August 1996 / Ab 5756

T T
 The purpose of this journal is "to promote a climate of respect,

understanding and sharing between Jewish and Christian communities;

not only for the exercise of love and appreciation of the other, but also for

the discovery of truths and values which surpass the genius of both

traditions."

This is the hope dreamed in the name of our journal, SHABBA T

SHAIOM: hope of reconciliation, hope of SHALOM, inspired and

nurtured through a common reflection anchored in the experience of the

SHABBAT

Contents Shabbat Shalom

Editorial 3 Editor Jacques B. D o u k h a n

Interviews Layout & D e s i g n Jerry Hill

Rabbi Mark Solomon 4
Dr. Niels-Erik Andreasen 12 Vice President for Marketing Douglas Sayles

Subscriber Services Steve H a n s o n

Hebrew Scriptures 19
Like a Tree in the Wilderness C o n s u l t i n g Editors Gordon Engen
By Jacques Doukhan

Roots 24 M a n u e l Vasquez
The Sabbath in Late Judaism and
Early Christianity Clifford Goldstein
By Robert M. Johnston
Editorial Secretary Dorothy Show
The Corner of Beauty 27 SHABBAT SHALOM is published three times per year by
the North American Division of the General Conference of Sev-
The Art of the Sabbath enth-day Adventists. Yearly subscriptions are $6.00 in the U.S.A.,
By Abigail Hadas $8.00 overseas. Mail check or money order to: Subscriptions,
SHABBAT SHALOM, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown,
MD 21740. Address editorial correspondence to: Editor,
Viewpoint SHABBAT SHALOM, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI
49104-1535. ©1996 SHABBAT SHALOM. All rights reserved.
From Saturday to Sunday 29
If you have received SHABBAT SHALOM without subscrib-
By Samuele Bacchiocchi ing, you will not be billed later. Someone, thinking you would
like the magazine, has sent you a gift. Enjoy!
The Shabbat in Oblivion 31 Vol. 43, No. 2
By Guy-Richard Benhamou Cover: The princess Shabbat welcoming the dove of peace.

Recent Books 33

2 SHABBAT SHALOM/ August 1996

 " S h a b b a t S h a l o m

Jacques B. Doukhan, D . H . L , Th.D.

pon the arrival of the shalom can be explained by song and the same appeal to
the shabbat at the the fact that the meaning of the build up a new Sabbath in their
end of the week in word shalom contains all the di- lives and their cities.
Israel, it is customary mensions of the shabbat. Yet, For that purpose, it is also vi-
to nuance the traditional greet- shalom means more than "peace" tal to remember and remember
ing of shalom to "shabbat sha- {shalom) and wholeness {shalem)— well. Isn't it, after all, the pri-
lom." T h i s a s s o c i a t i o n of more than c o m m u n i o n with mary function of the Sabbath to
shabbat and shalom is significant. others and oneself. Shalom also "remember!"? Guy-Richard
T h e shabbat is the only day implies beauty; it thus brings Benhamou says it in his witty es-
which deserves to have its name into the Sabbath feelings of awe say on " T h e S h a b b a t in
embellished with shalom. There and wonder and awakens in ev- Oblivion." Professor Robert
has never been any occurrence eryone who wants to take the Johnston reminds Christians and
of "Monday" or "Tuesday sha- risk of the Sabbath the slumber- Jews of the spiritual roots of the
lom." On the other hand, the ing nostalgia which yearns for Sabbath, and church historian
shabbat sees itself well adorned another space and another time. Samuele Bacchiocchi makes his
with the shalom. The expression Hear the sensitive message of point about the Christian change
"shabbat shalom" has liturgical Abigail Hadas. Also Professor of Sabbath into Sunday. Indeed,
c o n n o t a t i o n to the Jewish Niels-Erik Andreasen and Rabbi to have a Sabbath in peace, to
worshipper's ears as she/he opens Mark Solomon push in the same have a true Sabbath, we have also
the prayer book on Friday night direction when they reflect on to be in peace with the Sabbath
to the words "shalom aleikhem." the lessons of Sabbath and urge itself. Then our greeting will be
The reason for this particular af- men and w o m e n , Jews and shalem, totally complete: Shabbat
finity between the shabbat and Christians, to unite in the same Shalom.

August 1996/SHABBATSHALOM 3
 R a b b i M a r k S o l o m o n

The Sabbath today among London Jews.

^ ^ ^ habbat Shalom : The ism. To many Jews, the Sabbath who live very Jewish lives every
^ ^ k Sabbath was a biblical is a day of identifying as a Jew. day of the week, and to them
^ W command made cen- Many Jews live throughout the Sabbath brings that Jewishness to
^ ^ ^ ^ turies ago. What does week very much the same as ev- a new peak of experience that
the Sabbath mean to Jews in the erybody else in society. But when cannot be kept during the week.
setting of London as we ap- it comes to Friday night, in many Shabbat is a day of escaping or
proach the year 2000? Jewish households, candles will retreating from the secular world
be lit, blessings will be said, the into a spiritual state which is
Solomon: The Sabbath means wine is shared, and this to many marked out by rituals at its be-
many different things to differ- Jews is the most important expe- ginning and end, rituals that fill
ent Jews on different levels. I will rience of the week. That moment the day, special Shabbat activi-
start off with the simplest level of lighting the candles and mak- t i e s — n o t just blessings and
and perhaps lead to the more pro- ing the blessing over the wine prayers. Special kinds of things
found levels of understanding. reaffirms their identity and their that people do to make Shabbat
On the simplest level, there are commitment as Jews. a day of rest involve going to the
many different aspects of Juda- Of course, there are many Jews synagogue and being with the
community; also, perhaps, even
having a nap in the afternoon,
which can be a very important
Though only 32, Rabbi Mark Solomon has moved from one
aspect of keeping the Shabbat,
side of the world to the other to carry out his calling as a rabbi. He
going for a walk; or spending
was born into an Orthodox home in Sydney and gained his B.A. time with the family, which may
degree at Sydney University. From there, he went to Yeshiv College not be possible during the week.
in Melbourne to take more training toward being an Orthodox T h e m o d e r n phrase "quality
rabbi. After a year in Israel, he went on to Jews' College, London, time" has a special meaning when
where he completed his M.A. degree and decided on a more liberal it comes to Shabbat. Shabbat is
pathway to fulfill his calling. He is currently teaching at Leo Baeck the Jews' quality time for being
College in Nth London and also cares for a synagogue on Shabbat with other Jews and for being
in Nth Finchley, where he currently has his home. with God in a way that you can't
during the hurly-burly of the rest

4 SHABBAT SHALOM/August 1996

of the working week. That is repair or the betterment of the Shabbat begins: "Remember the
what Shabbat should and does world. God has created a world, Sabbath day and keep it holy."
mean to many Jews. But there but there is a lot of work left for The Deuteronomy version be-
are levels of meaning a lot more us to do to make that world hab- gins: "Observe," or "Keep the
profound than that; so when we itable by humans and the kind of Sabbath day." Traditionally, the
bring Shabbat in by making world in which we want to live Exodus version of "Remember-
kiddush, the prayer of sanctifica- and God wants us to live, so that ing" is understood by the rabbis,
tion over the wine, it marks the is the work of the week from a who refer to the positive aspects
beginning of Shabbat. There are spiritual perspective. Shabbat, of the observance of Shabbat.
two themes that emerge and that then, is a day when we stop do- "Keep the Sabbath day" refers to
are repeated in the various ing that work and instead of do- the negative or prohibitive as-
prayers throughout the day of ing, we concentrate on being. pects of Shabbat observance.
Shabbat. One theme is the Exo- Perhaps one could say, instead And so these complement one
dus from Egypt. Although we of being creative, Shabbat is the another; and that, incidentally, is
have the special festival of Pass- day when we allow ourselves to the duality of that statement.
over for celebrating the Exodus become fully conscious of being Shabbat observance is behind the
in a special way, Shabbat is a creatures. In a sense, Shabbat is custom which grew up in the late
weekly celebration of the Exodus at the very heart of Judaism. For Middle Ages to light two candles
from Egypt, which meant for the many people, Shabbat is the most at the beginning of Shabbat. one,
Jews the cessation of slavery and original, the most distinctive, and representing "Remember," and
being free in some way. And so the most important expression the other, "Keep." So let's take
for Jews today, Shabbat has the each of those in turn. (This cus-
meaning of cessation from the tom was first promulgated by the
slavery of the "rat race" of strug- There is a lovely idea mystics, the cabalists, and it
gling for a living and surviving caught on and became universal.
in a world where it is not always that Shabbat was However, the idea of lighting a
easy. Shabbat is the day when the Shabbat light to light up the
given an extra soul to
people, who can do it (unfortu- house goes way back to the be-
nately, everybody can't), cast off give us an extra ginning of time.)
that slavery and feel free for that
time—free to be involved in the spirituality Remember. One of the rab-
things that one wants to be in- binical comments on this is "Re-
volved in, joining with the fam- throughout the day. member the Sabbath in words at
ily or the Jewish community. its coming in and at its going
"Recharging the spiritual batter- for w h i c h J u d a i s m stands. out." The most important aspect
ies" is a term you often hear Jews Though there are many other fes- of this is the kiddush ceremony
talking about with regards to the tivals, many other observances, at the beginning of Shabbat on
Shabbat. So that is the theme of Shabbat is really in a sense the Friday night and the habdalah at
the Exodus: freedom from slavery axis of Judaism. the end of Shabbat. At the be-
and work. ginning of Shabbat, we say the
Then there is the somewhat Shabbat Shalom: What special blessing, praising G o d who
deeper theme that comes out in things, Rabbi, do you do on the makes the Shabbat holy. It is in-
the kiddush. Shabbat is the me- Sabbath that make it unique? teresting, of course, that Shabbat
morial of the creation of the is Shabbat whether we say the
world. The seventh day, accord- Solomon: In the traditional blessing or not. When it gets
ing to the biblical account, God Jewish understanding, there are dark on Friday, it is Shabbat.
rested from the work of creation, a two complementary aspects of The requirement is that we
so we imitate God in resting. Shabbat observance. These are make our human contribution to
Throughout the week, as Jews see expressed in the two different the coming in of Shabbat by
it, our human task is to be cre- versions of the fourth command- mentioning it and by praising
ators, to share with God, to be ment, which you find in the To- God who makes the Shabbat
one with God in that work of rah: one in Exodus and one in holy. Through saying that and
creation. Through our everyday Deuteronomy. In each place, the e x p e r i e n c i n g the e n t r y of
work and through our religious Ten Commandments are given Shabbat, we can at times sense a
activities, we are co-creators or but with some slight differences spiritual shift from the ordinari-
partners with God in what is of- in the wording. The Exodus ver- ness of the week day to the spe-
ten called love, which means the sion of the Commandment of cial holiness of Shabbat. There

