SHABBAT (SABBATH): intro

A lot of people today have misconceptions about Shabbat, most especially among people who do not believe in it. Such misconceptions are exhibited and fanned by those who claim to believe in it.

Shabbat (or popularly referred to as Sabbath) is a Hebrew word meaning rest. Thus, Sabbath day means rest day or day of rest.

A lot of people take Sabbath as a church or a denomination of a religion but it is not. A true view of the Shabbat is seen in the Holy Scriptures especially in the Torah (the Law- Genesis to Deuteronomy). Certain matters arise in that some people view that the commandment- "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy"- is no more effective while some have the perception that it has been modified or changed. Such will be addressed subsequently.

It is pertinent to know that according to the Torah, there are various Sabbath days and each starts from sunset and ends with the next sunset. This is the same with every day. Biblically, a day starts with the setting of the sun and ends with the next sunset (the night first before the day as seen in Genesis 1). The Shabbat days are:

1.     The 7^th day/ weekly Shabbat – this was instituted right from the creation (Genesis 2:1-3). This day starts from the sunset after the 6^th day (popularly known as Friday evening) to the next sunset (Saturday evening).

2.     High Sabbaths –these are Sabbath days embedded in annual festivals. Such include the first and 7^th days of the feasts of Unleavened bread and Weeks, the first and 8^th days of the feast of Tabernacles. Also, that of the feasts of Trumpet and Atonement (Leviticus 23). These high Sabbaths can fall in any of the day of the week even on the 7^th day.

3.     The 7^th year Sabbath- this (according to Leviticus 25:1-7) falls on the 7^th year and it is for the rest of the land that is there is no tillage of land in the year.