What is Shabbat?
According to the Torah, Shabbat commemorates the day that God rested from creating the world; the word Shabbat literally means “he rested.” Exodus 34:21 states: “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.” Shabbat is considered a day of peace and holiness. Abraham Joshua Heschel refers to it as a “palace in time.”
For Shabbat recipe ideas, click here
How is Shabbat celebrated?
Shabbat is celebrated, first and foremost, by observing the holy day as a day of rest from all work. The rabbis delineated 39 categories of work that are forbidden on Shabbat. While some Jews observe these laws strictly, others celebrate Shabbat in their own way, perhaps refraining from some everyday activities (like using the computer or watching TV) or just taking the time to relax and enjoy the day with family.
It is traditional to wear nice clothes on Shabbat, and some people also wear white as a symbol of purity and holiness. Synagogue services on Friday night include kabbalat Shabbat (receiving the Shabbat), where special songs are sung, and Shabbat is invited metaphorically as a “bride” or “queen.” This practice was instituted by the kabbalists, and is a beautiful way to start Shabbat. At home, candles are lit and blessed, and parents bless their children. On Shabbat morning in the synagogue, the Torah is read, and special Shabbat prayers and blessings are included in the liturgy. Shabbat ends on Saturday evening at sundown with the havdalah (separation) ceremony, which marks the transition from the holy day to the rest of the week.
What kinds of foods are eaten on Shabbat?
Shabbat traditionally includes three required meals: Friday night dinner, Saturday lunch, and the third meal in late afternoon. For non-Orthodox Jews, Friday night dinner is the most popular Shabbat meal. Typical Shabbat foods include challah (braided bread) and wine, which are both blessed before the meal begins. Eating meat is traditional on Shabbat, as Jews historically considered meat a luxury and a special food. However, vegetarians can also enjoy Shabbat foods. Ashkenazi Shabbat foods include gefilte fish (“stuffed fish,” made from a mixture of ground fish), chicken soup, cholent (a hearty strew usually made with meat), and kugel (potato or noodle pudding or casserole). Sephardic Shabbat foods include chreime (fish cooked in spicy tomato sauce), chamin (equivalent of the Ashkenazi cholent), and bourekas (stuffed filo pastries) on Shabbat morning.
For Shabbat recipe ideas, click here
To learn how to make challah, click here
What is the proper greeting for Shabbat?
On Shabbat greet friends and family with “Shabbat Shalom!” or in Yiddish, “Gut Shabbos!”
When is Shabbat?
Shabbat begins every Friday night at sundown and continues until Saturday evening at sundown.
FAQs
Shabbat is the Jewish Day of Rest. Shabbat happens each week from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. During Shabbat, Jewish people remember the story of creation from the Torah where God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th day.
What is the Shabbat for dummies? ›
What is Shabbat? Shabbat is the Jewish Day of Rest,and occurs every Saturday of every week. Shabbat is a time of tranquility after the hustle of the six weekdays, which emulates God resting on the seventh day, after creating the World over the first six days.
What are 5 things you cannot do on the Sabbath? ›
Observances. The biblical ban against work on the Sabbath, while never clearly defined, includes activities such as baking and cooking, travelling, kindling fire, gathering wood, buying and selling, and bearing burdens from one domain into another.
What are three key points about Shabbat? ›
Shabbat is believed to be a way to remember the agreement and connection between people and G-d. Jewish people also remember how G-d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. It is an important time for Jewish people to spend with their family and community and to attend services at the synagogue.
What can't you do during Shabbat? ›
No work is to be done on Shabbat. This includes tasks such as cooking and driving. Orthodox Jews. stick closely to tradition and try to observe Shabbat wherever they are in the world by not working and not lighting candles after sunset on Friday.
Why do Christians not do Shabbat? ›
In contrast, the Gentile Christians had never been trained to observe these special days related to the Jewish ceremonial law and therefore had no inclination nor desire to observe them. Furthermore, those who had been instrumental in their conversion enforced no such requirement upon them.
What is the deeper meaning of Shabbat? ›
In Jewish mysticism, the theme of Shabbat as the “Sabbath bride” further developed, and Shabbat is also associated with the feminine tangible presence of God, called the Shekhinah, or “in-dwelling,” of God. Shabbat was thought of as a day of mystical union between the Jewish people and God.
Can you watch TV on Shabbat? ›
Most rabbinical authorities have prohibited watching television during Shabbat, even if the TV is turned on before the start of Shabbat, and its settings are not changed.
Can you make love on the Sabbath? ›
Rabbinic codes allowed married people to have sex on Sabbath,9 and even described it as a special “Sabbath blessing.” Sabbath was considered the bride, and Friday evening was the time of connubial consummation.
What is a sin on the Sabbath? ›
Sabbath desecration is the failure to observe the Biblical Sabbath and is usually considered a sin and a breach of a holy day in relation to either the Jewish Shabbat (Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall), the Sabbath in seventh-day churches, or to the Lord's Day (Sunday), which is recognized as the Christian Sabbath ...
Shabbat in the synagogue
There are readings from the Torah and the Nevi'im. This is considered by Jews to be the main service of the week. There are more readings from the Torah and prayers. The Havdalah ceremony marks the end of Shabbat.
What is a typical Shabbat meal? ›
The meal itself usually consists of traditional foods, such as gefilte fish, poultry, matzo ball soup, and more, along with sides and desserts. Because the Shabbat is a day of rest, meals should be prepared beforehand.
What is the difference between Shabbat and Sabbath? ›
In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath (/ˈsæbəθ/) or Shabbat (from Hebrew שַׁבָּת Šabbāṯ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as God rested from creation.
What is the literal meaning of the Shabbat? ›
We trace the origins of both sabbatical and Sabbath to the Greek word sabbaton. Sabbaton itself traces to the Hebrew word shabbāth, meaning “rest.”
How is Shabbat different from the Sabbath? ›
The idea of a day of rest comes from the Bible story of the Creation: God rested from creating the universe on the seventh day of that first week, so Jews rest from work on the Sabbath. Jews often call the day Shabbat, which is Hebrew for Sabbath, and which comes from the Hebrew word for rest.
What are the rules for Shabbat food? ›
The Torah forbids cooking on Shabbat. “Cooking” means making food edible by heating it to above 120° F (49° C). Cooking includes: You may not make a soft food hard (such as cooking an egg).
