A Sabbatical Study
By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
A Sabbatical Study
By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
In this study I
would like to study the Shabbat (Sabbath) and it’s implications. Lets start
with a definition of Shabbat:
The Shabbat
begins Friday at sundown and ends at sundown on Saturday. The Shabbat is
therefore NOT the same as Saturday. which begins and ends at
As we study the
issue of the Shabbat, please remember that the Shabbat was given as a “sign of the covenant” to the Jews.
The Shabbat was made
for all men to enjoy, when they entered the Mosaic covenant. Gentiles, and Jews, had to enter the covenant before
they could enjoy the Shabbat. The Shabbat was part of the contract between HaShem and Israel and a token
and sign of that covenant:
Shemot (Exodus) 31:12-17 And
HaShem spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of
The contract was not
made with men before Moses. It was made with
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 5:1-3 And Moses
called all
The Shabbat only
applied to the Jew, the ger tzaddik, and the ger toshav who was ready to
convert. (A Ger toshav is a Gentile who keeps the seven
laws of Noah. A ger tzaddik is the name for a Gentile after he has entered
the covenant and becomes a Jew.) It did not apply to all people. Some may quote
Hakham Shaul:
Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you
in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Shabbat [days]: Which are a shadow
of things to come; but the body [is] of Mashiach.
Hakham Shaul is not
abrogating the Torah! He is not changing what HaShem did with the Israelites.
He does not have the authority or the desire to
change this. Therefore we must conclude that the ones keeping the Shabbat are
either Jews or proselytes (ger toshav).
Hakham Shaul may
also have been referring to the festival Shabbats
which the Gentiles may keep, except for Shemini Atzeret.
Remember that the natural progression would have the Gentiles
become ger toshav, then the ger toshav would then convert and become a ger
tzaddik.
Some may also claim
that His Majesty King Yeshua changed this by saying:
Marqos (Mark)
We must conclude
that Mashiach’s audience were Jews
and that this was not meant to apply to those who were not a part of the covenant.
There is an
important concept here, that we learn from this world.
I don't enjoy the wages and perks of a sports star, because I did not sign the
contract and because I did not do the work. The Shabbat was a "sign" for those who "signed" the covenant,
and kept its provision. It was the reward for those folks alone, much as a
sports star will not tolerate an interloper. All covenants, or contracts, are
like this: Those who sign, and keep the provisions, enjoy the rewards. Those
who don't sign, or don't keep the provisions, do not share in the reward.
While Jews and ger
toshav will be part of the Olam HaBa, they both have different roles and
functions. This does not have anything to do with enjoying the Shabbat.
So, far from being a
discouragement, the Shabbat is meant to entice the Gentile to "sign"
the covenant (immerse in the mikveh, brit milah, and agree before a Bet Din to keep the
covenant). It is a reward for the man who loves HaShem
and is willing to do what it takes. It is NOT for any Tom, Dick, or Harry who
decides he wants it. That is outright theft and it negates the covenant.
As the Talmud states: "A gentile who observed Shabbat deserves death"[1]
The
Maharsha explains[2] that the Shabbat is, metaphorically, a bride. Indeed, the Talmud refers[3] to the Shabbat as a bride and the Shabbat is
greeted in the same way that a bride is greeted This imagery was immortalized
by Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz (a 16th century poet and Kabbalist from Tzfat) in his
classical liturgical song, Lecha Dodi, which is sung just before the reception
of the Shabbat. Rabbi Avraham Sperling writes[4] based on this allegorical comparison, that Shabbat
is the female companion to the Israelite nation. The Jewish Nation is married
to Shabbat. Therefore, when a non-Jew follows the rules of Shabbat, it is as if
he is committing adultery with the married bride Shabbat, and so he is liable for the death penalty. However, before
the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, Shabbat did
not yet have any marital connection to the
Jewish Nation, and therefore, the patriarchs of the Jewish Nation, even if they
had the halachic status of Noachides,
were allowed to observe the laws of Shabbat in its entirety.
Please keep this in
mind as Your Excellencies study the Shabbat.
Question one: Who
can/must celebrate the "feasts" and the Shabbats?
Shemot
(Exodus) 20:1-11 And G-d spoke all
these words: "I am HaShem your G-d, who brought you out of
The Shabbat applied to all people, aliens (gerim), and
animals within the gates of the Israelites. Now, if one were to go to Mea
Sharim, in
(The question: "Who is Israel", is profound. If you do not know, you need to study further.)
Vayikra (Leviticus)
An alien is a not a native of the land. This is the Hebrew "ger", a righteous non-Jew who has been grafted into Israel through Brit Milah, immersion, and the Bet Din.
Shemot (Exodus) 23:12 "Six days do your work, but on the
seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey
may rest and the slave born in your household, and
the alien as well, may be refreshed.
All animals and people were commanded to rest on the Shabbat. The passage does not indicate that they had to be within the gates, but merely owned by a Jew.
Shemot (Exodus) 31:13-17 "Say to the Israelites, 'You must
observe my Shabbats. This will be a sign
between me and you for the generations to come,
so you may know that I am HaShem, who makes you holy. "'Observe the Shabbat,
because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death;
whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. For six
days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Shabbat of rest, holy to
HaShem. Whoever does any work on the Shabbat day must be put to death. The
Israelites are to observe the Shabbat, celebrating it for the generations to
come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign
between me and the Israelites forever, for in
six days HaShem made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he
abstained from work and rested.'"
The Israelites must observe the Shabbats. Whoever does any work on the Shabbat day must be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the Shabbat as a lasting covenant. The Shabbat day was to be a sign between HaShem and the Israelites forever.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:1-3 HaShem said to Moses, "Speak to the
entire assembly of
HaShem gave the Shabbat day commands to
Bamidbar (Numbers) 15:13-16 "'Everyone who is native-born must
do these things in this way when he brings an offering
made by fire as an aroma pleasing to HaShem. For the generations to
come, whenever an alien or anyone else living
among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to HaShem, he
must do exactly as you do. The community is to have the same rules for you and
for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the
generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before HaShem: The
same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to
the alien living among you.'"
The same laws and regulations will apply to both Israelite and the alien living among them.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 5:14-15 But the seventh day is a Shabbat to HaShem
your G-d. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or
daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and
maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that HaShem your G-d brought you
out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore HaShem your
G-d has commanded you to observe the Shabbat day.
The Shabbat applied to Israelites
and aliens within
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:11-12 When all Israel
comes to appear before HaShem your G-d at the place he will choose, you shall
read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the
people--men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns--so
they can listen and learn to fear HaShem your G-d and follow carefully all the
words of this law.
All
Yehoshua (Joshua) 8:32-35 There, in the presence of the Israelites,
Yehoshua copied on stones the law of Moses, which he had written. All Israel, aliens
and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on
both sides of the ark of the covenant of HaShem,
facing those who carried it--the priests, who were
Levites. Half of the people stood in front of
The whole assembly of
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 14:1 HaShem will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose
Aliens will join them in the land and unite with the house of Jacob.
Ezekiel 47:21-23 "You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to
the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens
who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them
as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an
inheritance among the tribes of
Aliens, in Israel, and Israelites were given an inheritance in land.
Ephesians 2:17-22 He came and preached peace to you who were
far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access
to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and
aliens, but fellow citizens with G-d's people and members of G-d's household, Built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, with Mashiach Yeshua
himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together
and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in
him you too are being built together to become a dwelling
in which G-d lives by his Spirit.