August 1996/SHABBATSHALOM 5
 is a lovely idea that Shabbat was
given an extra soul to give us an Abstaining from all of those activities which
extra spirituality throughout the are so taken for granted during the week really
day, which would begin on Fri-
day evening. When we come to lifts Shabbat out of ordinary life and very
the end of Shabbat, the habdalah
is when the extra soul leaves us. clearly marks it out as a day apart, a day filled
O n e of the aspects of the
habdalah ritual is to smell spices. with spirituality and utterly different in every
My explanation is that it is like way from other days of the week.
the use of smelling salts: When
your soul leaves, you need to be
revived by smell. So that is why the wilderness. Because they Shabbat Shalom: Is grace gen-
we have the spices when the ex- couldn't go o u t and collect erally sung?
tra Sabbath soul leaves us. m a n n a on Saturday, w h i c h
On Friday night, the candles would be work, God sent a Solomon: In many families it
are lit. The original reason for double portion on Friday. Thus is recited in a murmur as most of
that was not so much a spiritual we have the two loaves to com- the prayers are, but in more and
reason but a very practical one. memorate that time. These are more families nowadays, it is
In ancient times, most people covered with a special cloth sung.
would get up with the sun and which symbolizes the dew that There are, of course, many
go to bed with the sun. They fell and kept the manna fresh. Shabbat foods as well which are
would eat their evening meal at Another ritual on Friday night served on a Friday night.
the end of the day and then go in many families is when the par- O n Saturday m o r n i n g , of
to bed and be ready to get up at ents bless their children with the course, the main meeting is in the
the crack of dawn to work. The priestly blessing found in Num- synagogue, where the service is
rabbis ordained that one has to bers. This is introduced for the longer with a more elaborate
eat a special meal on Friday boys with a formula: "May God ritual, and the Torah will be taken
night after dark. If you eat in make you like E p h r a i m and out and read. The combination
the dark, there would be many Manasseh"; for the girls, "May of prayer and study is the focus
difficulties, and there would not God make you like Sarah or on Shabbat morning. Then there
be a happy atmosphere. So the Rebekah, Rachel and Leah." The is the second of the Shabbat meals
rabbis added to this by saying blessing of the children is a very at lunchtime, which has its own
that a lamp should be lit before emotional moment for the par- rituals and its own special foods.
the Sabbath comes in so that ents. There is a real family at- The most traditional food for
there would be light in the mosphere when celebrating the Shabbat lunch is trollop, at least
house, people wouldn't get in commencement of Shabbat. among Askenazic Jews. This is a
each other's way, and domestic Then on Friday night, there hot casserole which is cooked
harmony would prevail. Shalom is much singing from a whole overnight. Of course, you are not
bayit means domestic peace is volume of hymns written mainly allowed to cook on Shabbat.
the reason for the light. But, of in the Middle Ages to be sung There was a sect in the early
course, for most people the at the Shabbat table. Many of Middle Ages which believed that
Shabbat candles represent the these are very beautiful, and we are not allowed to cook or
spiritual illumination of over the years, each one has ac- kindle a fire on Shabbat (or have
Shabbat. Many people go to the cumulated a variety of tunes any fire kindled before Shabbat).
synagogue on Friday evening from different parts of the Jew- Consequently, they sat in the
and bring in the Shabbat with ish world. In many families, dark and ate cold food. One of
the community. At home, there there is great fun in swapping the finds of the mainstream rab-
is the ritual of kiddush: making tunes, learning new tunes, and binical opposition to this particu-
the blessing over a goblet of singing these hymns, and then lar sect was the idea that, while
wine, which is then shared and, having discussion on religious you can't cook the food on
to begin the meal, a blessing over matters. Discussing the Torah Shabbat, you can keep it warm
the two loaves of bread especially reading for the week is done in on a low fire throughout the day
made in a flattened form called many families. The meal is con- and have a hot meal at lunchtime
kahluf. The two loaves com- cluded with grace after the meal, on Saturday. Today, however,
memorate the double portion of which is often sung with great this is not thought about so
manna which fell on Friday in gusto! much. This, then, is another cer-

6 SHABBAT SHALOM/August 1996

emonial meal. (At breakfast God said "Let there be light." end of Shabbat, which is praise
time, many Jews will have a nor- This is, after all, the beginning for the coming of Elijah, who will
mal breakfast.) of Sunday, which is the first day announce the advent of the Mes-
After this meal, there siah. So, we have dealt
is often the need to go with the remember as-
and lie down for awhile pect.
or sometimes to go and Keep. Now let us
walk it off. In fact, in look at the keep aspect,
our Jewish community, which is the prohibi-
there is a park which is tion repeated several
known as the Trollis times throughout the
Park because many Jews Torah of the workings
are strolling there, let- of Shabbat, which is to
ting their trollis go be a day of rest.
down. Now the Torah
Toward the end of doesn't say explicitly
Shabbat, there is the af- w h a t is c o n s i d e r e d
t e r n o o n service and work. That was left to
then the third meal. the rabbis. Part of their
For many people, this c o n c e p t i o n of the
generally is more of a moral law was to ex-
snack than a meal. plain the details of the
Here, the main focus is observance of the writ-
not so much on the ten law. The rabbis
food as on being to- defined work as con-
gether. There are sing- sisting of 39 categories
ing and discussions. of activities. These 39
The atmosphere toward I categories are mostly
the end of Shabbat in- | based on the kind of
tensifies and becomes 1 things that people
even more spiritual. R would have to do in or-
There is often a poi- jj der to live throughout
gnancy in the t h i r d | the week, for example,
meal, replacing the fri- various activities con-
volity of the other cerned with the prepa-
The carrying of the menorah on the Arch of Titus as a part of
meals. That is then fol- the spoils in the triumphal procession after the destruction of the ration of food, from
lowed by the evening temple in 70 C.E. sowing, reaping,
service and the The seven-branched menorah was hence often used as a symbol threshing, winnowing,
habdalah ceremony of of the Sabbath which helped Israel to survive in the diaspora. As and grinding grain (ag-
separation, in which we the great essayist Ahad Haam said: "More than the Jewish people ricultural labors), to
have kept the Sabbath; the Sabbath has kept the Jewish people."
bless God, who distin- kneading dough, bak-
guishes between sacred and pro- of the week. Other stories con- ing, and a whole class of work in
fane (between the six working nect it with Adam and Eve who, preparing bread. Then there is
days and the seventh day). It is having just left the garden of another set connected with the
an elaborate ceremony which Eden, experienced darkness for making of cloth: Weaving, sew-
consists of a blessing over a gob- the first time and were terrified, ing, tying knots, and so on, are
let of wine, a blessing over spices thinking that perhaps the world categories of work. Other cat-
to restore our spirits in the out- was now coming to an end. God egories include the kindling of
going Shabbat, and a blessing comforted them and showed any fire or carrying anything
over a fire (usually in the form of them how to produce fire. So whatsoever from a private into a
a large fatted candle with several they created the first fire. While public space or vice versa, or car-
wicks, not like the single flame these are only legends, they are rying anything for about six feet
of the Shabbat candle). This rep- poignant ones. Then there is the within a public domain. You may
resents fire rather than light. final blessing of separation. Af- carry things about the house, but
There are various legends about ter that, people sing songs wish- you may not carry anything out-
it. Some say it commemorates ing one another a good week and side the house into the street.
the beginning of creation, when also a very famous song for the That is probably enough to de-

August 1996/SHABBAT SHALOM 7

 scribe some of the categories of fied in various ways. Some, not than just normal. The great vir-
keeping. These are part of the so much out of principle but tue of that kind of Shabbat is that
39 broad categories, and in the merely in pragmatism, can't quite abstaining from all of those ac-
Talmud each one is defined into manage a particular restriction, tivities which are so taken for
a large number of specific activi- so they, perhaps with a slightly granted during the week really
ties which are forbidden. This bad conscience, don't keep it. lifts Shabbat out of ordinary life
makes altogether a very compli- There are, of course, many people and very clearly marks it out as a
cated legend of what one is not who feel for economic reasons day apart, a day filled with spiri-
allowed to do on Shabbat. There that they have to work on tuality and utterly different in ev-
are many Jews who observe this Shabbat. This is very unfortu- ery way from other days of the
with great strictness, and there nate, because t h a t is purely week. That is something which
are others who do not observe it against the whole spirit of the most progressive Jews don't have
quite so carefully. In progressive day. Those Jews who belong to to the same extent, because they
Judaism, by and large, we don't Orthodox synagogues perhaps do a lot of things on Shabbat.
go along with the idea that all of feel somewhat more ashamed of They do switch on lights, use the
these manifold activities are ab- having to work on Shabbat than telephone, and drive cars, and
solutely forbidden. The empha- the Jews who belong to progres- Shabbat is not as different from
sis is more on creating a day of sive synagogues, where a slightly other days of the week as it is for
rest and spiritual refreshment in more flexible and understanding Orthodox Jews who keep all the
whatever way is appropriate for attitude often prevails about the restrictions.
the person. So while Orthodox exigencies of people's lives. Pro-
Jews consider it forbidden to gressive rabbis would encourage Shabbat Shalom: Do the Or-
drive on Shabbat, progressive someone who has to work on Sat- thodox Jews and the more lib-
Jews may not find the synagogue urday morning to come to the eral ones who really believe that
close enough to walk to, and they are keeping the Sabbath feel
therefore it is appropriate to drive also that there is a special bless-
The whole week is a
in keeping with the spirit of ing from God in remembering
Shabbat, and one might possibly spiritual process and keeping the Sabbath?
go for a drive into the country to
enjoy nature. toward the Solomon: Oh yes, absolutely!
Orthodox Jews won't use a Shabbat is spoken of in our
telephone on Shabbat, whereas a culmination of prayers as a gift from God, as
liberal Jew might feel that phon- something that God has be-
Shabbat.
ing a relative whom they can't queathed to us. Shabbat is a
visit is a very appropriate way of treasured possession, a day of de-
spending time on the Shabbat. synagogue on Friday night, and light, and one of the aspects of
An Orthodox Jew won't listen so at least have part of Shabbat Judaism most cherished by Jews
to music on Shabbat or, indeed, intact. However, it has to be said of all varieties. There is a lovely
play a musical i n s t r u m e n t , that for those Jews who keep the rabbinic legend about the days
whereas a progressive Jew might Shabbat in all of its traditional of the week all pairing up with
feel that it is relaxing to listen to strictness, it generally isn't irk- one another and Shabbat being
a sonata, or playing the piano is some. It is part of a way of life, left out and complaining to God
very relaxing and an appropriate which is often learned in child- that all of the other days of the
way of spending Shabbat. So the hood, accepted, and becomes week have a partner and saying,
interpretation of how one rests part of the pattern of living. It "I am by myself and have no
on Shabbat vanes widely for dif- isn't seen as the wrench that it partner."
ferent Jews. The principle under- would seem to be to any person God comforts Shabbat and
lying it is the same. who isn't used to that pattern of says, "Don't worry. The Jewish
lifestyle. The fact that you can't people, the people of Israel will
Sabbath Shalom: Are Sabbath switch on lights, use the tele- be your partner." So there is a
restrictions irksome to Jews in phone, or switch on the televi- k i n d of marriage between
England today? sion is not important to the Jews Shabbat and the people of Israel.
who grow up experiencing that Of course, there is the very fa-
Solomon: The answer is Yes kind of Shabbat. Also to the Jews mous statement by Ahad Haam,
and No. Many Jews do find that who accept it in a later stage of a great modern Jewish thinker
the traditional restrictions are life, it becomes a very normal and writer, who said, "More
irksome and, therefore, are modi- lifestyle to practice. It is more than the Jewish people have kept

