The Jewish Sabbath- GCSE

The Jewish Sabbath

THE JEWISH SABBATH LASTS FROM FRIDAY SUNSET UNTIL SATURDAY SUNSET

According to Genesis the Sabbath is the day God rested after creating the world- "and God blessed the 7th day and made it holy"

The Sabbath was to be a day of total rest for the whole Jewish community (slaves and animals included).

For the Jews the Sabbath is-

A day of joyful celebration

God's gift to his chosen people, a day of rest, unnecessary work is avoided

A time for going to the synagogue to worship God

'Shabbat' is Hebrew meaning to rest

The commandments in the Old Testament say-

'The Sabbath is holy- a day set apart for God'

'The Sabbath is a day of rest'

THE JEWS- PARTICULARLY THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES BELIEVED THAT IF EVERY JEW OBEYED ALL THE TORAH'S LAWS, THE KINGDOM OF GOD WOULD COME

THE ORAL LAWS/TRADITIONS

The scribes explained the meaning of 'You shall not do any work' in their oral traditions. The oral laws/traditions were a sort of commentary on the Torah, they explained the laws in the Torah more fully and prevented anybody from breaking the laws of 'work' on the Sabbath.

The oral laws protected the holiness of the Torah, the Pharisees and Scribes described them as 'forming a fence around the Law'. As part if these oral laws there were 39 different things the Jews were not allowed to do on the Sabbath. Some things classified as work were sowing, threshing, preparing food, lighting a fire etc and so were therefore forbidden.

JESUS AND THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES…