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Does Sabbath mean Saturday. Funny, i checked and it means "Day of Rest"

R

Retcha

Member
I know in Jewish tradition that Sabbath is on Saturday. Which they consider the 7th day that god rested. But the definition of Sabbath means "The Day of Rest". So one can ask. Does it matter if i say " i wanna celebrate the day of rest on Wednesday". Like in Christianity in Europe it is Sunday due to Constantine worshipping as the day of Sun in Roman Paganism. But its held in Christian tradition as the day Jesus was resurrected from the day, so its a mixture of both " Day of Rest" and "Jesus".

But i just wanna know. Does the definition of "Sabbath" mean Saturday. Or is it just what the jews considered as the 7th day due to their tradition.

Which is what the calendar in USA ends on. With Sunday being the first day, and Saturday the last.

Even if its observed as the day of rest in jewish tradition. The definition of the word "Sabbath" is not Saturday. Or is it. Just wondering.

Source: Middle English sabat, from Anglo-French & Old English, from Latin sabbatum, from Greek sabbaton, from Hebrew shabbāth, literally, rest
First Known Use: before 12th century
Sabbath - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
 
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Valjean

Valjean

Veteran Member
Premium Member
As far as I know, Sabbath is Hebrew for Saturday and has been the traditional Jewish holy day, in unbroken succession, since the dawn of Jewish history.
Personally, I see no problem at all resting on whatever day one chooses, but biblical literalists may have a problem with the injunction to "remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy."
 
R

Retcha

Member
Seyorni said:
I see no problem at all resting on whatever day one chooses, but biblical literalists may have a problem with the injunction to "remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy."
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Yeah. The problem is the bible didn't mention what exact day it was. Only the 7th day. Aslong as it doesnt end on 8th, or 9 etc.

So its no way of knowing who got the right one :p Its all in the traditional belief. Of course some may argue that since jews are the ones who made this stuff up at the first place that they would consider them in this case. In Roman Catholic commandments it has changed with "Keep the Lord's day holy".

Which is what we have in Norway.
roman-catholic-church-changed-the-ten-commandments.jpg


So i guess its just a matter of pick and choose a 7th whatever day and rest on that day. And you'll be fine in someway. I don't think it would matter too much if one didn't care to honor the jewish saturday as THE day. When the day of rest can be any 7th day.
 
4consideration

4consideration

*
Premium Member
I'm not aware of Jews even being concerned about whether or not non-Jews recognize the Sabbath. Are you running into a problem about it?

If you're not Jewish, I think it would be fine to pick any day you want to rest.
 
Levite

Levite

Higher and Higher
Shabbat literally means "resting" or "cessation." It is consistently and exclusively applied to the seventh day of the week, with the exceptions of describing certain observed days of festivals, which are said to be like Shabbat.

The seventh day of the week is consistently understood to be the day that the Romans later dedicated to Saturn-- which is to say, Saturday.

Of course, the privilege of having Shabbat-- and the responsibilities of keeping its laws-- were given only to the Jewish People, not to non-Jews.

Though it probably makes good sense for everyone to have at least one day of true rest per week, non-Jews have no obligation to do this on the day we call Shabbat. They are not bound by our covenant, and may rest or not whenever they please.
 
R

Retcha

Member
Levite said:
Shabbat literally means "resting" or "cessation." It is consistently and exclusively applied to the seventh day of the week, with the exceptions of describing certain observed days of festivals, which are said to be like Shabbat.

The seventh day of the week is consistently understood to be the day that the Romans later dedicated to Saturn-- which is to say, Saturday.

Of course, the privilege of having Shabbat-- and the responsibilities of keeping its laws-- were given only to the Jewish People, not to non-Jews.

Though it probably makes good sense for everyone to have at least one day of true rest per week, non-Jews have no obligation to do this on the day we call Shabbat. They are not bound by our covenant, and may rest or not whenever they please.
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That sounds logical. Since the new covenant is there, and the old is void. Its kinda like whatever day works in a way. Sounds easy enough :)
 
Levite

Levite

Higher and Higher
Retcha said:
That sounds logical. Since the new covenant is there, and the old is void. Its kinda like whatever day works in a way. Sounds easy enough
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We don't believe in a "new covenant," much less in the idea that anything could void the extant covenant of Sinai.

Shabbat is an element of Judaism: it has nothing to do with non-Jewish religions, whatever claims of connection to Judaism they may make.
 
dantech

dantech

Well-Known Member
Question:

In the Bible it says to rest on the seventh day of the week, because G‑d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Today Christians rest on Sunday, Muslims rest on Friday, and Jews rest on Saturday. How do you know that you are celebrating on the right day?

Answer:

Your very question was dealt with by the Midrash Rabbah, a compilation close to 2,000 years old.

