Shabbat

Shabbat(UK:/ʃəˈbæt/,US:/ʃəˈbɑːt/, or/ʃəˈbʌt/;Hebrew:שַׁבָּת‎,[ʃa'bat],lit.'rest' or 'cessation') or theSabbath(/ˈsæbəθ/), also calledShabbos(UK:/ˈʃæbəs/,US:/ˈʃɑːbəs/) byAshkenazim, isJudaism's day of rest on the seventh day of theweek—i.e.,Saturday. On this day, religiousJewsremember the biblical stories describing thecreation of the heaven and earth in six daysand the redemption from slavery andthe Exodusfrom Egypt, and look forward to a futureMessianic Age. Since theJewish religious calendarcounts days from sunset to sunset, Shabbat begins in the evening of what on thecivil calendarisFriday.
Shabbat observance entails refraining fromwork activities, often withgreat rigor, and engaging in restful activities to honor the day. Judaism's traditional position is that the unbroken seventh-day Shabbat originated among the Jewish people, as their first and most sacred institution. Variations upon Shabbat are widespread in Judaism and, with adaptations, throughout theAbrahamicand many otherreligions.
According tohalakha(Jewish religious law), Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before the sun sets on Friday evening until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night, or an hour after sundown.Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles and reciting blessings over wine and bread. Traditionally, threefestive mealsare eaten: The first one is held on Friday evening, the second is traditionally a lunch meal on Saturday, and the third is held later Saturday afternoon. The evening meal and the early afternoon meal typically begin with a blessing calledkiddush(sanctification), said over a cup of wine.
At the third meal akiddushis not performed, but thehamotziblessing is recited andchallah(braided bread) is eaten. In many communities, this meal is often eaten in the period after the afternoon prayers(Minchah) are recited and shortly before Shabbat is formally ended with aHavdalahritual.
Shabbat is a festive day when Jews exercise their freedom from the regular labours of everyday life. It offers an opportunity to contemplate the spiritual aspects of life and to spend time with family. The end of Shabbat is traditionally marked by a ritual calledHavdalah, during which blessings are said over wine (or grape juice), aromatic spices, and Havdalah candle lighting, separating Shabbat from the rest of the week.
The wordShabbatderives from the Hebrew rootש־ב־ת. Although frequently translated as "rest" (noun or verb), another accurate translation is "ceasing [from work]."The notion of active cessation from labour is also regardedas more consistent with anomnipotentGod's activity on the seventh day ofcreation according to Genesis.
AcognateBabylonianSapattuorSabattuis reconstructed from the lost fifthEnūma Elišcreation account, which is read as: "[Sa]bbatushalt thou then encounter, mid[month]ly". It is regarded as a form ofSumeriansa-bat("mid-rest"), rendered inAkkadianasum nuh libbi("day of mid-repose").
Connection to Sabbath observance has been suggested in the designation of the seventh, fourteenth, nineteenth, twenty-first and twenty-eight days of a lunar month in an Assyrian religious calendar as a 'holy day', also called 'evil days' (meaning "unsuitable" for prohibited activities). The prohibitions on these days, spaced seven days apart (except the nineteenth), include abstaining from chariot riding, and the avoidance of eating meat by the King.  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".
TheUniversal Jewish Encyclopediaadvanced a theory ofAssyriologistslikeFriedrich Delitzsch(and ofMarcello Craveri)that Shabbat originally arose from thelunar cyclein theBabylonian calendarcontaining four weeks ending in a Sabbath, plus one or two additional unreckoned days per month.The difficulties of this theory include reconciling the differences between an unbroken week and a lunar week, and explaining the absence of texts naming the lunar week as Sabbath in any language.
Seventh-day Shabbat did not originate with theEgyptians, to whom it was unknown;and other origin theories based on the day ofSaturn, or on theplanetsgenerally, have also been abandoned.
