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Shabbat Overview
Shabbat (Shabbos in Ashkenazic pronunciation), is the weekly day of rest in Judaism. It is observed, from before sundown on Friday until after nightfall on Saturday, by many Jewish people with varying degrees of involvement in Judaism. It is the source for the English term Sabbath. The Hebrew word shabbat comes from the Hebrew verb shavat, which literally means "to cease," or shev which means "sit." Although shabbat (or its anglicized version, "Sabbath") is almost universally translated as "rest" or a "period of rest," a more literal translation would be "ceasing", with the implication of "ceasing from work." Thus, shabbat is the day of ceasing from work; while resting is implied, it is not a necessary denotation of the word itself. For example, the Hebrew word for "strike" (as in work stoppage) is shevita, which comes from the same Hebrew root as shabbat, and has the same implication, namely that the striking workers actively abstain from work, rather than passively "resting."
Incidentally, this clarifies the often-asked theological question of why G-d needed to "rest" on the seventh day of Creation according to Genesis. When it is understood that G-d "ceased" from his labor rather than "rested" from his labor, the usage is more consistent with the Biblical view of an omnipotent G-d who does not "rest."
A common linguistic confusion leads many to believe that the word means "seventh day." Though the root for seven, or sheva, is similar in sound, it is spelled differently.
Observance of Shabbat is mentioned a number of times in the Torah, most notably as the fourth of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Other instances are Exodus 31:12-17 and 35:2-3, Leviticus 19:3 and 30, 23:3 and Numbers 28:9-10 (the sacrifices). It is referred to directly by the prophets Isaiah (56:4,6) and Ezekiel (ch. 20, 22, 23) and Nehemiah 9:14, apart from numerous other allusions in the Hebrew Bible.
Jewish law's definition defines a day as ending at dusk and nightfall, which is when the next day then begins. Thus, Shabbat begins before sundown Friday night and ends at after nightfall Saturday night (traditionally, after three stars can be seen in the sky). The added time between sunset and nightfall on Saturday night owes to the ambiguous status of that part of the day according to Jewish law.
On occasions the word Shabbat can refer to the law of Shemittah (Sabbatical year) or to the Jewish holidays, or to a week of days, dependent on the context.
Status as a holy day
The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the Siddur (Jewish prayer book) describe Shabbat as having three purposes:
- A commemoration of G-d's creations of the universe; on the seventh day G-d ceased from his work
- A taste of the world in Messianic times
- A commemoration of the Israelites' redemption from slavery in Ancient Egypt
While the Jewish Sabbath is not considered a "holiday" by many other cultures and religions, Judaism accords Shabbat the status of a joyous holy day. In many ways, Jewish law gives Shabbat the status of being the most important holy day in the Jewish calendar.
It is the first holy day mentioned in the Bible, and G-d was the first one to observe it with the cessation of Creation. (Genesis 2:1-3).
Jewish liturgy treats the Sabbath as a "bride" and "queen".
The Sefer Torah is read during the Torah reading which is part of the Saturday morning services, with a longer reading than during the week. The Torah is read over a yearly cycle of 54 parshiot, one for each Shabbat (sometimes they are doubled). On Shabbat the reading is divided into seven sections, more than on any other holy day, including Yom Kippur. Then, the Haftarah reading from the Hebrew prophets is read.
A tradition states that the Jewish Messiah will come if every Jew properly observes two consecutive Sabbaths (Talmud, tractate Shabbat 118).
Observance
Shabbat is a day of celebration as well as one of prayer. Three sumptuous meals are eaten each Shabbat after synagogue services conclude: on Friday night, Saturday around noon, and late Saturday afternoon before the conclusion of the Shabbat. More Jews attempt to attend Shabbat services at a synagogue during Shabbat, even if they would not normally do so on weekdays.
With the exception of Yom Kippur (because it is not a mournful day and is in fact a great holiday), days of public fasting are postponed or advanced for a day if they coincide with Shabbat, and mourners sitting Shivah outwardly conduct themselves normally for the duration of the day and are indeed forbidden to express public signs of mourning.
Mandatory activities
According to Rabbinic literature, Jews are commanded by G-d to observe (refrain from forbidden activity) and remember (with words, thoughts, and actions) the Shabbat, and these two actions are symbolised by lighting two candles late Friday afternoon (no later than eighteen minutes before sunset on Friday) by Jewish women, usually the mother/wife. (Men may light Shabbat candles; men who live alone are, in fact, required to do so.)
Although most Shabbat laws are restrictive (see below), the fourth of the Ten Commandments in Exodus is taken by the Talmud to allude to the positive commandments of the Shabbat. These include:
- Recitation of kiddush, or "sanctification," over a cup of wine at the beginning of Shabbat before the first meal and after the conclusion of morning prayers.
- Eating three sumptuous meals (shalosh seudot). The first two meals (Friday at night and Saturday at late morning) must be initiated with two loaves of challah bread. While general practice is that these meals include meat, there is not a strict obligation to do so as there is on Yom Tov The third meal, eaten late on Saturday afternoon, is called Seudah Shlishit (literally, "third meal") and is generally a light meal and often parve, in contrast to the first two.
- Enjoying Shabbat (Oneg Shabbat). This can include activities such as eating tasty food, resting, or engaging in intimate relations with one's spouse.