Foreigners and aliens, who accept the Lord, are fellow
citizens with HaShem's people. This does not make
them Jews or a part of
Romans 11:13-21 I am talking to you Gentiles.
Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry In the
hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For
if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their
acceptance be but life from the dead? If the
part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy;
if the root is holy, so are the branches. If some of the branches have
been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among
the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, Do not
boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the
root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were
broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were
broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but
be afraid. For if G-d did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you
either.
There is a distinction between a Ger tzaddik and a Jew, but, they are both part of the olive tree, and called Israel. Ger tzaddik are holy because the Israelites are holy.
Question two: What
are the attributes and requirements of the Shabbat?
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:2-4 By the seventh day G-d had finished the
work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And
G-d blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from
all the work of creating that he had done. This is
the account of the heavens and the earth when they
were created. When HaShem G-d made the earth and the heavens--
It is holy because
HaShem rested from His creation work.
Shemot (Exodus) 16:12-36 "I have heard the grumbling of the
Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat
meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that
I am HaShem your G-d.'" That evening quail came and covered the camp, and
in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone,
thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the
Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they
did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread HaShem has
given you to eat. This is what HaShem has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person
you have in your tent.'" The Israelites did as they were told; some
gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, he who
gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have
too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed. Then Moses said to them,
"No one is to keep any of it until morning." However, some of them
paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full
of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. Each morning
everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the
sun grew hot, it melted away. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much--two omers for each person--and the leaders of the community
came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, "This is what HaShem commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a
holy Shabbat to HaShem. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you
want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'" So they
saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots
in it. "Eat it today," Moses said,
"because today is a Shabbat to HaShem. You will not find any of it on the ground
today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the
seventh day, the Shabbat, there will not be any." Nevertheless, some
of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found
none. Then HaShem said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? Bear in mind that HaShem has
given you the Shabbat; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two
days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go
out." So the people rested on the seventh day. The people of
The seventh day is the Shabbat. It is a day of rest.
We are to stay where we are and not go out.
Shemot (Exodus) 20:8-11 "Remember the Shabbat day by
keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, But the
seventh day is a Shabbat to HaShem your G-d. On it you shall not do any work,
neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor
your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in
six days HaShem made the heavens and the earth, the
sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore HaShem
blessed the Shabbat day and made it holy.
Jews remember the shabbat by keeping it holy. You shall not work on the shabbat. The shabbat is blessed and holy. So, how does one make the shabbat holy? Observant Jews do two things to make the shabbat holy. They light two candles before the shabbat starts, then they make kiddush (wine blessing) after shabbat starts. Then, we make kiddush just before shabbat ends and light a candle after shabbat ends. Thus we perform the candle lighting before and after shabbat and then we make kiddush right after shabbat starts and just before shabbat ends.
Shemot (Exodus) 23:12-13 "Six days do your work, but on the
seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the
slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed. "Be careful
to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do
not let them be heard on your lips.
Do no work on the seventh day so that you may be refreshed.
Shemot (Exodus) 31:13-17 "Say to the Israelites,
'You must observe my Shabbats. This will be a sign
between me and you for the generations to come,
so you may know that I am HaShem, who makes you holy.
"'Observe the Shabbat, because it is holy to you. Anyone who
desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must
be cut off from his people. For six days, work is to be
done, but the seventh day is a Shabbat of rest, holy to HaShem. Whoever does
any work on the Shabbat day must be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the Shabbat, celebrating it
for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.
It will be a sign between me and the Israelites
forever, for in six days HaShem made the heavens
and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.'"
The shabbat is a sign between the Israelites and HaShem. Any Jew who desecrates the shabbat must be put to death. Any Jew who does any work on the shabbat day must be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the shabbat as a lasting covenant. It is a sign between HaShem and the Israelites forever.
Shemot (Exodus) 34:21 "Six days you shall labor, but on the
seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you
must rest.
Jews rest on the seventh day even though work may be critical.
Shemot (Exodus) 35:1-3 Moses assembled the whole Israelite
community and said to them, "These are the things HaShem has commanded you
to do: For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be
your holy day, a Shabbat of rest to HaShem. Whoever does any work on it
must be put to death. Do not light a fire in any
of your dwellings on the Shabbat day."
Jews must work for six days. The seventh day shall be your holy day. Whoever works must be put to death. Do not light a fire in your dwellings on the Shabbat day.
Vayikra (Leviticus)
The Israelites are to observe HaShem's Shabbats.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:1-44 HaShem said to Moses, "Speak to the
Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed
feasts, the appointed feasts of HaShem, which
you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
"'There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a
Shabbat of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any
work; wherever you live, it is a Shabbat to HaShem. "'These are
HaShem’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their
appointed times: HaShem's Passover begins at twilight
on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the
fifteenth day of that month HaShem’s Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the
first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. For seven days present
an offering made to HaShem by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred
assembly and do no regular work.'" HaShem said to Moses, "Speak to
the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you
and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you
harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before HaShem so it will be accepted on your
behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after
the Shabbat. On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to HaShem a lamb a year old without defect,
Together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed
with oil--an offering made to HaShem by fire, a pleasing aroma--and its drink
offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. You must not eat
any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering
to your G-d. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations
to come, wherever you live. "'From the day after the Shabbat, the day you
brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven
full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day
after the seventh Shabbat, and then present an offering
of new grain to HaShem. From wherever you live, bring
two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour,
baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to HaShem. Present with
this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and
without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to
HaShem, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings--an offering
made by fire, an aroma pleasing to HaShem. Then
sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs,
each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest
is to wave the two lambs before HaShem as a wave
offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred
offering to HaShem for the priest. On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be
a lasting ordinance for the generations to come,
wherever you live. "'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap
to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave
them for the poor and the alien. I am HaShem your G-d.'" HaShem said to
Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of
rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet
blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to HaShem by
fire.'" HaShem said to Moses, "The tenth day of
this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold
a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to HaShem
by fire. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before HaShem your G-d.
Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. I
will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. You
shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations
to come, wherever you live. It is a Shabbat of rest for you, and you must
deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the
following evening you are to observe your Shabbat." HaShem said to
Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day
of the seventh month HaShem’s Feast of Tabernacles
begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no
regular work. For seven days present offerings made to HaShem by fire, and on
the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to HaShem by
fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work. ("'These are HaShem’s
appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing
offerings made to HaShem by fire--the burnt offerings and grain offerings,
sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. These offerings are in
addition to those for HaShem’s Shabbats and in addition to your gifts and
whatever you have vowed and all the freewill
offerings you give to HaShem.) "'So beginning with the fifteenth day of
the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the
festival to HaShem for seven days; the first day is
a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. On the first day you
are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and
poplars, and rejoice before HaShem your G-d for seven days. Celebrate this as a
festival to HaShem for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance
for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths
for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths So your
descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought
them out of
Six days you may work. The seventh day is a Shabbat of rest. The Shabbat is a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work. The Shabbat applies to Israelites no matter where they live. The Day of Atonement is a Shabbat.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 24:5-8 "Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for
each loaf. Set them in two rows, six
in each row, on the table of pure gold before HaShem.
Along each row put some pure incense as a memorial
portion to represent the bread and to be an offering made to HaShem by fire. This bread is to be set out before HaShem regularly,
Shabbat after Shabbat, on behalf of the Israelites,
as a lasting covenant.
The bread for the Shabbat was a lasting covenant.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:1-10 HaShem said to Moses on
The
Vayikra (Leviticus) 26:2 "'Observe my Shabbats and have
reverence for my sanctuary. I am HaShem.
