jews celebrate the Sabbath, or Shabbat, every week. They light the candles; say a blessing; recite the kaddish; drink wine; say a blessing; and eat bread. It’s an ancient tradition that Jews still revere, the beginning of a day of rest. From sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday, Jews rest from all labor. Shabbat commemorates the earliest event in human history, the creation of the world. A rabbi tells us “peace was missing from creation,” and so God commanded we rest on the seventh day. The rabbi goes on to explain that on the seventh day God’s relationship with the world changes; He is closer to creation.” He tells his congregation”our sages tell us: G-d told the heavenly angels: “I have a special treasure called Shabbat, and I will give it to the Jewish people”. For six days we work, and the seventh – Shabbat brings holiness and rest” (https://www.chabad.org/multimedia/video_cdo/aid/141138/jewish/Shabbat.htm).
I am creating an online course titled Religions of the West. I’ve been working through the weeks on Judaism, and am struck anew at all the struggles the Jewish people have encountered over the history in their quest for identity and survival. That weekly day where they rest from all work is a reminder of God’s presence in their lives, of peace, of rest. Students who take the online class will have to respond to these questions:
- What is the Sabbath?
- How is it practiced by Jewish people today?
- Is its practice feasible or helpful in modern society?
I am looking forward to teaching the class and seeing how students respond to the idea of Sabbath. How would you answer the last question here??
Observing the Sabbath is one of God’s commandments in the book of Exodus that Jews and Christians both believe is the Word of God. But most of us Christians do not keep a strict Sabbath, or keep a Sabbath at all. Interestingly, here in New Jersey, Bergen County still has “blue laws” which date back to 1704 and forbid the sale of clothing, furniture, appliances, and building materials on Sundays! So there is some legal enforcement of a ban on work on Sundays, even today.
Sunday is a day of worship for Christians, and most of us will be in our house of worship. But what do we do the rest of the day? Do we rest? Do we work? Do we shop? There has been a renewed interest in the Sabbath lately with a rise of books on the importance of the Sabbath, what it means today, and how to observe it. Pete Scazzero, author of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, has several excellent resources on the Sabbath and encourages leaders to be diligent about observing the Sabbath.
I encourage all of us to meditate on the 4th commandment, to remember the Sabbath, and ask God how He wants us to observe it, even (and especially) in our busy lives in 2019.
“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… therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Exodus 20:8-10a, 11b
https://www.joydigitalmag.com/everyday-life/remember-sabbath-day/
Our pastor just alluded to this Sabbath rest idea this week. We do not honor God enough in this area. I remember when very few stores were open on Sunday here in the area. How that has changed!
I think we’re realizing the importance of Sabbath in our busy lives. God knows what we need, and we need rest.
Thank you for the reminder that we really need to take a rest every week. In Germany, all stores are closed on Sundays. The only places are open are in airports and train stations.
Wow, I didn’t know that. Is that a remnant from the Reformation?
What an amazing post to remind us of what the Sabbath means. I love that you are doing a teaching on this, I think the hustle and bustle of life has steered us away from what it truly means.
I agree – that’s why I resonate so strongly with the way Jewish people hold a sacred Sabbath observance every week.