Sabbath is given special status as a holy day at the very beginning of theTorahin Genesis 2:1-3.It is first commanded afterThe Exodusfrom Egypt, in Exodus 16:26(relating to the cessation ofmanna) and in Exodus 16:29(relating to the distance one maytravel by footon the Sabbath), as also in Exodus 20:8-11(as one of theTen Commandments). Sabbath is commanded and commended many more times in the Torah andTanakh; double the normal number of animalsacrificesare to be offered on the day.Sabbath is also described by the prophetsIsaiah,Jeremiah,Ezekiel,Hosea,Amos, andNehemiah.
The longstanding Jewish position is that unbroken seventh-day Shabbat originated among the Jewish people, as their first and most sacred institution.The origins of Shabbat and a seven-day week are not clear to scholars; theMosaictradition claims an origin from the Genesis creation narrative.
The first non-Biblical reference to Sabbath is in anostraconfound in excavations atMesad Hashavyahu, which has been dated to approximately 630 BCE.
The Tanakh andsiddurdescribe Shabbat as having three purposes:
Judaism accords Shabbat the status of a joyous holy day. In many ways,Jewish lawgives Shabbat the status of being the most important holy day in theHebrew calendar:
Honoring Shabbat (kavod Shabbat) on Preparation Day (Friday) includes bathing, having a haircut and cleaning and beautifying the home (with flowers, for example).
Days in the Jewish calendar start at nightfall, therefore manyJewish holidaysbegin atsuch time.According to Jewish law, Shabbat starts a few minutes before sunset. Candles are lit at this time. It is customary in many communities to light the candles 18 minutes before sundown (tosefet Shabbat, although sometimes 36 minutes), and most printed Jewish calendars adhere to this custom.
TheKabbalat Shabbatservice is a prayer service welcoming the arrival of Shabbat. Before Friday night dinner, it is customary to sing two songs, one "greeting" two Shabbat angels into the house("Shalom Aleichem"-"Peace Be Upon You") and the other praising the woman of the house for all the work she has done over the past week ("Eshet Ḥayil"-"Women Of Valour").After blessings over the wine andchallah, a festive meal is served. Singing is traditional at Sabbath meals.In modern times, many composers have written sacred music for use during the Kabbalat Shabbat observance, includingRobert StrassburgandSamuel Adler.
According torabbinic literature, God via the Torah commands Jews toobserve(refrain from forbidden activity) andremember(with words, thoughts, and actions) Shabbat, and these two actions are symbolized by the customary twoShabbat candles. Candles are lit usually by the woman of the house (or else by a man who lives alone). Some families light more candles, sometimes in accordance with the number of children.
Shabbat is a day of celebration as well asprayer. It is customary to eat three festive meals: Dinner on Shabbat eve (Friday night), lunch on Shabbat day (Saturday), and a third meal (aSeudah shlishit) in the late afternoon (Saturday). It is also customary to wear nice clothing (different from during the week) on Shabbat to honor the day.
Many Jews attend synagogue services on Shabbat even if they do not do so during the week. Services are held on Shabbat eve (Friday night), Shabbat morning (Saturday morning), and late Shabbat afternoon (Saturday afternoon).
With the exception ofYom Kippur, days of public fasting are postponed or advanced if they coincide with Shabbat. Mourners sittingshivah(week of mourning subsequent to the death of a spouse or first-degree relative) outwardly conduct themselves normally for the duration of the day and are forbidden to display public signs of mourning.
Although most Shabbat laws are restrictive, the fourth of the Ten Commandments in Exodus is taken by the Talmud andMaimonidesto allude to thepositivecommandments of Shabbat. These include:
Havdalah(Hebrew: הַבְדָּלָה, "separation") is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat, and ushers in the new week. At the conclusion of Shabbat at nightfall, after the appearance of three stars in the sky, thehavdalahblessings are recited over a cup of wine, and with the use of fragrant spices and a candle, usually braided. Some communities delayhavdalahlater into the night in order to prolong Shabbat. There are different customs regarding how much time one should wait after the stars have surfaced until the sabbath technically ends. Some people hold by 72 minutes later and other hold longer and shorter than that.