The Shabbat observance is a command.
Bamidbar (Numbers) 15:32-36 While the Israelites were in the desert, a
man was found gathering wood on the Shabbat day. Those who found him
gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, And they
kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then
HaShem said to Moses, "The man must die. The whole assembly must
stone him outside the camp." So the assembly took him outside the camp and
stoned him to death, as HaShem commanded Moses.
Gathering wood on the Shabbat required the death penalty.
Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:9-10 "'On the Shabbat day, make an offering
of two lambs a year old without defect, together with its drink offering and a
grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. This is
the burnt offering for every Shabbat, in addition
to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
The Shabbat required a drink, grain, and burnt offering.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 5:12-15 "Observe the Shabbat day by keeping
it holy, as HaShem your G-d has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and
do all your work, But the seventh day is a Shabbat to HaShem your G-d. On it
you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor
your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey
or any of your animals, nor the alien within your
gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do.
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that HaShem your G-d brought you out of there with a mighty
hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore HaShem your G-d has commanded
you to observe the Shabbat day.
Jews observe the Shabbat by keeping it holy. No one is to work, man or beast.
I Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 23:28-31 The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron's
descendants in the service of the temple of HaShem:
to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all
sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house
of G-d. They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the flour
for the grain offerings, the unleavened wafers, the baking and the mixing, and
all measurements of quantity and size. They were also to stand every morning to
thank and praise HaShem. They were to do the same in the evening And whenever burnt
offerings were presented to HaShem on Shabbats and at New
Moon festivals and at appointed feasts. They
were to serve before HaShem regularly in the proper number and in the way
prescribed for them.
Burnt offerings were proper on the Shabbats.
Nehemiah 8:1-12 All the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water
Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law
of Moses, which HaShem had commanded for Israel. So
on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was
made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till
The Shabbat is sacred to HaShem our G-d. Jews ought not to mourn or weep on the Shabbat. We ought to enjoy choice food and sweet drinks on the Shabbat. We ought to share our food and drink with those who have none. We should not grieve on the Shabbat. We ought to celebrate with great joy on the Shabbat. The first day of the seventh month is a Shabbat.
Vayikra (Leviticus)
==================================
7677 shabbathown, shab-baw-thone'; from 7676; a sabbatism or special holiday:- rest, Shabbat.
----------------- Dictionary Trace ------------------
7676 shabbath, shab-bawth'; intens. from 7673; intermission, i.e. (spec.) the Shabbat:-(+ every) Shabbat.
Nehemiah 9:13-17 "You came down on
The Shabbat is part of the commands, decrees, and laws.
Nehemiah
Jews will not buy anything on the Shabbat.
Nehemiah 13:15-22 In those days I saw men in Judah treading
winepresses on the Shabbat and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were
bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Shabbat. Therefore
I warned them against selling food on that day. Men
from
Jews ought not to sell food on the Shabbat. Buying and selling food on the Shabbat desecrates the Shabbat. The Levites guarded the gates to keep the Shabbat holy.
Tehilim (Psalms) 92:1-15 {A psalm. A
song. For the Shabbat day.} It is good to praise HaShem
and make music to your name, O Most High, To proclaim your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night, To the music of the ten-stringed
lyre and the melody of the harp. For you make me glad by your deeds, O HaShem;
I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O HaShem,
how profound your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not
understand, That though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers
flourish, they will be forever destroyed. But you, O HaShem, are exalted
forever. For surely your enemies, O HaShem, surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered. You have exalted my horn like that of a wild
ox; fine oils have been poured upon me. My eyes have
seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. The righteous will flourish like a palm
tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; Planted in the house of HaShem,
they will flourish in the courts of our G-d. They will still bear fruit in old
age, they will stay fresh and green, Proclaiming, "HaShem is upright; he
is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."
Jews ought to sing praises to the Lord on the Shabbat.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 56:1-7 This is what HaShem says: "Maintain
justice and do what is right, for my salvation is
close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man
who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Shabbat without
desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." Let no
foreigner who has bound himself to HaShem say, "HaShem will surely exclude
me from his people." And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a
dry tree." For this is what HaShem says: "To the eunuchs who keep
my Shabbats, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-- To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than
sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut
off. And foreigners who bind themselves to HaShem to serve him, to love
the name of HaShem, and to worship him, all who keep
the Shabbat without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-- These I
will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt
offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be
called a house of prayer for all nations."
The one who keeps the Shabbat holy is blessed. The eunuch who keeps the Shabbat will receive an everlasting name. (eunuch = official) The Lord will give joy to foreigners (the ger within the gates) who keep the Shabbat.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:13-14 "If you keep your feet from breaking
the Shabbat and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Shabbat
a delight and HaShem’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not
going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, Then
you will find your joy in HaShem, and I will cause you to ride on the heights
of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your
father Jacob." The mouth of HaShem has
spoken.
The Lord's holy day is the Shabbat. (This also the Lord's day as spoken by Yochanan (John) in Revelation 1:10). If you keep the Shabbat holy you will find joy, you will ride on the heights of the land, and you will feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:22-23 "As the new heavens
and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares HaShem,
"so will your name and descendants endure. From one New
Moon to another and from one Shabbat to another, all mankind will come and
bow down before me," says HaShem.
The Shabbat will be kept in the new heaven and the new earth.
Jeremiah 17:21-27 This is what HaShem says: Be careful not
to carry a load on the Shabbat day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. Do not bring a load out of your houses
or do any work on the Shabbat, but keep the Shabbat day holy, as
I commanded your forefathers. Yet they did not
listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond
to discipline. But if you are careful to obey me, declares HaShem, and bring no
load through the gates of this city on the Shabbat, but keep the Shabbat day
holy by not doing any work on it, Then kings who sit on David's throne will
come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their
officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of
Be careful not to carry a load on the Shabbat or bring it
through the gates of
Ezekiel 20:10-24 Therefore I led them out of Egypt and
brought them into the desert. I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. Also
I gave them my Shabbats as a sign between us, so they
would know that I HaShem made them holy. "'Yet the people of
The Shabbat is a sign between Israel and the Lord, so that they would know that HaShem made the Shabbat holy. The one who desecrates the Shabbat will have the wrath of G-d poured out on them.
The Israelites did not enter the
promised land because they did not keep HaShem's laws and desecrated the Shabbat. Keeping the Shabbat
day holy allows the Shabbat to be a sign between
Ezekiel 44:24 "'In any dispute, the priests
are to serve as judges and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to
keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed feasts,
and they are to keep my Shabbats holy.
The priests, the sons of Aaron, are to keep the HaShem's Shabbat holy.
Ezekiel 46:1-5 "'This is what the Sovereign HaShem says: The gate of the
inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Shabbat day and on the day of
the New Moon it is to be opened. The prince
is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand
by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt
offering and his fellowship offerings. He is to worship at the threshold of
the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening. On
the Shabbats and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the
presence of HaShem at the entrance to that gateway. The burnt offering the
prince brings to HaShem on the Shabbat day is to be six male lambs and a ram,
all without defect. The grain offering given with the ram is to be an ephah,
and the grain offering with the lambs is to be as much as he pleases, along
with a hin of oil for each ephah.
The East gate is to be open only on the Shabbat and on the day of the new moon. The prince is to enter through the east gate. On the Shabbat the people are to worship in the presence of HaShem at the entrance to the east gateway.
Amos 8:1-10 This is what the Sovereign HaShem showed me: a basket of ripe fruit.