8 SHABBAT SHALOM/August 1996

the Shabbat, Shabbat has kept it anytime after nightfall. day, yom sheni (the second day).
the Jewish people." I think that The Talmud asks: Why are the
we all sense to some extent that Shabbat Shalom: When do days named in this way: the first
Shabbat is very crucial in our be- you prepare for the Sabbath? day, the second day, and so on?
ing Jews, our remaining Jews, It answers: They are named to-
and our remaining together and Solomon: The most intense ward Shabbat. Sunday is the first
alive and as a people. preparation for Shabbat is on Fri- day approaching Shabbat. Mon-
day, especially Friday afternoon. day is the second day approach-
Shabbat Shalom: What are the In households where Shabbat is ing Shabbat, and so on through
times for the Sabbath, and why? really kept seriously, Friday is a the week. One counts the days
flurry of activity, and the closer from one to six and finally
Solomon: The answer is less to the Shabbat, the greater the reaches the seventh day, the
simple than what one may think. flurry becomes because, tradi- Shabbat. In the Talmud, there are
There is a debate that goes way tionally speaking, we are not al- many stories of how the rabbis of
back into Talmudic times about lowed to cook on the Shabbat. old would think of Shabbat from
when in fact days begin and end. All the food has to be cooked the very beginning of the week
It is generally accepted that in before Shabbat begins. As men- so that whenever they would
J u d a i s m the day begins the tioned before, food may be kept come across a particularly nice
evening before, when it gets warm right up until lunch time fish or a delicious cake, they
dark. But is that the moment on Saturday. However, the food would say, "This will be for
of sunset, or is it the moment of has to be cooked to an edible Shabbat," and then put it aside
nightfall? That is the question state before sunset on Friday. So for that time. So the whole week
that has never been satisfactorily that is a large part of the activi- is a spiritual process toward the
resolved. Nightfall, incidentally, ties. But it goes far beyond that, culmination of Shabbat.
has generally been defined as the because in many of the house-
time when one can see three me- holds, the house is cleaned thor- Shabbat Shalom: In a family
dium-sized stars distantly spaced oughly on Friday, and everything setting, what are the benefits
out in the skies. That means is shining, clean, and special. and blessings of the Sabbath?
that it is really dark. So does the The table is set, often with a
day begin at sunset or at night- white tablecloth, the best silver- Solomon: T h e benefits of
fall? There is an uncertainty ware, and other items in readi- Shabbat are incalculable for a
built into Jewish practice. The ness for the Shabbat meal. The family and nowadays more than
sway that is here expressed is that body also should be clean and ever, when throughout the week
in order to fulfill all of the pos- spruced in readiness for Shabbat. families tend to be fragmented
sibilities, one acts as if Shabbat And so the whole family will be with each member doing their
begins at sunset on Friday and queuing up for the bathroom to own thing. With children going
does not end until nightfall on get ready for Friday evening and to school and after-school activi-
Saturday—in other words, an to get dressed in their Shabbat ties, there is very little of the day
h o u r or so after sunset. So best. Friday is really a busy day; when families are actually to-
Shabbat is n o t t w e n t y - f o u r and, of course, before the cook- gether on a daily basis. Shabbat
hours; it is about twenty-five ing is done, there has to be the is, therefore, the one day of the
hours. T h e rule is that the shopping, which can be done at week when they all make a point
Shabbat candles should be lit at any time, but often it is on of being together: sitting at the
least eighteen minutes before T h u r s d a y or Friday m o r n i n g table, perhaps looking over the
sunset on Friday to allow for a when people will be out doing week's activities, and sharing ex-
slight additional space, and one their shopping for Sabbath. So periences with one another. Hav-
is allowed to extend the end of that is the practical preparation ing guests is another part of the
Shabbat quite some time beyond that will be done. ethos of Shabbat. The guests, of
nightfall. When one is involved But in a more spiritual way, course, may be other family
in eating the first Shabbat meal, the whole week is often seen as a m e m b e r s or friends or even
for instance, it could be carried preparation for Shabbat. In Jew- strangers. There is an idea that
on into the night with the dis- ish tradition and in the Hebrew one may be in a synagogue on
cussion t h a t goes w i t h it. language, the days of the week do Friday night and may meet some-
Shabbat ends for you when you not have names such as Sunday, body from out of town who
make habdalah and declare Monday, or Tuesday, but they are doesn't have somewhere to eat
Shabbat over. You can't do it numbered. Sunday is called yom and invites them home. More
before nightfall, but you can do rirshon (the first day) and Mon- traditionally, this stranger would

August 1996/SHABBAT SHALOM 9

 be a Jew, but the stranger could have a family. In many commu- day-night candles. That is one
well be a non-Jew. Personally, I nities, there is an emphasis on ceremony that many people do
have found it very enjoyable to inviting people who are on their keep above anything else. But
have non-Jewish friends coming own to become part of a family there are a lot of people that
to Shabbat and sharing with them or share with a family on don't even do that, and who are
some of the special experiences. Shabbat. But this doesn't take estranged from Judaism alto-
Some of the things you take for away the fact that it is often very gether. There are others who
granted, but an outsider coming difficult and quite sad for single keep the Day of Atonement and
and experiencing it for the first people on Shabbat. Some single possibly Passover, but who do
time really enjoys the experiences people do join with their friends n o t keep the Shabbat on a
of Shabbat. I have many friends and create a family of choice, if weekly basis.
with whom I have been able to you like, and enjoy Shabbat to-
share these experiences, and they gether. Not everybody is in a Shabbat Shalom: Do you believe
enjoy them very much. position to do that. That is one that there are some aspects of the
I have a Catholic priest friend of the problems that Jewish com- Sabbath that could appeal to and
who loves to come to the Shabbat munities are only just beginning benefit non-Sabbathkeepers in
and sings the songs and partici- to try to address. England?
pates in the prayers. This is a More and more synagogues, at
lovely experience for him and for least once a month and some- Solomon: The answer is an
us. times more often, have the unqualified yes!
The Shabbat is not generally Havallrah Shabbat meal usually There is an interesting ten-
an exclusive time for Jews, and on Friday night, when people sion about this question in Ju-
they value the participation of don't go home to their families daism, because in the Talmud it
friends of other communions and states that non-Jews must not
those in the community. "More than the keep Shabbat. It makes the
T h e family context of the statement rather sternly. I have
Shabbat is very important: the Jewish people have always found that odd, though
blessing of the children on Fri- I can understand it in a way.
kept the Shabbat;
day night, as already mentioned, Shabbat for Jews is very much an
and the fact that the families also Shabbat has kept the aspect of the Covenant and the
go to the synagogue together. understanding between God and
There is a distinction between Jewish people." Israel. It states in Exodus that
Orthodox and progressive syna- it is a sign forever between God
gogues. In O r t h o d o x syna- — A h a d Haam and the children of Israel. So
gogues, the family might walk Shabbat is very much a dimen-
together, but once they have ar- but actually stay at the synagogue sion of that Covenant. On the
rived, they sit separately. This is and eat together. This is a way other hand, the principle of
fine to many people and the way of including everybody. Shabbat is, aside from the belief
they like it to be. Progressive in one God, the greatest gift that
Jews like the experience of sitting Shabbat Shalom: Is the Sab- the Jewish people have given to
together as a family. bath a weekly celebration among the world. T h e idea of the
most Jews today in England? seven-day week is something
Shabbat Shalom: Would some that came from Judaism and was
people migrate from Orthodoxy This is a difficult question to unknown to the Greeks or the
to more liberal synagogues be- actually answer. We don't have Romans. There is the Roman
cause they want to be a family statistics that would support or historian Tacitus who found two
unit together? not support such a question. I aspects of Judaism particularly
would like to think that the an- repugnant and incomprehen-
Solomon: That is often the swer is yes, but I am afraid that sible. One is, the Jews refuse to
reason given for changing affili- it isn't actually, and that it is kill babies. The ancient Greeks
ation. It needs to be said that this probably something like 50 - 50. and Romans quite happily ex-
emphasis on the family and of There are a lot of Jews who do posed unwanted children or en-
being together with the family, or not keep Sabbath and who do abled children to die. The Jews
a part of the family on Shabbat, not light the candles on Friday didn't do that, and it was incom-
does often make it very difficult evening. Of course, there are prehensible to the Romans. The
for single people or for those many people who do not keep other aspect which he found re-
who, for whatever reason, don't Shabbat except for lighting Fri- pugnant was that the Jews gave

10 SHABBAT SHALOM/August 1996

their slaves one day off in seven. has to work continually. Every- dilemma that rabbis have to face,
How ridiculous to give your body should have time for lei- because everybody else can go to
slaves a day off when that is not sure and recreation. In this way, the synagogue and relax. Many
what slaves are for. I think the Shabbat does take us back to cre- times when I would like to be
principle which Shabbat is actu- ation and the beginning of the praying, I am concerned with
ally stating is that all human be- world when, of course, every- what has to happen next in the
ings are created free and equal body was equal. The Talmud services, and so on. Neverthe-
and that the servants and slaves asks, Why did God create one less, with all of the shortcomings
and even the domestic animals individual, Adam, at first? Why that I see in my own observance
need a n d deserve t i m e off. not create lots of people? One of Shabbat, the gap between
There is a famous story in the of the points is that everybody what could be and what I would
Talmud about the Jew who sold has the same ancestor. None can like a n d w h a t actually is,
his cow to a non-Jew. After a say, Mine is greater than yours. Shabbat is still a very important
few days, the non-Jew came We all go back to one person. day for me—partly because I do
knocking at the Jew's door in I think it also makes for a one job during the week (teach-
great rage, saying, "Your cow healthy and happy society when ing at the Jewish college), and I
refuses to work. What kind of a people take time off and prefer- am only really with my congre-
dud cow is this that you have ably take time off together. That gation on Shabbat. This is a
sold me? It won't get up and is why I must say that, although chance to be with the congrega-
plow." for Jews it is very convenient tion, to enjoy their company
The Jew was very concerned when shops open on Sunday in which I do, and to pray in a
and said, "Tell me exactly what Britain, I still believe that allow- slightly different way my normal
has happened." ing for shops to open on Sun- prayers.
He said, "I bought the cow, day is a big mistake that our so- I gain a real joy and blessing
and for the first few days it was ciety has made. I am all for re- out of my service to the congre-
fine, and then one morning it just strictions on Sunday trading, be- gation on Shabbat, some weeks
lay down and wouldn't get up and cause a society—whether Chris- more than others. One at times
refused to do any work." tian, Jewish, or none of these— gets a real sense of elation and
The Jew said, "What day was still needs a day, our day of rest spiritual harmony, and at other
that?" when we don't struggle for a liv- times this may not be present,
"It was Saturday!" ing. We take time to consider. but the idea that it can be there
The Jew said, "Ah, now I un- I think we have lost sight of that brings a sense of hope as I look
derstand. I understand what has to some extent. It is easy to go forward to Shabbat. I don't have
happened. As Jews, you see, we around the corner to Sainsbury's a service in my synagogue on
give our animals rest on the Sab- on Sunday, but I believe there is Friday night so I can spend Fri-
bath, and so my cow is used to a deeper, more spiritual concern day nights at other synagogues.
resting and not working on the when we say, "The shops are Shabbat, particularly on Fri-
Sabbath. Now, of course, things shut today. We should look to day night, is a time when the
are different; it belongs to a non- something else." family can come together. It is
Jew, and there is no reason why a night when the teenagers gen-
you should lose because of that." Shabbat Shalom: I suppose erally do not go out to parties
He went to visit the cow and the problem is that even many or to the disco or whatever. That
whispered in his ear that now he Christians are not worried about is the time when they like to
belonged to a n o n - J e w and their Sunday as a Sabbath any have togetherness. It is sad when
would have to work when his more. What does the Sabbath that is not always the case, when
owner wanted him to do so. mean to you personally? that spiritual commitment for
And so, the cow, the poor cow, Shabbat is not made.
had to start working on Satur- Solomon: It is difficult to an-
days. swer that, for I see a distinction
I think it is very important in what I would like the Shabbat *A. David C. Currie was in charge of
not only that people should have to mean to me personally, and the Ministries Department at the Trans-
European Division of the Seventh-day
time off (this is also recognized what it actually does mean on a Adventist communities when he con-
by our society—people do need real basis. ducted this interview in London. He is
time for recreation), but this is There is the old joke that rab- currently the president of a union con-
also a guarantee of human equal- bis are the one class of people ference of Seventh-day Adventist com-
ity. It is not just one class that who don't have a day off. We munities in Australia and lives in the
Melbourne area.
enjoys leisure while another class work on Saturday, and that is a

August 1996 /SHABBATSHALOM 11

 D r . N i e l s - E r i k A n d r e a s e n

A university president pauses to think

on the rich values of the Sabbath,

"an extraordinary gift" in the busy

schedules of modern men.

