Genesis 2:1-3 Shabbat means “rest,” which is the central theme of this important observance. From ancient to modern times, humans tend to become obsessed with work and “getting ahead.: There is always more to do. Yet without proper rest and refreshment, human strength and creativity fail.
In his infinite wisdom God told the children of Israel to recharge themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. He demonstrated this principle when he created the universe. For six days he formed the world and everything in it, but on the seventh day he rested. Consequently, the seventh day, Shabbat, is to be a perpetual reminder of God the Creator and our need to find rest in him (Exo 31:16-17).
Based on the creation account in Genesis, Shabbat lasts from sundown Friday evening to sundown Saturday, as it is written “There was evening, and there was morning.” Hence, on the Hebrew calendar each new day starts at sunset. Most Christians consider Sunday as their Sabbath Day, which is because Sunday – the first day of the week (Yom Rishon) – is considered the day Yeshua rose from the dead. Pertaining to the memorializing of the day, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin (To Be A Jew 65) writes:
What does the Torah teach us when it says that “God rested”? Is He human that He tires and needs physical rest? It is to teach us that just as God stopped creating physical things on the seventh day, so is man to stop creating on this day. Man is to stop making things, to stop manipulating nature – by desisting from all such labours, we not only acknowledge the existence of a Creator, but also emulate the Divine example.
Since all biblical holidays are days of rest, the Bible begins by establishing the importance of Shabbat, unfolding throughout the Scriptures the vital and valuable lessons associated with each holy day.
Exodus 20:8–11 (CJB)
8 “Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. 9 You have six days to labour and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work—not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. 11 For in six days, Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself.
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