"What do you see, Amos?" he asked. "A basket of ripe
fruit," I answered. Then HaShem said to me, "The time is ripe for my
people
Keeping the Shabbat holy requires the right attitude. Because the Shabbats were desecrated and sin filled the land, HaShem will judge the land.
Matityahu (Matthew) 5:17-24 "Do not think that I have come to
abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to
abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any
means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone
who breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,
but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the
kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law,
you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that
it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will
be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his
brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother,
'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will
be in danger of the fire of hell. "Therefore, if
you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother
has something against you, Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First
go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Yeshua did not come to abolish the law, but, to fulfill it. The law will not disappear until everything has been accomplished. Anyone who breaks the law or teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever teaches and practices the law will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matityahu (Matthew) 12:1-13 At that time Yeshua
went through the grainfields on the Shabbat. His disciples were hungry and
began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are
doing what is unlawful on the Shabbat." He answered, "Haven't you
read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of G-d, and he and his companions ate the
consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Shabbat
the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet
are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you
had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not
have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Shabbat."
Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue,
And a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse
Yeshua, they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Shabbat?" He
said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Shabbat,
will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man
than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Shabbat."
Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it
out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.
It is lawful to harvest the food you eat on the Shabbat. The priests desecrate the Shabbat and yet are innocent. The Son of Man is Lord of the Shabbat. It is lawful to do good on the Shabbat.
Matityahu (Matthew) 24:20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Shabbat.
We ought to pray that the tribulation flight will not take place on the Shabbat. The Shabbat is obviously to be a factor at the tribulation time.
Marqos (Mark) 2:23-3:5 One Shabbat Yeshua was going through the
grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they
began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why
are they doing what is unlawful on the Shabbat?" He answered, "Have
you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in
need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he
entered the house of G-d and ate the consecrated
bread, which is lawful only for priests
to eat. And he also gave some to his
companions." Then he said to them, "The Shabbat was made for man,
not man for the Shabbat. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Shabbat."
Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man
with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were
looking for a reason to accuse Yeshua, so they
watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Shabbat. Yeshua said to
the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."
Then Yeshua asked them, "Which is lawful on the Shabbat: to do good or
to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. He
looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts,
said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and
his hand was completely restored.
It is lawful to heal on the Shabbat. The Shabbat was made for man, not man for the Shabbat. The Son of man is Lord of the Shabbat. It is lawful to do good and to save life on the Shabbat.
Marqos (Mark) 6:1-2 Yeshua left there and went to his hometown,
accompanied by his disciples. When the Shabbat came, he began to teach in the
synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get
these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given
him, that he even does miracles!
It is lawful to teach the things of HaShem on the Shabbat.
Luqas (Luke) 4:14-19 Yeshua returned to
Jews ought to read the Torah on the Shabbat.
Luqas (Luke) 6:1-11 One Shabbat Yeshua was going through the
grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in
their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you
doing what is unlawful on the Shabbat?" Yeshua answered them, "Have
you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He
entered the house of G-d, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is
lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."
Then Yeshua said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Shabbat." On
another Shabbat he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was
there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law
were looking for a reason to accuse Yeshua, so they watched him closely to see
if he would heal on the Shabbat. But Yeshua knew what they were thinking and
said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of
everyone." So he got up and stood there. Then Yeshua said to them, "I
ask you, which is lawful on the Shabbat: to do good or to do evil, to save life
or to destroy it?" He looked around at them all, and then said to the man,
"Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely
restored. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they
might do to Yeshua.
Luqas (Luke) 13:10-17 On a Shabbat Yeshua
was teaching in one of the synagogues, And a woman
was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent
over and could not straighten up at all. When Yeshua saw her, he called her
forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your
infirmity." Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened
up and praised G-d. Indignant because Yeshua had healed on the Shabbat, the
synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come
and be healed on those days, not on the Shabbat." The Lord answered him,
"You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Shabbat untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?
Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound
for eighteen long years, be set free on the Shabbat day from what bound her?"
When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were
delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Jews ought to take care of their livestock on the Shabbat. Jews ought to give freedom on the Shabbat.
Yochanan (John) 7:22-23 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from
Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Shabbat.
Now if a child can be circumcised on the Shabbat so that the law
of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man
on the Shabbat?
It is lawful to circumcise on the Shabbat.
II Luqas (Acts) 13:14-16 From Perga they went on to Pisidian
Antioch. On the Shabbat they entered the synagogue and sat down. After the
reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to
them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the
people, please speak." Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said:
"Men of
Jews should read from the Law and the Prophets on the Shabbat. It is lawful to preach on the Shabbat.
II Luqas (Acts) 13:42-44 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the
synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the
next Shabbat. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and
Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of G-d. On
the next Shabbat almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
Paul and Barnabas kept the Shabbat. Jews ought to gather together to hear the word of the Lord on the Shabbat.
II Luqas (Acts) 15:13-22 When they finished, James spoke up:
"Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how G-d at first showed
his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the
prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: "'After this I will
return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will
restore it, That the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who
bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things' That have been known for
ages. "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it
difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to G-d. Instead we should write to
them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by
idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from
blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times
and is read in the synagogues on every Shabbat." Then the apostles
and elders, with the whole church, decided to
choose some of their own men and send them to
Gentiles were required to
keep only a minimal part of the law, until they had time to learn the books of Moses on the Shabbat. The
Apostles, elders, and the whole church (
II Luqas (Acts)
Jews ought to pray on the Shabbat.
Colossians 2:9-17 For in Mashiach
all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, And you have been given
fullness in Mashiach, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,
not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done
by Mashiach, Having been buried with him in baptism
and raised with him through your faith in the power of G-d, who raised him from
the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your
sinful nature, G-d made you alive with Mashiach. He forgave us all our sins, Having canceled the written code, with its
regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away,
nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he
made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Therefore do
not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or
with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Shabbat day. These are
a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Mashiach.
Colossians
2:16 Let no man therefore judge
you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday,
or of the new moon, or of the Shabbat [days]:
2919 krino, kree'-no; prop. to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or
judicially); by impl. to try, condemn, punish:-avenge, conclude, condemn, damn,
decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in
question, sentence to, think.
Romans 14:3-8 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not,
and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for
G-d has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own
master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him
stand. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands
or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man
considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day
alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one
day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he
gives thanks to G-d; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks
to G-d. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself
alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So,
whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Galatians 4:1-11 What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no
different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to
guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were
children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when
the time had fully come, G-d sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, To redeem those under law, that we might receive the
full rights of sons. Because you are sons, G-d sent the Spirit of his Son into
our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, <"Abba>, Father." So you
are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, G-d has made you
also an heir. Formerly, when you did know G-d, you were slaves to those who by
nature are not gods. But now that you know G-d--or rather are known by G-d--how
is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you
wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and
months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my
efforts on you.
Do not let anyone condemn the Jew for keeping the Shabbat. The Shabbat, new moon, and religious feasts are a shadow of things to come. The reality is found in Mashiach. This does not means that the shadows have gone away!
Bereans (Hebrews) 4:4-11 For somewhere he has spoken about the
seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day G-d rested from all
his work." And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never
enter my rest." It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those
who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their
disobedience. Therefore G-d again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a
long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you
hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Yehoshua had given them
rest, G-d would not have spoken later about another day. There remains,
then, a Shabbat-rest for the people of G-d; For anyone who enters G-d's
rest also rests from his own work, just as G-d did from his. Let us,
therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall
by following their example of disobedience.