Niels-Erik Andreasen is president of Andrews University in

Berrien Springs, Michigan. He joined the administration in 1994. ^ ^ ^ habbat Shalom : As
Born in Fredensborg, Denmark, Andreasen lived in Denmark ^ ^ ^ president of Andrews
for his first 19 years. He then studied at Newbold College, England, L W University, you have
for three years and immigrated to the United States in 1963. ^^t^^ a very busy schedule,
so we are very thankful to you
Andreasen holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in religious stud-
for taking this time to pause and
ies from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, which he re- reflect with us on the Sabbath.
ceived in 1971. He earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1966 and T h i s gesture, in a way, may
a Master of Arts degree in biblical studies in 1965 from Andrews somehow betray your philoso-
University. In 1963, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion phy on the Sabbath. You have,
and history from Newbold College. indeed, written extensively on
Andreasen is the author of three books, including The Christian the Sabbath. This was the topic
Use of Time and The Old Testament Sabbath. of your dissertation, and you
He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the have also written several articles
on the Sabbath. Undoubtedly,
Biblical Research Committee.
this is for you an important pre-
Andreasen is married to Demetra Lougani of Athens, Greece.
occupation. My first question
They have one grown son, Michael. to you is then: Why?

12 SHABBAT SHALOM/ August 1996

 enth-day Adventists observe the
The Sabbath, the seventh day of rest, had an
Sabbath on the seventh day in
uniqueness to it that could not be paralleled in distinction from those who ob-
serve it on the first.
any way, meaning that it couldn't be traced to
Shabbat Shalom: C o m i n g
any other known historical or sociological from a historical point of view
and as a biblical scholar, and
practice. It was just there, standing on its own.
perhaps also from an existential
point of view, where does the
Andreasen: It has two roots: normally refer to their day of Sabbath come from?
One, my interest in the Hebrew rest, whatever they name it, as
Bible as a graduate student drew the "first day," the day of resur- Andreasen: Well, in my
me into the subject of Israelite rection. Seventh-day Adventists judgment, it comes from God.
and ancient Hebrew worship; are different; they make that dif- That's not meant as a flippant
and one of the key elements, ference known in a very clear answer. I did spend some time
central themes, in that subject is way by identifying the "seventh once looking at the various hy-
Shabbat—Sabbath. The other day," the last of the week, as potheses on the origin of the
one is deeply personal. My par- opposed to the first of the week, Sabbath, and my own conclu-
ents observed the Sabbath as as their day of rest. sion at that time was that none
Seventh-day Adventists, and I of them offers a satisfactory ex-
grew up experiencing that day of Shabbat Shalom: Is that the planation, so we have to look
rest from my earliest memories. only difference? in some other direction. I re-
At the time, my parents lived in member some years ago, as a
the country as a consequence of Andreasen: There are other postdoctoral student at Yale,
the war; so the cycle of work and differences, of course, between reading an essay published by
rest, work days and Sabbath, Sabbath and Sunday, W W. H a l l o , "Sabbath a n d
came very close to my childhood Sabbathkeeping Christians and New M o o n : A Study in the
experiences. Sundaykeeping Christians. But C o n t r a s t i n g A p p r o a c h . " By
I think, that by common con- looking at Near Eastern texts,
Shabbat Shalom: So you say sent, at least where I grew up in Hallo concluded that the Sab-
that you keep the Sabbath as a Denmark, that was the very clear bath, the seventh day of rest,
Seventh-day Adventist. Perhaps distinction. My friends who had a u n i q u e n e s s to it t h a t
you can say something about it; went to school on Saturday on could not be paralleled in any
by the way, why use the desig- their bicycles and my family that way, meaning that it couldn't be
nation "seventh day"? Do we rode its bicycles to church ser- traced to any other known his-
perhaps have another day for vices on that same day crossed torical or sociological practice.
the Sabbath? paths, so it became a very clear It was just there, standing on its
mark of distinction that Sev- own. So my best judgment on
Andreasen: Well, Christians
have a problem in that they The most holy experience in our life is that
mostly observe Sunday, which is
traditionally referred to as the time which comes to us, wherever we are in life
"first day" of the week.
Shabbat Shalom: It is also . . . without any extraordinary effort required
called the "Sabbath."
by us except that we . . . make room for the
Andreasen: That is for differ- Sabbath to arrive, for God's presence to arrive
ent reasons, I think (maybe for
theological reasons in some on that day. We don't even have to go and meet
cases). But as a result, those
Christians who observe the Sab- Him—we just stop and open the door, and it
bath on the seventh day need to
sort of rolls in, the way the earth rolls on and
distinguish themselves from oth-
ers by counting the days—until the sun passes over us on this day; it just comes
the seventh—on which they ob-
serve their rest. Most Christians to us as we prepare ourselves to receive it.

August 1996/SHABBAT SHALOM 13

 Shabbat Shalom: According Shabbat Shalom: Because of
The Sabbath invites
to the biblical tradition, the the rest?
us, I think, to Sabbath is then for everyone.
But it has become especially im- Andreasen: Yes, by just tak-
schedule our work in portant for you, coming from a ing a day of rest. But there is
Seventh-day Adventist family. something else. The Sabbath,
such a way that there Could you tell me how impor- by definition, is the last day. I
tant the Sabbath is for Seventh- don't know if we have thought
can be mini-
day Adventists, and what would enough about that; it's a day af-
conclusions after be the meaning, the specific ter work has been concluded,
meaning, of the Sabbath for finished. That's how it was de-
which one then enters Seventh-day Adventists? fined in its original reference in
Scripture, and I think we per-
the day of rest with Andreasen: It is a concept; it
is an experience that defines Sev-
peace because there The Sabbath is a very
enth-day Adventist Christians in
has, in fact, been a a fundamental way. It's a little generous gift, and
bit like a marriage, in which
conclusion to one's partners define each other. The observing it requires
Sabbath is like the spouse of the
work. Seventh-day Adventist Church, us to be generous
and the child is represented by
with it toward other
t h e m a t t e r is t h a t of t h e the Advent of the Messiah, per-
Bible—the Sabbath comes haps, if I may speak of it like people, other life, and
from God. that. Of all the teachings, prac-
tices, and beliefs of the Seventh- even the environment
Shabbat Shalom: So there is day Adventist Church, the Sab-
something unique about the bath is perhaps the most defin- in which we live. I
Sabbath which perhaps makes ing, along with the Second Ad-
think there is an
the Sabbath relevant for every- vent. It's in our registered name,
one, not just for the people of "Seventh-day Adventist." environmental
Israel but also for Christians,
for non-Christians, and still to- Shabbat Shalom: It is very message in this.
day, for m o d e r n m e n and interesting that you are using
women. this comparison. In Judaism, haps have overlooked the invi-
we find the same imagery of tation of the Sabbath to con-
Andreasen: T h e Scriptures, the Sabbath being the bride clude our work. That doesn't
in tracing the origin of the Sab- and the child being the Mes- mean there is not work the fol-
bath to G o d Himself, make siah who embodies the hope of lowing week, but it comes to a
that connection at first in the Israel. Perhaps to be a little certain conclusion each week.
story of Creation. T h e first more relevant for today, what The Sabbath invites us, I think,
reference to the Sabbath in the are the values of the Sabbath to schedule our work in such a
Bible is to God observing it w h i c h m o d e r n m e n and way that there can be mini-con-
Himself in the story of Cre- women may learn from prac- clusions after which one then
ation. T h a t connection gives ticing the Sabbath? Is there enters the day of rest with peace
it a universal appeal as though something relevant today? D o because there has, in fact, been
it belongs to the entire human we still need today to keep the a conclusion to one's work. The
family—in fact, to the whole Sabbath? desk has some material on it,
of life. (It belongs to all life but it's nicely stacked in piles,
here on earth, which is what Andreasen: Yes, of course. waiting happily until a future
the story of creation is about.) There have been many studies time—say Monday morning or
There is an interesting text in on that, and we could talk at s o m e t h i n g like t h a t . T h i s
the Bible which says that on great length about the personal, means that we work toward a
Sabbath even the animals have family, social, and even the goal; we finish it in some fash-
rest, as though it somehow ex- physical benefits that come to ion and then enter the rest,
tends beyond the human fam- people who seriously observe the which brings with it these many
ily as well. Sabbath. personal, physical, social, and

14 SHABBAT SHALOM/ August 1996

spiritual benefits. The Sabbath the Sabbath. How does it af- level, the Sabbath connects a
would be received and wel- fect our social relationships? person with her or his God. I
comed better this way than if think everything else springs
our work was merely stopped by Andreasen: As we complete from that. I speak about the
force, as it were. You see, if we our work and turn away from most personal, the deepest cases
stop working, but the work re- the burdens, the present burdens in our life, those things we pray
mains in our minds, that would of the week, we can then open about, which are probably also
not create a good Sabbath. But ourselves to each other. And so the things about which we are
w o r k i n g from t h e first day we become friends, as it were, most honest. I mean prayer is
through the sixth with the goal and there's no work between us. the most honest kind of lan-
in mind of achieving a comple- Most things that separate people guage we have—when we con-
tion—working creatively—pre- are work or work-related prob- fess our sins and ask for bless-
pares us for the Sabbath rest. lems, tensions: giving or taking ings and so on. It is this con-
orders, giving or receiving in- nection, the relationship be-
Shabbat Shalom: It requires structions. Generally, that is tween the human soul and God,
some faith. It, in fact, affects what creates stress in interper- which the Sabbath brings about.
your anguish to achieve, so you sonal relations at home and on The result of that, characteristi-
have faith that y o u have the job. If we set all that aside cally, is peace. We speak of sha-
achieved. because work has been finished, lom—life, well-being, say when
the barriers between people are our soul is at peace in the pres-
Andreasen: T h a t is right. eradicated, and they come to- ence of God. And that is, I
And it's also a reward, and there- gether. think, the centerpiece of it all.
From it we can move to the re-
Shabbat Shalom: W h a t about lationships with family (parents
It's the one period in the animals, if I may ask this and children) and other people.
question? The best memories I have of the
the week when we meaning of the Sabbath prob-
Andreasen: I think there is ably come from these relation-
can casually talk
even some humor in the Bible. ships, though I recognize that
about things or not I mean, the animals—the do- the source of those memories is
mestic animals—would not the relationship between God
talk about things and work without a driver behind. and ourselves, a deeply personal
But I think the Bible is saying one, when at the end of the sixth
listen to things or this with a smile on its lips— day we say: "I have an appoint-
even the animals need to rest, so ment with God now. This is the
read things, enjoy
don't work them. Here is an- time when I meet with God."
splendid silence or other reason for observing Sab- And the marvelous thing is that
bath. (They are part of life as
active conversation, well.) Even the earth itself must It's a little bit like a
get a break in the seventh year.
as though nothing else The Sabbath is a very generous marriage, in which
gift, and observing it requires us
mattered. And that, partners define each
to be generous with it toward
to me, is a other people, other life, and even
other. The Sabbath
the environment in which we
manifestation of live. I think there is an environ- is like the spouse of
mental message in this.
God's presence. the Seventh-day
Shabbat Shalom: You've
fore, a joy. It's not a requirement given here a whole theology and Adventist Church,
that you must not work; it is an philosophy of the Sabbath.
and the child is
invitation to finish the work and May I ask you the question,
then rest. What for you, personally, is the represented by the
meaning of the Sabbath, the
Shabbat Shalom: What about value of the Sabbath? Advent of the
the social dimension? You have
referred to the social aspect of Andreasen: At the deepest Messiah.