- Honoring Shabbat (Kavod Shabbat) i.e. making an effort during the week to prepare for each upcoming Shabbat. This can include preparations for Shabbat such as taking a shower on Friday, getting a haircut, or things done on Shabbat, such as refraining from unpleasant conversation or wearing special clothes.
- Recitation of Havdalah, or "separation," at the conclusion on Saturday night (over a cup of wine, fragrant spices and a candle)
Prohibited activities
39 categories of activity prohibited on Shabbat
Jewish law prohibits doing any form of melachah ("work", plural "melachot") on Shabbat. Melachah does not closely correspond to the English definition of the term "work", nor does it correspond to the definition of the term as used in physics.
Orthodox Judaism and the 39 categories of activity
Different denominations view the prohibition on work in different ways. Orthodox Jews traditionally do not perform the 39 categories of activity prohibited by Mishnah Tractate Shabbat 7:2 in the Talmud, which are derived from the kinds of work that were necessary for the construction of the Tabernacle. Many religious scholars have pointed out that these labors have in common activity that is "creative," or that exercises control or dominion over one's environment. The 39 categories are:
- Sowing
- Plowing
- Reaping
- Binding sheaves
- Threshing
- Winnowing
- Selecting
- Grinding
- Sifting
- Kneading
- Baking
- Shearing wool
- Washing wool
- Beating wool
- Dyeing wool
- Spinning
- Weaving
- Making two loops
- Weaving two threads
- Separating two threads
- Tying
- Untying
- Sewing stitches
- Tearing
- Trapping
- Slaughtering
- Flaying
- Tanning
- Scraping hide
- Marking hides
- Cutting hide to shape
- Writing two or more letters
- Erasing two or more letters
- Building
- Demolishing
- Extinguishing a fire
- Kindling a fire
- Putting the finishing touch on an object
- Transporting an object between a private domain and the public domain, or for a distance of 4 cubits within the public domain
Each melachah has derived prohibitions of various kinds. There are, therefore, many more forbidden activities on the Shabbat; all are traced back to one of the 39 above principal melachot. Direct derivatives (toledoth) have the same legal severity as the original melachah (although there are marginal differences); examples are the related activities of cooking, baking, roasting and poaching, all of which fall under "baking". Indirect derivatives instituted by the rabbis are termed shevuth and are much less severe in legal terms.
Given the above, the 39 melachot are not so much activities as "categories of activity." For example, while "winnowing" usually refers exclusively to the separation of chaff from grain, and "selecting" refers exclusively to the separation of debris from grain, it refers in the Talmudic sense to any separation of intermixed materials which renders edible that which was inedible. Thus, filtering undrinkable water to make it drinkable falls under this category, as does picking small bones from fish (gefilte fish is a traditional Ashkenazi solution to this problem). Another example is the prohibition of turning electric entities on or off, which according to some poskim, is derived from one of the "39 categories of work (melachot)" known as "building" and "tearing something down" (the Hebrew word that is used can be interpreted as "destroying for the purpose of rebuilding"). The solution to avoid using electric appliances and switches commonly used involves pre-set timers.
Extenuating circumstances
In the event that a human life is in danger (pikuach nefesh), a Jew is not only allowed, but required, to violate any Shabbat law which stands in the way of saving that life. Lesser, rabbinic restrictions are often violated under much less urgent circumstances, e.g. a patient who is ill but not critically so.
Various other legal principles closely delineate which activities constitute desecration of the Shabbat. Examples of these include the principle of shinui ("change" or "deviation") - a severe violation becomes a non-severe one if the prohibited act was performed in a way that would be considered abnormal on a weekday. Examples include writing with one's non-dominant hand (according to many rabbinic authorities). This legal principle is viewed as bedi'avad (post facto) and does not cause a forbidden activity to be permitted barring extenuating circumstances.
Legal workarounds
When there is an urgent human or medical need which is not life-threatening, it is possible to perform seemingly "forbidden" acts by modifying the relevant technology to such an extent that no law is actually violated. An example is the "Sabbath elevator". In this mode, an elevator will stop automatically at every floor, allowing people to step on and off without anyone having to press any buttons, which would normally be needed to work. (Regenerative braking is also disabled if it is normally used, shunting energy collected from downward travel, and thus the gravitational potential energy of passengers, into a resistor network.) This prevents "violation" of the Sabbath prohibition against doing "useful work." Many rabbinical authorities consider the use of such elevators by those who are otherwise capable as a "violation" of the Sabbath, with such workarounds being for the benefit of the frail and handicapped and not being in the spirit of the day.
Many Orthodox Jews avoid the prohibition of "carrying" in the absence of an eruv by making their keys into a tie bar or part of a belt buckle.
Permitted activities
The following activities are encouraged on Shabbat:
- Spending Shabbat together with one's own immediate family
- Synagogue attendance for prayers
- Visiting family and friends (within walking distance)
- Hosting guests (hachnasat orchim, "hospitality")
- Singing zemirot, special songs for the Shabbat meal (commonly sung during or after a meal)
- Reading, studying and discussing Torah and commentary, Mishnah and Talmud, learning some Halakha and Midrash.
- Sexual intercourse with one's spouse, particularly on Friday night. (The Shulchan Aruch describes this as a "double mitzvah," as it combines procreation with enjoyment of Shabbat, both of which are considered to be mandated by the Torah.)
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