There remains, then,
a Shabbat-rest for the people of G-d. Let us, therefore, make every effort to
enter that rest.
Question 3: When was Shabbat observance begun?
Shemot (Exodus) 16:12-36 "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat,
and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am
HaShem your G-d.'" That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in
the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone,
thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the
Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they
did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread HaShem has
given you to eat. This is what HaShem has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as
much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'"
The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when
they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and
he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he
needed. Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until
morning." However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part
of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses
was angry with them. Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and
when the sun grew hot, it melted away. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as
much--two omers for each person--and the leaders of the
community came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, "This is what HaShem commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a
holy Shabbat to HaShem. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you
want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'" So they
saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots
in it. "Eat it today," Moses said,
"because today is a Shabbat to HaShem. You will
not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are
to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Shabbat, there will not be
any." Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to
gather it, but they found none. Then HaShem said to Moses, "How long will
you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?
Bear in mind that HaShem has given you the Shabbat; that is why on the sixth
day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay
where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go out." So the people rested
on the seventh day. The people of
G-d first commanded
Bereshit (Genesis)
The Shabbat day was obviously on HaShem’s mind when he created the world.
Question 4: Are we not under grace
rather than law?
II Luqas (Acts) 15:13-22 When they finished, James spoke up:
"Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how G-d at first showed
his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for
himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is
written: "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its
ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, That the remnant of men may seek
the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these
things' That have been known for ages. "It is my judgment, therefore,
that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to G-d.
Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the
meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in
every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues
on every Shabbat." Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and
send them to
Gentiles were required to keep only a minimal part of the law, until they had time to learn the books of Moses on the Shabbat. The Apostles, elders, and the whole church apparently kept the Shabbat.
II Luqas (Acts) 21:18-29 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to
see James, and all the elders were present. Paul greeted them and reported in
detail what G-d had done among the Gentiles through
his ministry. When they heard this, they praised G-d. Then they said to Paul:
"You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews
have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
They have been informed that you teach all the Jews
who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our
customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, So do
what we tell you. There are four men with us who have
made a vow. Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their
expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there
is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living
in obedience to the law. As for the Gentile
believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of
strangled animals and from sexual immorality." The next day Paul took the
men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of
purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of
You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. But that you yourself (Paul) are living in obedience to the law.
Offering would be made for each of them:
Bamidbar (Numbers) 6:1-27 HaShem said to
Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If a man or woman wants
to make a special vow, a vow of separation to HaShem as a Nazirite,
He must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar
made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or
eat grapes or raisins. As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything
that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or
skins. "'During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be
used on his head. He must be holy until the period of
his separation to HaShem is over; he must let the hair
of his head grow long. Throughout the period of his separation to HaShem he
must not go near a dead body. Even if his own father or mother or brother or
sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them,
because the symbol of his separation to G-d is on his head. Throughout the
period of his separation he is consecrated to HaShem. "'If someone dies suddenly
in his presence, thus defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his
head on the day of his cleansing--the seventh day. Then on the eighth day he
must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent
of Meeting. The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a
burnt offering to make atonement
for him because he sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day he is to consecrate his head. He must
dedicate himself to HaShem for the period of his separation and must bring a
year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because
he became defiled during his separation. "'Now this is the law for the
Nazirite when the period of his separation is over. He is to be brought to the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting. There he is to present his offerings to HaShem: a year-old male lamb without defect for a
burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect
for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering, Together
with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made
without yeast--cakes made of fine flour mixed with oil, and wafers spread with
oil. "'The priest is to present them before HaShem and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. He is to present the
basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering
to HaShem, together with its grain offering and drink offering. "'Then
at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite
must shave off the hair that he dedicated. He is to take the hair and put it in
the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship
offering. "'After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair
of his dedication, the priest is to place in his hands a boiled shoulder of the
ram, and a cake and a wafer from the basket, both made without yeast. The priest shall then wave them before HaShem as a wave
offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that
was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink
wine. "'This is the law of the Nazirite who vows
his offering to HaShem in accordance with his separation, in addition to
whatever else he can afford. He must fulfill the vow he has made, according to
the law of the Nazirite.'" HaShem said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his
sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say
to them: "'"HaShem bless you and keep you; HaShem make his face shine
upon you and be gracious to you; HaShem turn his face toward you and give you
peace."' "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will
bless them."
Paul was participating in a Nazirite vow and was providing the offering!
II Luqas (Acts)
Paul also apparently took a nazarite vow! (with the associated sacrifices)
II Luqas (Acts) 20:1-7 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for
the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for
Paul apparently observed the "Feast of Unleavened Bread". Paul also kept the Shabbat as he was conducting a Havdallah service to conclude the Shabbat.
II Luqas (Acts) 28:13-28 From there we set sail and arrived at
Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we
reached Puteoli. There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week
with them. And so we came to
Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors.
We have not received any letters from
The candles lit on erev Shabbat are lit during the day, eighteen minutes prior to sundown. The havdallah candle is lit during the night, forty-two minutes after sundown. On the fourth day G-d created the sun, moon, and stars. The sun governs the day (erev Shabbat candle), the moon governs the night (the havdallah candle). The fourth command (corresponding to the fourth day), of the ten commands, is to sanctify the seventh day which we do by lighting the erev Shabbat candles and the havdallah candle.
The seventh millennium, when all will be Shabbat, is ushered in with the erev Shabbat candles which are lit eighteen minutes prior to sundown, even as HaShem will have a period of time, known as the time of Jacob’s trouble, when HaShem will bring fire on His enemies, just before the beginning of the Shabbat millennium. In a corresponding manner, HaShem will destroy His enemies and renew the earth after the Shabbat millennium, even as we light the havdallah candle, forty-two minutes after sundown, after the Shabbat.
Procedure:
Lighting Candles
Lighting candles for Shabbat was
originally a practical move. Before electricity was invented candles were the
only source of light, and had to be lit before Shabbat started. In the
centuries since then, however, the lighting of Shabbat candles has developed
into a strong custom which has been invested with more spiritual meaning. Light
is a symbol for peace, joy and the Divine presence, which descend on our homes
during Shabbat.
On the sixth day of creation,
HaShem created mankind in the form of Adam and Eve. On that very same day they were tempted to
eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and
were punished. The end of the sixth day had come and Adam and Eve were about to
leave the Garden for a life of toil and hardship. It
was erev Shabbat and HaShem took pity on them and allowed them to remain in the
Garden for Shabbat. He also prolonged the soft glow of the primordial light,
existent since before Creation, to give Adam and Eve
some comfort in the darkness of their punishment. The primordial light was
extinguished from the world after that first Shabbat, as a punishment for
humanity. Each week, however, when we light candles, we recapture some of the
sparks and they illuminate our day of rest.
The most common custom is to light at
least two candles, corresponding to the two forms of the
fourth commandment: to remember (zachor: Shemot (Exodus) 20:8) and to observe
(shamor: Devarim (Deuteronomy)
How do you light Shabbat candles?
1. Light the candles
2. Wave your hands over the flame,
symbolically drawing the light towards yourself and into your home. (The light
is symbolic of Kedusha, or holiness).
3. Cover your eyes. (see below for
reason)
4. Say the brachah (blessing).
Baruch ata, adonai, eloheinu melech
haolam, asher kdishanu be mitzvotaiv, vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel Shabbat
Blessed are You, HaShem,
our G-d, Sovereign of the world, who sanctified us with His commandments and
has commanded us to kindle the light of Shabbat.