August 1996 /SHABBAT SHALOM 15

 it doesn't isolate us from life; it And that, to me, is a manifesta- made it on its own as an alter-
brings us into life and fills our tion of God's presence. native day of rest. Why do some
life with memories of walking call it Sabbath? Why not just
with parents or playing with Shabbat Shalom: You intro- call it Sunday? Why introduce
brothers and sister or even be- duce a dimension of gracious- that concept of the Sabbath into
ing alone, leisurely thinking . . . ness, something which has no Sunday? It seems to me, the
necessary purpose; it is simply answer is, as Karl Barth pointed
Shabbat Shalom: You are re- free, gracious. out in one of his enormous vol-
sponding to the question I was umes, that without the element
going to ask you. What do you Andreasen: And that requires of Sabbath, Sunday would be-
do on Sabbath to make Sabbath that our relationships with each come a day to finish off the work
meaningful and really fulfilling? other, with other people, are that wasn't done the previous
equalized, w h i c h is a n o t h e r seven days. Perhaps it would be
Andreasen: That's an interest- thing that happens on Sabbath. used entirely for fishing or foot-
ing question, because people of- That is, we are not employers ball. But the Sabbath arrests us
ten ask, "If you don't work, what and employees, masters or slaves. and says, "No, no, no, there's a
do you do? Is the Sabbath a day There are no different ranks on different intention with this
when you do nothing?" Well, the Sabbath. In the church or day." And serious Sunday keep-
the one thing we don't do is synagogue, everyone sits in the ers have realized that, to the de-
work. And I think in some ways same pew, so to speak, and that gree that some have actually in-
that's how the Sabbath invites us can happen only because we are troduced the name Sabbath and
the most to faith, because on transposed it onto their day
to
this day we say to ourselves Jffe Sabbath bkssinVS require achieve that goal. In one
and to everyone around us o l sense, that s the strongest ar-
that we will make it; the some Sab bath keeping! It's as gument in support of the
world will survive; we will , l n i i ii • idea diat it takes the Sabbath
live without putting our ef- though Sabbathkeepmg to have a day of rest; and the
forts into toil on that day. key, I think, is that it comes
God will provide, even with begins on the first day of as a conclusion, a culmina-
our inattentiveness to work. worJk and it has a lot ofrigOr tion, of our week of work.
But then, what do yoou do J o That's important.
when you don't work? You to it—working hard,
rest. But rest is an activity— Shabbat Shalom: W h y
it's not the same as sleep. consistently, and deliberately does this day have to start
There is another word for at sunset on Friday night
that. Rest is an activity; it's with a zoal in mind. and finish at sunset on Sat-
a personal activity; it's a urday night? We could have
physical activity; it's a spiritual not in a work relationship with started Sabbath in the morning.
and mental activity and a social each other, something which Why do we have to start at sun-
activity and from this we can contributes enormously to the set?
spin out the things we do—time blessings of the Sabbath.
to think, to listen, to speak or Andreasen: There is a biblical
not to speak, to walk, to observe, Shabbat Shalom: A n d you answer, of course, to this ques-
to pay attention to many things don't think that all these values tion: The Bible explains the be-
that we don't ordinarily notice can be found also on Sunday or ginning of the day that way. So,
because of work. Most of them any other day? in a sense, we are saying to each
are extremely p e r s o n a l . At other, we want to be faithful to
home, now that our son has left, Andreasen: Well, there is a the word of Scripture in doing
it's my wife and I observing the theological argument and a his- that. Even if we had a choice, I
Sabbath, and we do enjoy it im- torical argument in response to mean, if it were a toss-up, in prac-
mensely. It's the one period in that. It did strike me as inter- tice we would still choose, as be-
the week when we can casually esting, as you pointed out, that lievers, to do it the way in which
talk about things or not talk some people have called Sunday, the Bible explains it ought to be
about things and listen to things "Sabbath." And I take that to done; and then, of course, we can
or read things, enjoy splendid si- be an admission that without the ask, Is there any good reason for
lence or active conversation, as spirit and the meaning of the that, or is it helpful to observe it
though nothing else mattered. Sabbath, Sunday couldn't have like that? And I think it is very

16 SHABBAT SHALOM /August 1996

helpful, because, even w i t h you give us, if there is indeed a students, and several hundred
changes in work patterns that reason for that, some advice to faculty and staff members, how
have been introduced today by help us, Jews and Christians, to does such an institution observe
shift work and all sorts of new keep and at the same to cel- the Sabbath i n s t i t u t i o n a l l y ?
inventions, nevertheless, our ebrate the Sabbath. This is a home away from home
work patterns have remained re- in which thousands of students
markably traditional. Most Andreasen: Well, my response are attempting to keep Sabbath.
people go to work in the morn- would be that Seventh-day Ad- That introduces some structure
ing, and most people end their ventist Christians who observe into it, and structure always cre-
work at night. It fits. Our whole the Sabbath have not figured ev- ates some tensions. So we are
schedule of life is organized that erything out yet! I can't speak trying in a large institution to
way, and then we rest by sleep- for the Jewish community, and create as many of the character-
ing at night—that is a fundamen- I don't know if all members of istics of Sabbath observance as
tal principle of our routine—of that community have figured we can. We don't give assign-
course, with some notable excep- out what the Sabbath means. ments; we ask students not to
tions. And it happens to fit the But I have suspicions from many read textbooks; and we close the
routine of the Sabbath remark- friends of mine who are Jewish, library to help them remember
ably well. At the end of the work that some of them are not so sure that; and we think that they get
comes the rest, and we begin that what to do with this day, and just as good results, perhaps bet-
when the work of the week ends, that some have neglected it al- ter results, on their exams by
which is Friday evening. And so together. They're struggling doing it that way. But quite
I would say first apart from that,
beginning Sabbath j^t fa m c i 0 ffa i
w o r z c o m e s the rest, and we I w o u l d offer
at evening on the J this opinion
b o t h to o u r -
sixth day is the in- begin that when the work of the week ends, selves and to our
struction given in
Scripture. And, Jewish friends,
which is Friday evening. And so I would say
secondly, it makes that perhaps
good practical first, beginning Sabbath at evening on the some elements
sense, even today, of keeping,
thousands of years sixth day is the instruction given in along with the
after the Sabbath elements of wor-
Scripture. And, secondly, it makes good ship and celebra-
was first i n t r o -
duced. tion, should be
practical sense, even today, thousands of years combined.
Shabbat Sha- after the Sabbath was first introduced. Some of t h a t
lom: Interesting . might be a good
. . that's right. Several years with it too. So I would accept thing. The comment has been
ago, a Jewish professor from this comment by saying that we made, I think by H . H . Rowley
Bar Ilan University—a very re- are also struggling with that, but in his book on the subject, that
ligious person—visited An- I would take exception to the w i t h o u t Sabbath worship we
drews University to see how the implication that all Christian would have no Sabbath rest, and
Seventh-day Adventists were Sabbathkeepers are "keeping it" vice versa. The Sabbath blessings
keeping the Sabbath. After his as opposed to "celebrating it." I require some Sabbathkeeping!
little journey with the Seventh- would characterize my own ex- It's as though Sabbathkeeping
day Adventists, he was asked, perience with the Sabbath as begins on the first day of work,
"What is the difference?" He more celebration than keeping and it has a lot of rigor to it—
gave a very puzzling answer I in a sense of forced activities or working hard, consistently, and
would like you to comment on: inactivity or something like that. deliberately with a goal in mind.
"Well, you Adventists keep the I also think in an institution Without that kind of prepara-
Sabbath; we celebrate the Sab- such as this one, which is a Sab- tory Sabbath keeping, when the
bath." Is it a criticism? Is this bath-observing institution—a sixth day comes to an end, our
perhaps something which the Seventh-day Adventist univer- work and our office would be in
Seventh-day Adventists could sity—institutional constraints such a mess that there would be
learn from the Jews, or is it and activities sometimes get in little celebration left on the day
s o m e t h i n g perhaps we've the way. How does a family with of rest. I think all of that is part
missed? In other words, could so many members, thousands of of the "keeping," which is pretty

August 1996 /SHABBAT SHALOM 17

 demanding, so I see a fair bit of
There are no different ranks on the Sabbath.
rigor in the life of a Sabbath-
keeper which then enables that In the church or synagogue, everyone sits in the
joy and celebration to find their
proper place when the day ar- same pew, so to speak, and that can happen
rives. So, I would maybe like
to modify this observation and only because we are not in a work relationship
introduce some deliberate rigor
with each other, something which contributes
into the life of a Sabbath ob-
server, which is precisely what enormously to the blessings of the Sabbath.
makes room for the freedom
and the joy that come at the
end. sorted out as much as possible. our older brothers and sisters in
Emergencies and unusual things the faith, the Jewish community:
Shabbat Shalom: So, I hear happen, but generally speaking, The most holy experience in our
that you are referring to the first that is how I do it. So, when I life is that time which comes to
day of the week in relation to do leave the office Friday after- us, wherever we are in life (geo-
the Sabbath. How, then, would noon, I have this sense not of graphically and chronologically,
you prepare for the Sabbath? having finished all of my assign- children or adults), wherever we
ments, but of having completed are situated, without any extraor-
Andreasen: I actually think of a segment that I set for myself dinary effort required by us except
my work in six-day segments. In that week. that we organize our work so as
my particular job, though, many to stop at the end of six days and
of t h e a s s i g n m e n t s I have Shabbat Shalom: In fact, you make room for the Sabbath to ar-
stretched over months and years. are concluding by closing the rive, for God's presence to arrive
For instance, the university is circle. You are giving yourself on that day. We don't even have
broken down into quarters or se- small goals. to go and meet Him—we just stop
mesters, years and academic seg- and open the door, and it sort of
ments, long-term strategic plan- Andreasen: I've even thought, rolls in, the way the earth rolls on
ning, and so on. In my personal and this is probably a silly thing, and the sun passes over us on this
work, I've always t e n d e d to of some longer goals stretching six day; it just comes to us as we pre-
break that down into weekly years and then reviewing my pro- pare ourselves to receive it. That
m o d u l e s , six-day s e g m e n t s . fessional life and so on. But cer- gift is extraordinary—I don't
tainly the weekly work schedule know of any other gift that comes
provides a parameter for the way quite like that. It's a gift of grace,
At the deepest level,
1 set my own work assignments. and I just like to invite people ev-
the Sabbath connects erywhere to receive it and see what
Shabbat Shalom: Anything happens. They may just be pleas-
a person with her or else you wish to say about the antly surprised.
Sabbath?
his God. . . . Shabbat Shalom: In Jewish
Andreasen: Well, I have stated tradition, the Sabbath is the
everything else springs
in writing, and I think I'm about sign of the gift of eternity, and
from that. as confirmed in that as I ever was, this is what we have together, a
that the Sabbath is a gift, the true little hint to eternity. You had
value of which many of us, even the faith to take a break in your
That means that I ask myself those of us who take it seriously, very heavy schedule to speak
when I come to work each week, have not fully realized. So, when with us of another break, and
Of the short-term and long-term I talk about it to others, I always this act also conveys a message.
projects I have on my desk right wish to talk about it as a gift that Thank you, Dr. Andreasen, for
now, which one needs to be at- they may have at no cost and with your guidance and your insight-
tended to this week, and how far little special effort other than or- ful remarks.
do I hope to get with it or plan ganizing their work in harmony
to get with it this week? Then I with its coming. It is, I think, in-
work toward that so that on Fri- structive for Christian Sabbath ' T h i s i n t e r v i e w was con-
day my desk is generally the observers to remember that great ducted by Jacques D o u k h a n ,
cleanest of all, and things are truth which we have learned from editor of Shabbat Shalom.

1 8 SHABBAT SHALOM/August 1996

 H e b r e w S c r i p t u r e s

L i k e a T r e e i n t h e W i l d e r n e s s

Jacques B. Doukhan, D.H.L., Th.D.

What does it mean to keep the Sabbath?

he seventh day is a pal- is also involved when an event of importance of memory. Not only
ace in time," 1 wrote the past is concerned, as in the are the two commandments jux-
Abraham Heschel, in so case for the Sabbath. In fact, the taposed; they are also the only
doing dusting off the an- Sabbath is the act of remem- two to be formulated in a posi-
cient definition of the Hebrew brance par excellence, for it recalls tive way: "Remember. . . . Honor
prophets for whom the Sabbath . . . ." All other commandments
was a "sign." But instead of be- are negative ("Thou shalt not . .
Remembrance
ing a sign in space, like the ."). This correspondence indi-
m o n u m e n t which sees itself implies the concrete, cates a common preoccupation.
eroded by time and becomes a These two commandments ex-
sign of death, the Sabbath is a historical fact that hort one to remember by evok-
sign in time and stands out with ing the origin and roots of man:
its actuality and freshness—a pal- plunges its roots into the fourth commandment point-
ace erect in the midst of hovels, ing to the creative act of God, the
reality.
of sublime beauty which inspires fifth to the procreative act of the
our song and welcomes us. parents.
an absolute past: the origin of the The binding together of Sab-
A S i g n of R e m e m b r a n c e universe and of humanity, the bath and memory inspires not a
The Sabbath is essentially past of all things and of all philosophical flourish nor a beau-
linked with memory. This is peoples. The association in the tiful truth to meditate upon, for
most explicit in the Ten Com- Decalogue of the commandment remembrance implies the con-
mandments, where one is to "re- of the Sabbath with the fifth crete, historical fact that plunges
member" 2 the Sabbath. Memory commandment also alludes to the its roots into reality. Hence, the

August 1996 /SHABBATSHALOM 19

 Sabbath reminds creation. 6 Like-
In practice, the Sabbath is also a pedagogy of
us that Creation is wise in the New
not the result of hesed, in that it teaches us the value of the T e s t a m e n t , we
an a u t o n o m o u s are told of
process, but of an non-action
on-action in relation to God; in abstaining
abstaining Yeshua's miracles
intervention from as occurring at
above at a given from work on the Sabbath, we demonstrate the time of the
moment in time, Sabbath, 7 pre-
our total dependence on God. What we
with a beginning cisely to under-
and an end. have is not the result of our work or our line this particu-
But the Sab- lar aspect of the
bath is not only effort, but is understood as a gift from God. Sabbath: hope
remembrance of being given on
creation; it is also remembrance out of the shadow and plenitude the day of the Sabbath to the
of the Sabbath itself, as indicated was drawn from the void. Hence, woman crippled for eighteen
by Exodus 20:8: "Remember the the Sabbath is used in the Bible years who finds herself "loosed
Sabbath day . . . ."3 This remem- as a sign of liberation from the from this bond on the Sabbath." 8
brance, as developed But the Sabbath
by the commandment, contains an even more
goes beyond mere explicit lesson of hope,
mental strain, to in- one that is linked di-
volve the whole person rectly to its essence.
in a concrete act. To The story of Genesis
remember the Sabbath teaches us that the
is to reactualize the Sabbath was the first
Sabbath in one's exist- full day of man and
ence week after week. woman, their first full
This involves a gesture day with God. The
of "setting apart" the Sabbath reminds us,
time of the Sabbath, therefore, of the first
distinguishing it from experience of man's
other times. One im- communion with
plication of this is fi- God. This dimension
delity to the real time of the Sabbath is noted
of the Sabbath. In a by the prophet Isaiah,
society in which not who associates the de-
only the meaning of lights of the Sabbath
the Sabbath but also with the delights of
the time of the Sab- God: "If you . . . call
bath is lost, it is the the Sabbath a delight,
elements of time and the holy day of the
content that are en- Lord . . . , then you
twined in the remem- ~ shall delight yourself
brance of the Sabbath. | in the Lord." 9 The
a Sabbath is described
A S i g n of H o p e | here as the moment in
It is upon the basis J time when one can de-
of r e m e m b r a n c e of 1 light in the experience
Creation and its con- £ of the "God with us."
clusion on the seventh This notion is also im-
day t h a t h o p e can Sign of hope in something else. plied in the author's
strive and eventually association of the Sab-
surge forth. Egyptian yoke,4 and later as a sign bath to the shekhinah, sign of
In remembering the event of of liberation of the Babylonian God's presence. One can also ob-
creation, the Sabbath finds itself exiles,5 as these two events in- serve that the phrase "wayyekal
as a sign of hope, in that it evokes volve the powerful act of recre- melakhah" (He completed the
the miracle by which light shone ation, evoking the original act of work), which introduces the Sab-

20 SHABBAT SHALOM/ August 1996

bath at the end of the creation, 10 from above. Certain elements took the initiative to give men
is the same phrase which intro- suggest even that the Sabbath is and women the rest which they
duces the shekhinah at the end of preponderant to the other laws. did not deserve, enabling them
the construction of the sanctuary For example, in the levitical ac- to enjoy a communion which
by Moses11 and of the temple by count, the Sabbath is distin- they had not sought. In prac-
Solomon. 12 These are the only guished from the other festivals tice, the Sabbath is also a peda-
three passages which use this and days of rest.14 In the biblical gogy of hesed in that it teaches
tradition, the Sabbath has been
preserved as the first command-
The only raison d'etre Sabbathkeeping
ment which men and women
of the Sabbath is observed immediately after Cre- expresses, then, a
ation; the first couple inaugu-
religious. It is, in rated their existence and the religious philosophy
course of human history by ob-
fact, the only serving this commandment. The that says yes to
Sabbath was also the first com-
commandment which Creation and the
mandment given to Israel imme-
implies faith. diately after their flight from senses and involves
Egypt. 15 Among all the Levitical
laws, the Sabbath is the only the body in the
phrase, as though to emphasize commandment which is not an-
the link between the Sabbath and nual, the only day independent "spiritual"process of
the shekhinah. from the natural and astronomi-
salvation, affirming
As a sign of God's presence, cal cycles, and has no moral or
the Sabbath nourishes here be- natural cause to justify its obser- by that same token
low, in our time, our deep long- vance. The only raison d'etre of
ing for the day when His pres- the Sabbath is religious. It is, in the unity of the
ence shall be fully revealed. Sig- fact, the only c o m m a n d m e n t
nificantly, the Sabbath is referred which implies faith. human person.
to as the "day of the Lord," 13 an The Sabbath is also the sign
expression which also designates of the absolute in that it embod- us the value of the non-action
the day of the coming of the ies the gracious act of a God of in relation to God; in abstain-
Lord, which will put an end to love, w h a t the psalmist cel- ing from work on the Sabbath,
all misery, inaugurating a new we demonstrate our total depen-
era. The Sabbath "day of the dence on God. What we have is
As a sign of God's
Lord" points to the other "day of not the result of our work or our
the Lord" as the sign par excel- presence, the Sabbath effort, but is understood as a gift
lence of hope. from God. It is the hesed which
nourishes here below, causes the psalmist to burst out
A S i g n of t h e A b s o l u t e in song: "Let your face shine on
The Sabbath evokes the abso- in our time, our deep your servant, save me in your
lute, as it refers to a reality which unfailing love [hesed.].17 It is at
longing for the day
transcends us, to a law which the heart of the Sabbath that the
comes from beyond, a gift from when His presence law and the grace, traditionally
God, a sign of God. opposed by the Christian tradi-
The Sabbath is a sign of the shall be fully tion, find reconciliation. In ob-
absolute primarily because it is serving the fourth command-
divine law. The way the Sabbath revealed. ment, the believer does not ex-
is introduced in the Decalogue is clude the grace of God. Quite
significant: "Remember . . . ." ebrates as hesed of God. 16 The the opposite, it is by observing
This is not an ordinary impera- Sabbath reminds us that we are the law of God that the believer
tive. We are dealing here with nothing but the outcome of di- expresses his faith that his sal-
an absolute infinitive, which de- vine generosity. In fact, the gift vation depends entirely on the
notes an imperative of emphasis. of the Sabbath was given neither grace of God.
The Sabbath is therefore per- as an answer nor as a reward for Finally, the Sabbath is sign of
ceived as an imperious law which human work. The Sabbath re- the absolute in that it testifies of
imposes itself absolutely and minds us that it was God who God Himself, the One who is