Jewish law (halakha)prohibits doing any form ofmelakhah(מְלָאכָה, pluralmelakhoth) on Shabbat, unless an urgent human or medical need is life-threatening. Thoughmelakhahis commonly translated as "work" inEnglish, a better definition is "deliberate activity" or "skill and craftmanship". There are 39 categories ofmelakhah:
The 39melakhothare not so much activities as "categories of activity". For example, while "winnowing" usually refers exclusively to the separation ofchafffromgrain, and "selecting" refers exclusively to the separation of debris from grain, they refer in the Talmudic sense to any separation of intermixed materials which renders edible that which was inedible. Thus, filtering undrinkable water to make it drinkable falls under this category, as does picking small bones from fish (gefilte fishis one solution to this problem).
The categories of labors prohibited on Shabbat areexegeticallyderived – on account of Biblical passages juxtaposing Shabbat observance (Exodus 35:1–3) to making theTabernacle(Exodus 35:4 etc.) – that they are the kinds of work that were necessary for the construction of theTabernacle. They are not explicitly listed in the Torah; the Mishnah observes that "the laws of Shabbat ... are like mountains hanging by a hair, for they are little Scripture but many laws".Manyrabbinic scholarshave pointed out that these labors have in common activity that is "creative", or that exercises control or dominion over one'senvironment.
In addition to the 39melakhot, additional activities wereprohibited by the rabbisfor various reasons.
The termshomer Shabbatis used for a person (or organization) who adheres to Shabbat laws consistently. The (strict) observance of the Sabbath is often seen as a benchmark for orthodoxy and indeed has legal bearing on the way a Jew is seen by anorthodox religious courtregarding their affiliation to Judaism.
Orthodox and some Conservative authorities rule that turningelectricdevices on or off is prohibited as amelakhah; however, authorities are not in agreement about exactly which one(s). One view is that tiny sparks are created in a switch when the circuit is closed, and this would constitute lighting a fire (category 37). If the appliance is purposed for light or heat (such as anincandescent bulbor electric oven), then the lighting or heating elements may be considered as a type of fire that falls under both lighting a fire (category 37) and cooking (i.e., baking, category 11). Turning lights off would be extinguishing a fire (category 36). Another view is that completing an electrical circuit constitutes building (category 35) and turning off the circuit would be demolishing (category 34). Some schools of thought consider the use of electricity to be forbidden only byrabbinic injunction, rather than amelakhah.
A common solution to the problem of electricity involves preset timers (Shabbat clocks) for electric appliances, to turn them on and off automatically, with no human intervention on Shabbat itself. Some Conservative authoritiesreject altogether the arguments for prohibiting the use of electricity. Some Orthodox also hire a "Shabbos goy", a non-Jew (who must not be regularly employed by the household in question) to perform prohibited tasks (like operating light switches) on Shabbat.
Orthodox and many Conservative authorities completely prohibit the use of automobiles on Shabbat as a violation of multiple categories, including lighting a fire, extinguishing a fire, and transferring between domains (category 39). However, the Conservative movement'sCommittee on Jewish Law and Standardspermits driving to a synagogue on Shabbat, as an emergency measure, on the grounds that if Jews lost contact with synagogue life, they would become lost to the Jewish people.
A halakhically authorizedShabbat modeadded to a power-operatedmobility scootermay be used on the observance of Shabbat for those with walking limitations, often referred to as a Shabbat scooter. It is intended only for individuals whose limited mobility is dependent on a scooter or automobile consistently throughout the week.
Seemingly "forbidden" acts may be performed by modifying technology such that no law is actually violated. InSabbath mode, a "Sabbath elevator" will stop automatically at every floor, allowing people to step on and off without anyone having to press any buttons, which would normally be needed to work. (Dynamic brakingis also disabled if it is normally used, i.e., shunting energy collected from downward travel, and thus thegravitational potential energyof passengers, into aresistornetwork.) However, many rabbinical authorities consider the use of such elevators by those who are otherwise capable as a violation of Shabbat, with such workarounds being for the benefit of the frail and handicapped and not being in the spirit of the day.
Many observant Jews avoid the prohibition of carrying by use of aneruv. Others make theirkeysinto atie bar, part of abeltbuckle, or abrooch, because a legitimate article ofclothingorjewelrymay be worn rather than carried. An elastic band with clips on both ends, and with keys placed between them as integral links, may be considered a belt.
