Shabat la dzra mí ɖo

Feeling stressed? If so, you’re not alone. We live in a world where being busy has become a status symbol as we rush to work, appointments, and activities. But what are we accomplishing? In the end, the fast-paced life leaves us exhausted with little left for those most important in our lives—God, family, and friends. Like an old car with one problem after another, we begin to break down in every area of our lives. Is this how life is meant to be?

God never intended for us to rush through our lives without stopping. In fact, rest is so important that He instituted it into the weekly cycle. 

Think about the calendar: a year is based on the Earth’s trip around the sun; a month is determined by the cycle of the moon; and a day occurs as the Earth rotates on its axis. But where did the seven-day week come from? 

It comes from the creation of our world. In six days, the Creator brought the world into being, and He rested on the seventh. We have preserved, for thousands of years, the very time structure that the Creator originally set up for us. “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He ceased from all His work” (Genesis/Bereishit 2:3).

For millennia, the Jewish people have honored the Shabbat in holy commemoration of the Creator’s rest during that creation week.

Who Should Keep Shabbat?

Is Shabbat only for Jewish people? Most people think so. But consider that God instituted the Shabbat before the tribes of humanity were established, well before the time of Abraham—in the very Garden of Eden.

Some hold that Noah, a non-Jew, didn’t keep the Shabbat, and therefore other non-Jews don’t need to, either. This is an unfortunate speculation because Noah had a very good understanding of God’s laws, including kashrut—the separation between clean and unclean (Genesis 7:2). We have no reason to doubt that Noah knew the other laws of God, including the Shabbat.

The rabbis teach through midrash that when God spoke at Sinai (Exodus/Shemot 20:1), His words were heard in the seventy languages known at the time, symbolizing the whole world.¹ If the Torah was only for Israel, why would it need to be heard in all those languages? This implies that the law was given to all the world.

The Torah itself commands, “Remember Yom Shabbat, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8–11). Oddly enough, this mitzvah, even forgotten by many Jewish people, begins with “remember.” This means it was in effect long before the Torah was given at Sinai. The commandment says that the beasts of burden are also to rest, and even the stranger dwelling among us is to observe the Shabbat. There is no mention of whether or not this stranger is Jewish. If the Torah forbids work for animals upon the Shabbat, how much more should all of humanity rest upon this day?

Therefore, the Shabbat is for all people. The Scriptures tell us that it is an everlasting sign that our Creator is the one who sets us apart for Him (Exodus 31:13).

A Day of Delight

Perhaps one of the reasons that the Shabbat is not more widely accepted is that many misunderstand it as a burden. But it is not meant to inhibit our lives; it is an enhancement and preservation of the life and freedoms we enjoy. The Shabbat is a day of delight (Isaiah 58:13).

When we are struggling to get to the end of the week, what a delight to find a day of rest waiting for us! In fact, the Hebrew essayist Ahad Ha’am taught: “More than the Jewish people have kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept the Jewish people.” Throughout history, it has preserved the nation. Imagine the magnitude of blessing if all creation was thus “kept” by the Shabbat! 

The Shabbat is a day not only of ceasing work but also of communing with God. On Shabbat, we spend time with the Creator, just as humanity did in Eden when God Himself walked with them. We can no longer be with God in Eden, but we can still have a taste of this bliss one day a week because the Shabbat is a sample of the heaven that awaits us.

A Test of Loyalty

Unfortunately, the Tanakh speaks of earthly powers that will attempt to change the law of God (Daniel 7:25), especially the Shabbat. They will dishonor God by setting up a different day of rest that lacks the special blessing placed upon the Shabbat. As a result, the world will lose this privilege of resting, connecting with God, and experiencing the blessings of obedience.

But we don’t have to lose those blessings. That taste of heaven on earth remains for those who keep Shabbat and are kept by it. Won’t you join in praying the following words to the Creator of Shabbat? 

Our Wonderful Creator, we are so grateful to You for the Shabbat—a day of physical rest and of connection with You. We choose to keep it out of love for You. Empower us to remain loyal to Your holy day. Amen.

If you would like more information on how the Shabbat is in political, cultural, and spiritual danger—and what you can do about it—please contact us at the information on the back of this paper.