August 1996/SHABBATSHALOM 21
 absolutely "Other." Henceforth The human's encounter with words (in Hebrew) and is situ-
the Sabbath is called the "day of God does not, however, exclude ated between 67 words (first
the Lord." 18 It is the day which encounter with others. On the three commandments) and 41
the Lord has made, 19 the sign of contrary, the human's commun- words (last six commandments).
God. 20 The day of Sabbath is ion with God is fulfilled only The commandment of the Sab-
therefore a time intrinsically sa- through one's communion with bath comprises, then, approxi-
cred, which stirs up in us the others. This social dimension of mately half the words of the
deepest respect and the necessity the Sabbath is already implied in whole Decalogue (55/108) and
of observing the day chosen by the story of the Creation, which occupies its center. Themati-
God and not this other decreed relates man and woman to the cally, we notice that the first
by human tradition. The Sab- first adoration. It is even more three commandments are con-
bath is more than a day of rest explicit in the Decalogue, where cerned with the relation between
and recreation at the end of the all the family members, the God and man, whereas the last
week; it is the concrete expres- slave, and the stranger are in- six commandments involve the
sion of our faith in God, the sign vited to enjoy in this day the relation between humans. The
that our values depend on God. same privileges of liberty and Sabbath functions, then, as a
bridge between the two series of
A S i g n of L o v e c o m m a n d m e n t s and is con-
Separated by time,
And yet, the Sabbath finds no cerned with relations between
existence outside of the human the Jews and the God and humans as well as be-
person, for the Sabbath is not tween humans.
only a "deed" of God for hu- Christians have lost Sign of God's love for us, but
mans; it is also a "deed" of hu- also sign of our love for Him, the
mans for God. 21 The Sabbath is sight of each other. Sabbath is the sign that the ver-
sanctified inasmuch as two part- tical relation does not exclude
What better way for
ners are involved. It is a sign the horizontal relation, but that
between God and his people. 22 them to meet again they are interdependent.
However, the human "doing" is
but an answer to the divine "do- than to consent, A S i g n of L i f e
ing." As well as being the ex- The Sabbath celebrates Cre-
pression of God's love toward together, to adore at ation and thus implies a positive
mankind, the Sabbath is, on the appreciation of life. The senses,
the same time as
human level, an expression of the food, and the beauty are well
love for God. This understand- indicated by the God received and fully enjoyed. In
ing of the Sabbath as an answer the second century, the gnostic
clearly suggests that humans, of Abraham, Israel, Marcion, who despised the hu-
not God, should be the ones to man body and creation, rejected
adapt. The Sabbath exhorts us and also of Paul. the Old Testament and its God
to abstain from doing our own YHWH, the God of Creation,
will: "If you keep your feet from rest as the Israelites. The Sab- claiming that it had been re-
breaking the Sabbath and from bath is the day when we remem- placed by the God of the New
doing as you please on my holy ber that the other is an equal and Testament, the God of salvation.
day, . . . if you honor it by not deserves our respect. It is also The spiritual domain has since
going your own way and not the day when in the family gath- then been valorized over the
doing as you please or speaking ering the arts of listening and physical one, the despicable
idle words, . . . ."23 The Sab- dialoguing can be cultivated. flesh. This dualism has affected
bath becomes also an act which The way the Sabbath is situ- Christian anthropology. The
confronts the reality of life and ated in the literary structure of soul, the spirit, has been distin-
not a disembodied "spiritual" the Decalogue confirms its pre- guished from the body. Along
truth. The believer who ob- occupation with both God and the lines of Platonism, salvation
serves the Sabbath engages in an mankind. The text of the Sab- has then been understood as a
experience which obliges him/ bath is located at the center of deliverance from the body. And
her to meet with God where He the Decalogue, geometrically the ideal of existence has been
is. In this encounter the believer and thematically speaking. 24 As described essentially as a spiri-
silhouettes self against an indif- far as the geometry is concerned, tual effort outside and some-
ferent world occupied otherwise we notice that the fourth com- times against the body. Since
and elsewhere. mandment is comprised of 55 Marcion, many Christian theo-

22 SHABBAT SHALOM/August 1996

logians have opposed salvation are unable to open up to others. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1951/1995),
to Creation. One of the most It must be noticed that the three p. 111.
2
interesting symptoms of this Exodus 20:8.
monotheisms that issued from 3
Bible quotations are from the New
dualistic mentality may well be the Bible—Judaism, Christianity, King James Version unless otherwise
detected in the Christian shift and Islam—all observe a differ- noted.
4
from the Sabbath m e m o r i a l ent Sabbath, as though to avoid Deuteronomy 5:15.
5
of C r e a t i o n to the S u n d a y any possible encounter with the 2 Chronicles 36:21.
memorial of salvation. Sabbath- 'Exodus. 15:8; Deuteronomy 4:32,
o t h e r — m a y b e also to avoid 33; Isaiah 43:15-17; 44:24.
keeping expresses, then, a reli- stumbling upon God. 7
Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 14:1-6;
gious philosophy that says yes to From the depths of ages to our John 5:1-6; 9:1-38.
8
Creation and the senses and in- time, the Sabbath is a sign to the Luke 13:16.
volves the body in the "spiritual" Jew and to the Christian. Even 'Isaiah 58:13, 14.
process of salvation, affirming '"Genesis 2:2.
more, the Sabbath is the sign that "Exodus 40:33-38.
by that same token the unity of comes between the Jew and the 12
2 Chronicles 5:14; 2 Chronicles
the human person. Christian. The Sabbath is one of 7:12.
,3
the first elements which deter- Exodus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:14.
Sign of the past and the future, mined and even maintained the "Leviticus 23:2-4.
15
the Sabbath tears us from our Exodus 16.
open wound of their separation. 16
Psalm 33:5, 22; 36:6; 57:11; 63:3;
present to rekindle our memory Separated by time, the Jews 108:5, etc.
and set our hope ablaze. Sign of 17
and the Christians have lost sight Psalm 31:16, NIV.
18
the absolute and of love, the Sab- of each other. What better way Exodus 20:10; Leviricus 23:3;
bath teaches us to open ourselves for them to meet again than to Deuteronomy 5:14.
to others—to man and to God. "Genesis 2:1-3.
consent, together, to adore at the 20
Exodus 31:15.
If humans have lost the mean- same time as indicated by the 21
Deuteronomy 5:15.
ing of the Sabbath, it is because 22
God of Abraham, Israel, and also Exodus 31:17; Exodus 20:20.
23
they have lost their roots and per- of Paul. Isaiah 58:13, 14, NIV.
24
spectives. Today, the Sabbath is The Sabbath would then be- This median position of rhe Sab-
no more a sign of the glorious bath in the Decalogue takes on a par-
come the sign of a miracle: sign ticular meaning in the light of the an-
event of Creation nor of the ex- that we remembered, sign that cient Middle Eastern documenrs. The
traordinary hope of a recreation. God is more than a tradition that seal which engaged the partners of the
People are comfortably settled is dead, sign of life, sign of hope alliance was in fact apposed at the cen-
here below, even in their Sabbath, in something else—like a tree in ter itself of rhe tablet (see Meredith G.
Kline, Treaty ofthe Great King, The Cov-
which has shriveled up into a the wilderness. enant Structure of Deuteronomy: Studies
mere "weekend" or an obscure and Commentary (Grand Rapids:
ritual. Eerdmans, 1963), pp. 18, 19.
If humans have lost the sense 'Abraham Heschel, The Sabbath: Its
of the Sabbath, it is because they Meaning for Modern Men (New York:

f i n C x a m p l e of t h e W o r l d t o ( S o m e

W h e n G o d g a v e t h e T o r a h t o Israel, H e said to them: "If

y o u o b s e r v e all t h e m i t z v o t h w h i c h are t h e r e , I p r o m i s e y o u I

will give y o u the world to come." Israel a n s w e r e d a n d said:

"Show us an example of the world to come in this present

world." T h e n G o d s a i d t o t h e m : " T h e S h a b b a t is a n example

o f the w o r l d to c o m e " (Otzar M i d r a s h i m , p. 430).

August 1996/SHABBATSHALOM 23
 T h e S a b b a t h i n L a t e J u d a i s m

a n d E a r l y C h r i s t i a n i t y

Robert M. Johnston, Ph.D.

Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins

What did the coming of Yeshua bring to the

Sabbath?

y the first century meanings. Among apocalyptically it is not a rest of inactivity; it is a

of the C o m m o n oriented people, there arose the freedom from toil and change.
Era, the Jewish ideas of the Cosmic Week and the Accordingly, God eternally keeps
people had spread eschatological Sabbath, according perpetual Sabbath.4
throughout the Roman Empire, to which world history was to en- The Book ofJubilees taught that
and everyone knew at least three dure through six thousand years, God raised up Israel so that He
things about them: They practiced which would be followed by a would have a people to keep the
circumcision, they ate no pork, thousand-year-long Sabbath, dur- Sabbath on Earth. In Eretz Israel,
and they kept the Sabbath day. Of ing which the Earth would lie deso- rabbis commonly taught that the
these three marks of Jewish iden- late, just as the land was fallow Sabbath was given only to Israel,
tity, the Sabbath was the most in- during the sabbatical year.2 Many though Diaspora Jews like Philo
fluential among non-Jews. It was thought that would be followed by held more universalistic ideas
during the first century that the eternal Sabbath,3 just as the sab- about the subject.
seven-day weekly cycle began to batical year was followed by the Alongside such Sabbath
spread among the nations, and it Jubilee. haggadah there developed an elabo-
was marked off by nothing except In the Diaspora, the Jewish phi- rate Sabbath halakah, especially in
the Sabbath day.1 losopher Philo articulated yet an- Pharisaic circles. Rules upon rules
Within Judaism there were other Sabbath doctrine, that of the were formulated about how to keep
other developments. The Sabbath celestial or transcendental Sabbath. the Sabbath, familiar to us from the
was adorned with new theological God alone, he said, truly rests, but Mishnah tractates Shabbath and

24 SHABBAT SHALOM/ August 1996

 (Mark 3:6).
Pharisaism wanted a Sabbath day without a
The case of the stooped woman
Sabbath experience. Gnosticizing especially illuminates the contrast
between Yeshua and his opponents.
Christianity wanted a Sabbath experience Jesus was teaching in the synagogue
when he noticed "a woman who
without a Sabbath day. Both were guilty of had had a spirit of infirmity for
eighteen years; she was bent over
the same sin: putting asunder what the Lord
and could not fully straighten her-
had joined together. self" (Luke 13:11)—clearly a
chronic condition, not a sudden
emergency. Yeshua could have
Erubin. But there was no general man—a universalizing view of the waited a day to perform this heal-
agreement about all the details. Sabbath that stood much conven- ing without endangering the
The Sadducees, like the Samari- tional thinking on its head.7 "The woman's life, but he chose not to
tans, the Essenes, and the Falashas, Son of man" was his usual self-des- prolong her suffering another day:
forbade fire and sexual intercourse ignation, so by declaring himself He called her and said to her,
on Sabbath; but the Pharisees per- to be "the lord of the Sabbath" he "Woman, you are freed from
mitted lamps to burn if they were was claiming to be the final author- your infirmity." And he laid
lighted before Sabbath, and they ity about how it should be ob- his hands upon her, and im-
encouraged marital relations on the served. And how was that? mediately she was made
eve of the Sabbath. The sectarians Yeshua was a healer, and the straight, and she praised
of Qumran even forbade bowel Gospels record at least seven God. But the ruler of the
movements on the Sabbath, and healings that he performed on the synagogue, indignant be-
they allowed no toil on the Sab- Sabbath day. If these cases had cause Jesus had healed on the
bath to rescue a beast or even to been life-threatening emergencies, Sabbath, said to the people,
save human life.5 The Pharisees, that would not have been remark- "There are six days on which
however, admitted the rule of able; but at least six of them were work ought to be done; come
Pekkuach Nephesh (Mortal Dan- healings of chronic illnesses and on those days and be healed,
ger), according to which the Sab- disabilities—a man with an "un- and not on the Sabbath day"
bath could be disregarded in the clean spirit" (Mark 1:21-28), a (Luke 13:12-14).
event of a life-threatening emer- man with a withered hand (Mark The response of Yeshua was not
gency. 3:1-6 and parallels), a stooped gentle:
In the midst of such disagree- woman (Luke 13:10-17), a man You hypocrites! Does not
ments, Yeshua appeared on the with dropsy (Luke 14:1-6), a man each of you on the Sabbath
scene with startlingly definite ideas untie his ox or his ass from
about the Sabbath. According to the manger, and lead it away
True Sabbathkeeping
the Gospels, about almost no other to water it? And ought not
topic did he enter into more con- is not just the this woman, a daughter of
troversy than about the Sabbath. Abraham whom Satan bound
But these controversies were never outward observance for eighteen years, be loosed
about whether the Sabbath should from this bond on the Sab-
be observed, but about how it of a day but an bath day? (Luke 13:15-16.)
should be observed. It was a bold and devastating
inward experience.
His basic premise is stated in argument. The halakah forbade
Mark 2:27, 28: "The Sabbath was the carrying of burdens on the Sab-
made for man, not man for the who had been paralyzed for thirty- bath. In essence, Yeshua was say-
Sabbath; so the Son of man is lord eight years (John 5), and a man ing: This woman has been carry-
even of the Sabbath." 6 These born blind (John 9). It was this ing a heavy burden for eighteen
words were more revolutionary and bold and public challenge to the years, but you condemn me for
perhaps disturbing than they may received Sabbath halakah that removing her burden so that she
now sound. It had been taught aroused the hostility of the Phari- can truly keep Sabbath for the first
that Israel had been created for the sees. After the healing of the man time in eighteen years!
sake of the Sabbath, and that the with the withered hand, "the Phari- On another occasion, the Phari-
Sabbath was given only to Israel. sees went out, and immediately sees criticized him because his hun-
Yeshua contradicted both ideas: held counsel with the Herodians gry disciples plucked heads of grain
"The Sabbath was made for against him, how to destroy him" to eat on the Sabbath (Matthew