We were first commanded to keep Shabbat in the desert shortly after we left Egypt. How did we know when to keep it? In Exodus 16, we are told that during our journey in the desert, manna fell every day except for one—the Shabbat. So what did we eat then? A double portion fell every Friday so that we would have what to eat the next day as well. On the first Friday after the manna began to fall, the people were surprised to see so much manna—double that which they had received on each of the past five days. When they came to ask Moses about this phenomenon, he revealed that the next day would be the Shabbat and that no manna would fall at all.

The actual wording of G‑d's message to Moses and the Jewish People is "See that G‑d has given to you the Shabbat." The Midrash points out that the word used is "see" and not "know." It explains:

This is what G‑d was saying to them: "If the idolaters will come to you and ask, 'Why do you make the Shabbat day on this day?' you will tell them, 'See, the manna does not fall on the Shabbat.'"

For the next 40 years we had a weekly reminder of the Shabbat every time the manna did not fall. Since then, we have continued to keep count and will continue to do so for the rest of time.

Rabbi Yehuda Halevi in his 12th century classic, "The Kuzari," points to an earlier source for the universally accepted week. He points to the striking fact that the vast majority of the world keeps a seven-day week—evidence that this must be a very ancient custom indeed. How did it begin? When Adam was banished from Eden on the first Friday afternoon of Creation, he rested that first Shabbat. He then counted six days and again rested on the seventh. Ever since, his offspring in many parts of the world have emulated this practice, living their lives by a seven-day week.
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How Do We Know Which Day is Shabbat? - Shabbat
 
4consideration

4consideration

*
Premium Member
Mestemia said:
Only if said Jews and Christians want to fight over it.

I actually agree with him in that the Bible never specifies which day to rest outside of the seventh day.
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I think what a person is, or is not, trying to do can exist independent of how others respond.

I asked what the poster was trying to do. I focused more upon the person's own words than the Bible.
 
dantech

dantech

Well-Known Member
Mestemia said:
you work six days then rest the seventh day.

now given the majority of the working force works monday through friday and sometimes saturday...

However, if like some of my family you work thursday through tuesday, the seventh day would be wednesday.
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Like you said, most of the world works monday-friday. The article explains that the work week is a result of a historical 5 day week, and 2 day week-end, not the other way around. Either way, if you aren't Jewish, it doesn't matter. You're not bound by these rules.
 
dantech

dantech

Well-Known Member
Mestemia said:
huh?

I am talking about non-jews who feel they are bound by the rule.
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Ok. But..
Mestemia said:
Good luck convincing those who feel they are of that.
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Why would I want or need to convince a non-Jew into following a law which I don't believe he is bound by.
You might not know this, but Judaism is not a proselytizing religion, nor is it a "Judaism, or rot in hell" religion. We(Orthodox Judaism) believe Jews need to follow the laws to be righteous, and non-Jews could still very well be righteous without following that same law.
 
Gnostic Seeker

Gnostic Seeker

Spiritual
Retcha said:
I know in Jewish tradition that Sabbath is on Saturday. Which they consider the 7th day that god rested. But the definition of Sabbath means "The Day of Rest". So one can ask. Does it matter if i say " i wanna celebrate the day of rest on Wednesday". Like in Christianity in Europe it is Sunday due to Constantine worshipping as the day of Sun in Roman Paganism. But its held in Christian tradition as the day Jesus was resurrected from the day, so its a mixture of both " Day of Rest" and "Jesus".

But i just wanna know. Does the definition of "Sabbath" mean Saturday. Or is it just what the jews considered as the 7th day due to their tradition.

Which is what the calendar in USA ends on. With Sunday being the first day, and Saturday the last.

Even if its observed as the day of rest in jewish tradition. The definition of the word "Sabbath" is not Saturday. Or is it. Just wondering.

Source: Middle English sabat, from Anglo-French & Old English, from Latin sabbatum, from Greek sabbaton, from Hebrew shabbāth, literally, rest
First Known Use: before 12th century
Sabbath - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Click to expand...

No its not only tradition. Exodus and Deuteronomy both say the seventh day is the Sabbath to the god of Israel.
 
Estro Felino

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
I just want to underline that Romance languages are more respectful towards the Jewish tradition. In fact, our Saturday comes directly from Jewish.
In English the word is Saturn's day. from Latin: Saturni dies

compare:

Spanish= Sabado
Portuguese= Sabado
Italian= Sabato
French= Samedi (Sambadi dies, from Shabat)

It is also true that we consider Saturday the sixth day of the week. Whereas we all know that Jews claim that when God rested after creating the world on the 7th day, he meant Saturday.
so Americans are more "Jewish" than Christian
 
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