The reason that we cover our eyes is that technically a brachah is recited before the performance of a mitzva. However, since Shabbat begins as soon as the brachah is recited, we light first to ensure that we do not violate Shabbat by kindling fire. We cover our eyes when saying the brachah so that when we open them and see the light it is as if we lit the candles after saying the brachah. [On Yom Tov we look at the candles as we say the brachah, because we are permitted to use fire.]
Facts Concerning the Seventh Day
1. After working the first six days of the week in creating this earth, G-d rested on the seventh day.
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:1-3 Thus the heavens
and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day G-d
had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from
all his work. And G-d blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it
he rested from all the work of creating that he had
done.
This stamped that day as G-d's rest day, or Shabbat day as Shabbat day MEANS rest day. To illustrate: When a person is born on a certain day, that day becomes his BIRTHDAY. So when G-d rested upon the seventh day, that day became His rest, or Shabbat, day. Therefore the seventh day must always be G-d's Shabbat day. Can you change your birthday from the day on which you were born to one on which you were not born? No. Neither can you change G-d's rest day to a day on which He did not rest. Hence the seventh day is still G-d's Shabbat day.
2. The Creator
blessed the seventh day.
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:3 And G-d blessed the seventh day and made it
holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating
that he had done.
3. He sanctified the seventh day. (He never sanctified the first day!)
Shemot (Exodus) 20:11 For in six days HaShem made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore HaShem
blessed the Shabbat day and made it holy.
4. He made it the Shabbat day in the Garden of Eden.
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were
completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day G-d had finished the work
he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And G-d
blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the
work of creating that he had done.
It was made before the fall; hence it is not a type; for types were not introduced till after the fall.
5. It is a memorial of creation.
Shemot (Exodus) 20:11 For in six days HaShem
made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested
on the seventh day. Therefore HaShem blessed the Shabbat day and made it holy.
Every time we rest upon the seventh day, as G-d did at creation, we commemorate that grand event.
6. Evident
reference is made to the Shabbat and the seven-day
week all through the patriarchal age.
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were
completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day G-d had finished the work
he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And G-d
blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the
work of creating that he had done.
Bereshit (Genesis)
Bereshit (Genesis) 29:27 Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we
will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of
work." And Jacob did so. He finished the week
with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.
7. It was a part of HaShem's law before Sinai.
Shemot (Exodus) 16:4 Then HaShem said to Moses, "I will
rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and
gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they
will follow my instructions.
Shemot (Exodus) 16:23-29 He said to them, "This is what HaShem
commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Shabbat to HaShem. So bake
what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and
keep it until morning.'" So they saved it until morning, as Moses
commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. "Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a
Shabbat to HaShem. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days
you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Shabbat, there will not be
any." Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather
it, but they found none. Then HaShem said to Moses, "How long will you
refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? Bear in mind that HaShem has
given you the Shabbat; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two
days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go
out."
8. Then G-d placed it in the heart of His law.
Shemot (Exodus) 20:1-17 And G-d spoke all these words: "I am HaShem your G-d, who brought you out
of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods
before me. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of
anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or
in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I,
HaShem your G-d, am a jealous G-d, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, But showing love to a
thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my
commandments. "You shall not misuse the name of HaShem your G-d, for
HaShem will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. "Remember
the Shabbat day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall
labor and do all your work, But the seventh day is a Shabbat to HaShem your
G-d. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter,
nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days HaShem made the
heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the
seventh day. Therefore HaShem blessed the Shabbat day and made it holy.
"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land
HaShem your G-d is giving you. "You shall not murder. "You shall not
commit adultery. "You shall not steal. "You shall not give false
testimony against your neighbor. "You shall not covet your neighbor's
house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or
maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that
belongs to your neighbor."
Why did He place it there if it was not like the other nine precepts which all admit to be immutable?
9. The seventh-day Shabbat was commanded by the voice of the living G-d.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4:12-13 Then HaShem spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there
was only a voice. He declared to you his covenant,
the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow
and then wrote them on two stone tablets.
10. Then He wrote the commandment with His own finger.
Shemot (Exodus) 31:18 When HaShem finished speaking to Moses on
11. He engraved it in the enduring stone, indicating its imperishable nature.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 5:22 These are the commandments HaShem
proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from
out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and
he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to
me.
12. It was sacredly preserved in the ark in the holy of holies.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 10:1-5 At that time HaShem said to me,
"Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the
mountain. Also make a wooden chest. I will write on the tablets the words that
were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the
chest." So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone
tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets
in my hands. HaShem wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten
Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the
day of the assembly. And HaShem gave them to me. Then
I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as
HaShem commanded me, and they are there now.
13. G-d forbade work upon the Shabbat, even in the most hurrying times.
Shemot (Exodus) 34:21 "Six days you
shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing
season and harvest you must rest.
14. G-d destroyed the Israelites in the wilderness because they profaned the Shabbat. Notice that G-d has not destroyed any Gentiles for non-observance of the Shabbat.
Ezekiel 20:20-25 Keep my Shabbats holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you
will know that I am HaShem your G-d." "'But the children rebelled
against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws--although the man who obeys them will live by
them--and they desecrated my Shabbats. So I said I would pour out my wrath on
them and spend my anger against them in the desert. But I withheld my hand, and
for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the
eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. Also with uplifted
hand I swore to them in the desert that I would disperse them among the nations
and scatter them through the countries, Because they had not obeyed my laws but
had rejected my decrees and desecrated my Shabbats, and their eyes [lusted]
after their fathers' idols. I also gave them over to statutes that were not
good and laws they could not live by;
15. It is the sign of the true G-d by which we are to know Him from the false gods.
Ezekiel 20:20 Keep my Shabbats holy, that they may be a sign
between us. Then you will know that I am HaShem your G-d."
16. G-d promised that Jerusalem should stand forever if the Jews would keep the Shabbat.
Jeremiah 17:24-25 But if you are careful to obey me, declares
HaShem, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Shabbat, but
keep the Shabbat day holy by not doing any work on it, Then kings who sit on
David's throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials.
They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses,
accompanied by the men of
17. He sent them into the Babylonian captivity for breaking it.
Nehemiah 13:18 Didn't your forefathers do the same things,
so that our G-d brought all this calamity upon us and upon this city? Now you
are stirring up more wrath against Israel by
desecrating the Shabbat."
18. He destroyed Jerusalem for its violation.
Jeremiah 17:27 But if you do not obey me to keep the Shabbat day holy by not carrying
any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Shabbat day, then I
will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of
Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.'"
19. HaShem has pronounced a special blessing on all the ger tzaddik who will keep it.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 56:1-12 This is what HaShem says: "Maintain
justice and do what is right, for my salvation is
close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man
who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Shabbat without
desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." Let no foreigner
who has bound himself to HaShem say, "HaShem
will surely exclude me from his people." And let not any eunuch complain,
"I am only a dry tree." For this is what HaShem says: "To the
eunuchs who keep my Shabbats, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-- To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than
sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut
off. And foreigners who bind themselves to HaShem to serve him, to love the
name of HaShem, and to worship him, all who keep the Shabbat without
desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-- These I will bring to my holy
mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be
accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all
nations." The Sovereign HaShem declares--he who gathers the exiles of
20. G-d has promised to bless all who keep the Shabbat.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 56:2 Blessed is the man who does this, the man
who holds it fast, who keeps the Shabbat without desecrating it, and keeps his
hand from doing any evil."