Shabbat lampshave been developed to allow a light in a room to be turned on or off at will while the electricity remains on. A special mechanism blocks out the light when the off position is desired without violating Shabbat.
TheShabbos Appis a proposedAndroid appclaimed by its creators to enableOrthodoxJews, and all Jewish Sabbath-observers, to use asmartphoneto text on the Jewish Sabbath. It has met with resistance from some authorities.
If a human life is in danger (pikuach nefesh), then a Jew is not only allowed, but required,to violate any halakhic law that stands in the way of saving that person (excluding murder, idolatry, and forbidden sexual acts). The concept of life being in danger is interpreted broadly: for example, it is mandated that one violate Shabbat to bring a woman in active labor to a hospital. Lesser rabbinic restrictions are often violated under much less urgent circumstances (a patient who is ill but not critically so).
Various other legal principles closely delineate which activities constitutedesecration of Shabbat. Examples of these include the principle ofshinui("change" or "deviation"): A violation is not regarded as severe if the prohibited act was performed in a way that would be considered abnormal on a weekday. Examples include writing with one's nondominant hand, according to many rabbinic authorities. This legal principle operatesbedi'avad(ex post facto) and does not cause a forbidden activity to be permitted barring extenuating circumstances.
Generally, adherents ofReformandReconstructionist Judaismbelieve that the individual Jew determines whether to follow Shabbat prohibitions or not. For example, some Jews might find activities, such as writing or cooking forleisure, to be enjoyable enhancements to Shabbat and its holiness, and therefore may encourage such practices. Many Reform Jews believe that what constitutes "work" is different for each person, and that only what the person considers "work" is forbidden.The radical Reform rabbiSamuel Holdheimadvocated moving Sabbath to Sunday for many no longer observed it, a step taken by dozens of congregations in the United States in late 19th century.
More rabbinically traditional Reform and Reconstructionist Jews believe that thesehalakhothin general may be valid, but that it is up to each individual to decide how and when to apply them. A small fraction of Jews in the Progressive Jewish community accept these laws in much the same way as Orthodox Jews.
The Talmud, especially in tractate Shabbat, defines rituals and activities to both "remember" and "keep" the Sabbath and to sanctify it at home and in the synagogue. In addition to refraining from creative work, the sanctification of the day throughblessings over wine, the preparation of specialSabbath meals, and engaging inprayerandTorah studywere required as an active part of Shabbat observance to promote intellectual activity and spiritual regeneration on the day of rest from physical creation. According to many scribes, half of the day should be devoted to Torah study and prayer.The Talmud states that the best food should be prepared for the Sabbath, for "one who delights in the Sabbath is granted their heart's desires" (BT, Shabbat 118a-b).
AllJewish denominationsencourage the following activities on Shabbat:
Special Shabbatot are the Shabbatot that precede importantJewish holidays: e.g.,Shabbat HaGadol(Shabbat precedingPesach),Shabbat Zachor(Shabbat precedingPurim), andShabbat Shuvah(Shabbat betweenRosh HashanahandYom Kippur).
MostChristiansdo not observe Saturday Sabbath, but instead observe a weekly day of worship onSunday, which is often called the "Lord's Day". Several Christian denominations, such as theSeventh-day Adventist Church, theChurch of God (7th Day), theSeventh Day Baptists, andothers, observeseventh-day Sabbath. This observance is celebrated from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.
Samaritansalso observe Shabbat.
Some hold the biblical sabbath was not connected to a 7-day week like theGregorian calendar.Instead the New Moon marks the starting point for counting and the shabbat falls consistently on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th of each month.  Biblical text to support using the moon, a light in the heavens, to determine days includeGenesis 1:14,Psalm 104:19, andSirach 43:6–8See references:
Rabbinic Jewish tradition and practice does not hold of this, holding the sabbath to be based on the days of creation, and hence a wholly separate cycle from the monthly cycle, which does not occur automatically and must be rededicated each month.Seekiddush hachodesh.