21. The Lord requires us to call it "honorable."
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:13 "If you keep your feet from breaking
the Shabbat and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Shabbat
a delight and HaShem’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going
your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
Be you who take delight in calling it the "old Jewish Shabbat," "a yoke of bondage," etc.?
22. After the holy Shabbat has been trodden down "many generations" it is to be restored in the last days!
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:12-13 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of
Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
"If you keep your feet from breaking the Shabbat and from doing as you
please on my holy day, if you call the Shabbat a delight and HaShem’s holy day
honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you
please or speaking idle words,
23. When the Son of G-d came, He kept the seventh day all His life.
Luqas (Luke)
Yochanan (John)
Thus He followed His Father's example at creation. Shall we not be safe in following the example of both the Father and the Son?
24. The seventh day is the Lord's day.
Revelation 1:10 On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud
voice like a trumpet,
Marqos (Mark)
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:13 "If you keep your feet from breaking
the Shabbat and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Shabbat
a delight and HaShem’s holy day honorable, and if you
honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle
words,
Shemot (Exodus)
25. Yeshua was Lord of the Shabbat
Marqos (Mark)
26. He vindicated the Shabbat as a merciful institution designed for man's good.
Marqos (Mark) 2:23-28 One Shabbat Yeshua
was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they
began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why
are they doing what is unlawful on the Shabbat?" He answered, "Have
you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in
need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of G-d and
ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests
to eat. And he also gave some to his
companions." Then he said to them, "The Shabbat was made for man, not
man for the Shabbat. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Shabbat."
27. Instead of abolishing the Shabbat, He carefully taught how it should be observed.
Matityahu (Matthew) 12:1-13 At that time Yeshua went through the
grainfields on the Shabbat. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some
heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
"Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Shabbat." He
answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were
hungry? He entered the house of G-d, and he and his
companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do, but
only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Shabbat the
priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are
innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple
is here. If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not
sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is
Lord of the Shabbat." Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, And a man with a shriveled hand was there.
Looking for a reason to accuse Yeshua, they asked him, "Is it lawful to
heal on the Shabbat?" He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and
it falls into a pit on the Shabbat, will you not take hold of it and lift it
out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do
good on the Shabbat." Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your
hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as
sound as the other.
28. He taught His disciples that they should do nothing upon the Shabbat day but what was "lawful".
Matityahu (Matthew)
29. He instructed His apostles that the Shabbat should be prayerfully regarded forty years after His resurrection.
Matityahu (Matthew) 24:20 Pray that your flight will not take place
in winter or on the Shabbat.
30. The pious women who had been with Yeshua carefully kept the seventh day after His death.
Luqas (Luke)
31. Thirty years after Mashiach's resurrection, the Holy Spirit expressly calls it "the Shabbat day".
II Luqas (Acts)
32. Paul, the apostle to Gentiles called it the "Shabbat day" in A.D. 45.
II Luqas (Acts)
Did not Paul know? Or shall we believe modern teachers, who affirm that it ceased to be the Shabbat at the resurrection of Mashiach?
33. Luqas (Luke), the inspired Jewish Historian, writing as late as AD 62 calls it the "Shabbat day".
II Luqas (Acts)
34. The Gentile converts called it the Shabbat.
II Luqas (Acts)
35. In the great Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, A.D.49, in the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples James calls it the "Shabbat day".
II Luqas (Acts)
36. It was customary to gather together on that day.
II Luqas (Acts) 17:2-3 As his custom was, Paul went into the
synagogue, and on three Shabbat days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
Explaining and proving that the Mashiach had to suffer and rise from the dead.
"This Yeshua I am proclaiming to you is the Mashiach," he said.
37. Paul read the scriptures in public meetings on that day.
II Luqas (Acts) 17:2-3 As his custom was, Paul went into the
synagogue, and on three Shabbat days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
Explaining and proving that the Mashiach had to suffer and rise from the dead.
"This Yeshua I am proclaiming to you is the Mashiach," he said.
38. It was his custom to preach upon that day.
II Luqas (Acts) 17:2-3 As his custom was, Paul went into the
synagogue, and on three Shabbat days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
Explaining and proving that the Mashiach had to suffer and rise from the dead.
"This Yeshua I am proclaiming to you is the Mashiach," he said.
39. The book of II Luqas (Acts) alone gives a record of his holding eighty-four meetings upon that day.
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts)
II Luqas (Acts) 17:2 As his custom was, Paul went into the
synagogue, and on three Shabbat days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
II Luqas (Acts) 18:4 Every Shabbat he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews
and Greeks.
II Luqas (Acts)
40. There was never any dispute between the Christians and the Jews about the Shabbat day.
41. In all their accusations against Paul, they never charged him with disregarding the Shabbat day. Why did they not, if he did not keep it?
42. But Paul himself expressly declared that he had kept the law. "Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all."
II Luqas (Acts) 25:8 Then Paul made his defense: "I have
done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."
How could this be true if he had not kept the Shabbat?
43. The Shabbat is mentioned in the Nazarean Codicil fifty-nine times and always with respect, bearing the same title it had in the Tanach, "the Shabbat day."
44. Not a word is said anywhere in the Nazarean Codicil about the Shabbat's being abolished, done away, changed, or anything of the kind.
45. G-d has never given permission to any Jew to work upon it.
46. There is no
record that G-d has ever removed His blessing or sanctification from the
seventh day.
47. As the Shabbat
was kept in Eden before the fall, so it will be
observed eternally in the new earth after the restoration.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:22-23 "As the new heavens
and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares HaShem, "so will your name and descendants endure.
From one New Moon to another and from one Shabbat to
another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says HaShem.
48. The seventh-day Shabbat was an important part of the law of G-d, as it came from His own mouth, and was written by His own finger upon stone at Sinai.
Shemot (Exodus) 20:1-17 And G-d spoke all these words: "I am
HaShem your G-d, who brought you out of
When Yeshua began His work, He expressly declared that He had not come to destroy the law. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets."
Matityahu (Matthew)
49. Yeshua severely condemned the Pharisees as hypocrites for pretending to love G-d, while at the same time they made void one of the Ten Commandments by their tradition. In the same way men of today have made their own traditions in the keeping of Sunday, or the first day of the week. For, worshipping on Sunday is only man's tradition.
* * *
Bible Facts Concerning the First Day of the Week
1. The very first
thing recorded in the Bible is work done on Sunday, the first day of the week.
Bereshit (Genesis) 1:1-5 In the beginning G-d created
the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was
over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of G-d was hovering over the
waters. And G-d said, "Let there be light," and there was light. G-d
saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. G-d
called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."
And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.
This was done by the Creator Himself. If G-d made the earth on Sunday, can it be wicked for us to work on Sunday?
2. G-d commands
men to work upon the 1st day of the week.
Shemot (Exodus) 20:8-11 "Remember the Shabbat day by keeping
it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, But the seventh day is
a Shabbat to HaShem your G-d. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor
your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor
the alien within your gates. For in six days HaShem made the heavens and the
earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.
Therefore HaShem blessed the Shabbat day and made it holy.
Is it wrong to obey G-d? By the express command of G-d, His
holy people used the first day of the week as a common working day for 4,000
years, at least.
3. G-d Himself calls it a "working" day.
Ezekiel 46:1 "'This is what the Sovereign HaShem says: The gate of the inner
court facing east is to be shut on the six working
days, but on the Shabbat day and on the day of the New
Moon it is to be opened.
4. G-d did not rest upon it.
5. He never blessed it.
6. Yeshua did not rest upon it.
7. Yeshua was a carpenter
Marqos (Mark) 6:3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's
son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here
with us?" And they took offense at him.
and worked at His trade until He was thirty years old. He kept the Shabbat and worked six days in the week, as all admit. Hence, He did many a hard days work on Sunday.
8. The Apostles never rested upon it.
9. This was a work day for the Apostles.
10. Yeshua never blessed it.
11. It has never been sanctified.
12. It has never been blessed by any divine authority.
13. No law was ever given to enforce the keeping of it, hence it is no transgression to work upon it. "Where no law is, there is no transgression"
Romans
I Yochanan (John) 3:4 Everyone who sins
breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.
14. The Nazarean Codicil nowhere forbids work to be done on it.
15. No penalty is provided for its violation.
16. No blessing is promised for observance.
17. No regulation is given as to how it ought to be observed. Would this be so if the Lord wished us to keep it?
18. It is never called the “christian” Shabbat.
19. It is never called the Shabbat day at all.
20. It is never called the Lord's day.
21. It is never called even a rest day.
22. No sacred title whatever is applied to it. Then why should we call it holy?
23. It is simply called "first day of the week."
24. Yeshua never mentioned it in any way, never took its name upon His lips, so far as the record shows.
25. The word Sunday never occurs in the Bible at all.
26. Neither HaShem, Yeshua, nor inspired men ever said one word in favor of Sunday as a holy day.
27. The first day of the week is mentioned only eight times in all the Nazarean Codicil.
Matityahu
(Matthew) 28:1 After the Shabbat, at dawn on the first day of the
week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
Marqos
(Mark) 16:2-9 Very early on the first day of the week, just
after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb And they asked each other,
"Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But
when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been
rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white
robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be
alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Yeshua
the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He
is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and
Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into
Luqas (Luke) 24:1 On the first day of the week, very
early in the morning, the women took the spices they
had prepared and went to the tomb.
Yochanan
(John) 20:1-19 Early on the first day of the week, while it
was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been
removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other
disciple, the one Yeshua loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of
the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" So Peter and the
other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple
outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips
of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him,
arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, As well
as the burial cloth that had been around Yeshua' head. The cloth was folded up
by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached
the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not
understand from Scripture that Yeshua had to rise from the dead.) Then the
disciples went back to their homes, But Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As
she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb And saw
two angels in white, seated where Yeshua' body had
been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman,
why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said,
"and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned
around and saw Yeshua standing there, but she did not realize that it was
Yeshua. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying?
Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said,
"Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I
will get him." Yeshua said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him
and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Yeshua said, "Do not hold on to me, for
I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them,
'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my G-d and your G-d.'"
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the
Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. On the
evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together,
with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Yeshua
came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
II Luqas (Acts) 20:7 On the first day of the week we came
together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to
leave the next day, kept on talking until
I Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each
one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving
it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
28. Six of these texts refer to the same first day of the week.
29. Paul directed the saints to look over their secular affairs on that day.
I Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of
you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up,
so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
30. In all the
Nazarean Codicil we have a record of only one religious meeting held upon that
day, and even this was a night meeting.
II Luqas (Acts) 20:5-12 These men went on ahead and waited for us at
31. There is not an implication that they ever held a meeting upon it before or after that.
32. It was not their custom to meet on that day.
33. There was no requirement to break bread on that day. We have an account of only one instance in which it was done.
II Luqas (Acts) 20:7-11 On the first day of the week we came
together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to
leave the next day, kept on talking until
That was done as part of a Havdallah service from right
after sunset till
Luqas (Luke) 22:7-21 Then came the day
of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb
had to be sacrificed. Yeshua sent Peter and Yochanan (John), saying, "Go
and make preparations for us to eat the Passover." "Where do you want
us to prepare for it?" they asked. He replied, "As you enter the
city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that
he enters, And say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher
asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the
Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all
furnished. Make preparations there." They left and found things just as
Yeshua had told them. So they prepared the Passover. When the hour came, Yeshua
and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have
eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I
will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the
and the disciples sometimes did it every day.
II Luqas (Acts) 2:42-46 They devoted themselves to the apostles'
teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders
and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All
the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their
possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they
continued to meet together in the temple courts. They
broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
34. The Bible nowhere says that the first day of the week commemorates the resurrection of Yeshua. This is a tradition of men, which contradicts the law of G-d.
Matityahu (Matthew) 15:1-9 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to
Yeshua from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do your
disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before
they eat!" Yeshua replied, "And why do you
break the command of G-d for the sake of your tradition? For G-d said, 'Honor
your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put
to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever
help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to G-d,' He is
not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of G-d for the
sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Yeshayahu (Isaiah) was right when he
prophesied about you: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught
by men.'"
Baptism commemorates the burial and resurrection of Yeshua.
Romans 6:3-5 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized
into Mashiach Yeshua were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that,
just as Mashiach was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we
too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his
death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
35. Finally, the Nazarean Codicil is totally silent with regard to any change of the Shabbat day or any sacredness for the first day.
QUOTEABLE QUOTES:
"Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday,
the Shabbat, but shall work on that day; but the Lord's day (Sunday) they shall
honor, and as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If,
however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Mashiach."
- Canon 29, Council of
"All things whatsoever it was the duty to do on the Shabbat,
these we have transferred to the Lord's day (Sunday)... because it is more
honorable than the Jewish Shabbat." - Eusebius
of
"Question: Which is the Shabbat day?
Answer: Saturday (Friday sundown till Saturday sundown) is the Shabbat day.
Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday."
- Converts Catechism of Catholic Doctrine
"Every Shabbat on account of the burial (of Yeshua) is to be regarded in execration (denunciation) of the Jews... In fact it is not proper to observe, because of Jewish customs, the consumption of food and the ceremonies of the Jews."
- Pope Sylvester 314-335 C.E.
"The Catholic Church for over one thousand years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday." - The Catholic Mirror
When is the Shabbat?
How can we be sure of the day?
Just before the giving of the Torah at
Nineteen hundred years ago, Yeshua affirmed the Shabbat as it had been observed since that time:
Luqas (Luke)
We have secular
sources as well:
According to the "Encyclopedia Americana" - 1953 edition, volume 24, page 78:
"The Shabbat was
the seventh day of the Hebrew week and lasted from
sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday."
Our modern calendars, for the most part, still show Saturday as the seventh day.
The Software Toolworks Multimedia Encyclopedia say the Shabbat is:
"The seventh day
of the Jewish week--from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday--the Shabbat
commemorates the seventh day of creation, on which G-d rested. It is a divinely
appointed day of rest (Exodus. 20:8), to be devoted to prayer and study, and
its observance is a mark of Jewish faith."
and:
"The Shabbat,
from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, is observed by refraining from work and
by attending a synagogue service. Friday evening is marked in the home by the
lighting of a lamp or candles by the woman of the household,
the recital of the kiddush (a ceremonial blessing affirming the sanctity of the
day) over a cup of wine, and the blessing of children by parents. The end of
the Shabbat is marked by parallel ceremonies called havdallah. Similar home
ceremonies occur on the festivals."
* * *
First of all, the Mishkan itself is a micro-world. Each and every detail, along with the 39 types of labor necessary for its construction, model the seven days of creation. As an aside, it now makes sense why the Torah forbids us to do those very same thirty-nine (forty less one) types of labor on Shabbat. Just as HaShem completed His activities of creation on the 7th day, so too we must stop our acts of labor on the 7th day. We are emulating the Creator!
* * *
This study was written by Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
1101 Surrey Trace SE
Tumwater, WA 98501
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page:
http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 584-9352
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