August 1996/SHABBAT SHALOM 25

 12:1-8; cf. Mark 2:23-28). (The (chapter 20) presents the the Lord had joined together.
majority of scribal opinion re- eschatological Sabbath. The let- Christians who take seriously the
garded this act as involving reap- ter to the Hebrews (chapters 3 teaching of Yeshua will want both
ing and threshing, two of the and 4) produces a fascinating a Sabbath of the soul and a Sab-
thirty-nine activities forbidden on synthesis of the transcendental bath of the body.
the Sabbath, according to Mishnah Sabbath of Philo with the exis-
Shabbat 7:2.) Yeshua defended tential Sabbath of Yeshua: "There
their actions, not on the basis that remains a Sabbath rest for the 'Upon the seven-day week marked off
the Sabbath is no longer an obliga- people of God; for whoever en- by Sabbarhs, Gentiles superimposed also
a system that has been called "the plan-
tion, but on the basis of scriptural ters God's rest also ceases from his etary week," whereby each day of the week
precedent: the activity of priests in labors as God did from his" (He- was placed under the tutelage of one of
the Temple on Sabbath and the in- brews 4:9-10). the seven "planets" (which in ancient
cident of David and the shewbread After New Testament times, the thinking included the sun and moon),
(1 Samuel 21:1-6).8 His argument spiritualization of the Sabbath took often identified with deities.
2
The starting point for this idea was
was that the service of God and the an unfortunate turn under the in- Psalm 90:4. It can be found frequently in
relieving of human need are legiti- fluence of Gnostic sentiment and the pseudepigraphical literature and rab-
mate actions on the Sabbath. anti-Judaism after the Bar Cochba binic literatute. The classic statement of
Matthew's account of the Sab- revolt. Christians wanted to dis- it is found in Bavli Sanhedrin 97a-b.
3
bath controversies is prefaced by a card what was regarded as a major For example, in Mekilta de Rabbi
Ishmael, Shabbata 1, we read: " . . . The
saying of Yeshua that is profoundly mark of Jewish identity. And just world to come, which is characterized by
important for Sabbath theology: as Gnosticism opposed the spiri- the kind of holiness possessed by the Sab-
Come to me, all who labor bath of this world. We thus learn that the
and are heavy-laden, and I Sabbath possesses a holiness like that of
It was during the first the future world. And thus it says: 'A
will give you rest. Take my
Psalm: a Song of the Sabbath day' (Psalm
yoke upon you, and learn century that the 92:1), referring to the world in which
from me; for I am gentle and there is Sabbath all the time."
4
lowly in heart, and you will seven-day weekly See Philo De Cherubim 87-90; Legum
find rest for your souls. For Allegoria 1.5-6.
5
my yoke is easy, and my bur- cycle began to spread In the document now known as the
Covenant of Damascus, there is a list of
den is light (Matthew 11:28- twenty-four Sabbath prohibitions, the
among the nations,
30). rwenty-third of which forbids the use of a
"Rest" here translates the Greek and it was marked rope, ladder, or other rool to save a man
word anapausis, which is used in from warer or fire. Theodore Gaster and
the Septuagint (the ancient Greek off by nothing except Geza Vermes both wish to emend the text
to make it a positive command to extend
translation of the Bible) as one of help, because such a prohibition is con-
the translations of Sabbath rest. the Sabbath day. trary to rabbinic halakah. But there is no
T h e implication is that true justification for such an emendation—the
Sabbathkeeping is not just the out- tual to the physical and literal, they rules of the Qumran sectarians were dif-
ferent. Another one of their prohibitions
ward observance of a day but an tried to divorce the Sabbath expe- was againsr lifting a beasr out of a ditch
inward experience. Just as he rience from the Sabbath day. The on the Sabbath.
pointed out the inner dimension mainstream of Christianity to a de- f,
Bible quotations are from the Revised
of the sixth and seventh command- gree tried to resist such thinking, Standard Version.
7
ments of the Decalogue—hatred is but its resistance was not com- It is true that a generation later Rabbi
murder, lust is adultery (Matthew pletely successful. Justin Martyr, Simon ben Menasiah said, "The Sabbath
is given to you but you are not surren-
5:21-30)—Yeshua now reveals the for example, shortly after the dered to the Sabbath" (Mekilta Shabbata
inner dimension of the Sabbath. middle of the second century de- 1). But the "you" here meant only Israel.
8
This particular insight is unpar- clared, "True Sabbath-keeping is The incident of 1 Samuel 21:1-6 took
alleled in earlier literature. Along- ceasing from sinning." He said this place on the Sabbath. According to
side the eschatological Sabbath of in the context of rejecting literal Leviticus 24:8, the freshly baked
shewbread was placed in the sanctuary
apocalyptic literature and the tran- keeping of the Sabbath day. every Sabbath, and the old bread was re-
scendental Sabbath of Philo, Thus we see a curious paradox. moved. Ir was this that David and his men
Yeshua places before us the concept Pharisaism wanted a Sabbath day received from Ahimelech rhe priest (1
of the existential Sabbath. without a Sabbath experience. Samuel 21:6). This bread was normally
eaten only by the priests, but Ahimelech
Later Christianity built upon Gnosticizing Christianity wanted felt justified in providing it to David's men
this spiritual theology of the Sab- a Sabbath experience without a because David represented them as observ-
bath, as well as the earlier theolo- Sabbath day. Both were guilty of ing the rule of holy war, keeping them-
gies. The book of Revelation the same sin: putting asunder what selves from women.

26 SHABBAT SHALOM /August 1996

 T h e C o r n e r o f B e a u t y

T h e A r t o f t h e S a b b a t h

Abigail Hadas

When the Sabbath draws us into the dance of life.

he Sabbath has long not to neglect, in lost contempla- The Sabbath, then, must have
been understood as a tion, the object of our contem- the face of Peace but with the in-
day of rest, during which plation, the life, the force, and ner glow of Joy. Meditation
we allow ourselves to the joy it is to inspire. And this should not outdo the Joy of liv-
dwindle in a state of contempla- in turn should render our own ing. The Sabbath, with the rein-
tion and meditation. That the souls restless to themselves cre- tegration of the element of Joy,
Sabbath inspires only passivity on ate. And we come to develop an is then allowed to pulsate with
our part is probably enrooted in Art of the Sabbath, for the Sab- life. What we once only contem-
the fact that it was men and bath does not just come into be- plated, as one contemplates a
women's first day; what could ing; it must itself be created. The painting or a statue, becomes
they do but contemplate and atmosphere of Peace must be cre- alive, as though one could all of
meditate in awe of the Creation ated; the Joy itself must be cre- a sudden hear the painting or feel
that surrounded them? ated. As the talmudic rabbis put the eyes of the statue on us. In
What have been forgotten are it: One is required to be happy such a way can the Sabbath startle
the preceding six days of cre- on the Sabbath; it is a divine or- us as it draws us into the dance
ation that build up to the Sab- dinance. of its life.
bath, the six days
which we remem-
ber, in the keeping
of the Sabbath, as
God's creative
work—six days
that were anything
but lethargic, but
where life came
into spectacular be-
ing as the waters
rose against the
e a r t h , as n a t u r e
burst forth, and as
the species nobly
stepped forward. 1 M A M P * * *
These were the six
days that climaxed
into the Sabbath, a
day to remember
these events which
were anything but
"restful."
It is important ie first sunset ever contemplated by human beings was the sunset of a Sabbath.

August 1996/SHABBATSHALOM 27
 S a b b a t h " B r e a d ( f j j a l l a

(An O l d Sephardic Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 p o u n d s e m o l i n a flour
1 c u p of w h i t e flour
1 p a c k a g e y e a s t ( r a p i d rise)
3 t a b l e s p o o n s olive oil
1 1 / 2 t e a s p o o n s salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups water (tepid)
1/4 c u p sesame seeds
1 egg yolk
The two Sabbath breads remind of the miracle of the double manna.

Preparation:

Heat water until warm. In a small bowl, dilute yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in 4 tablespoons of
warm water; cover and let rise for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, mix in a large bowl the semolina
flour, salt, remaining sugar, olive oil, and half of the sesame seeds. Add the yeast and the rest of the
warm water when it starts forming bubbles. (The quantity of water added is crucial; it is preferable
that the dough is slightly on the wet side). Let d o u g h stand for 10-15 minutes, so that the semolina
may absorb the water. T h e n knead dough vigorously while progressively adding small quantities of
white flour until the dough is smooth and does n o t stick any more to the surface. Form two loaves
(plus two small balls for the braid) and set on a baking sheet in a warm and h u m i d place to let it rise.
(Allow 1-2 hours for the rising process, which depends on the temperature and h u m i d i t y of the
place). W h e n the dough has doubled in volume, preheat the oven to 350°E Take the two small balls
of dough, knead t h e m again rapidly, separate each ball into 3 parts which you roll into 3 strings and
form into 2 braids. Place each braid over the center of each loaf, apply the egg yolk with a brush, and
sprinkle the top with the remaining sesame seeds.

Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. Allow bread to cool on a rack for 1/2
hour.

Enjoy your h o m e m a d e hallah\ Shabbat shaloml

28 SHABBAT SHALOM/August 1996

 F r o m S a t u r d a y t o S u n d a y

Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph.D.

Professor of Religion

What spurred the Christian change to Sunday worship?

c sources is that this thesis is Apostles were encouraged by the

^ ^ ^ cholars have long de- wrong—on two counts. First, fact that the earliest Christians in
^ ^ bated how the first the change from Saturday to Sun- Jerusalem "no longer felt at home
^ W day of the week— day occurred sometime after 135 in Jewish sabbath worship." 2
^ ^ ^ ^ Sunday—came to be C.E. Second, the change origi- T h e earliest d o c u m e n t a r y
adopted by a majority of Chris- nated in Rome, not Jerusalem. sources refute both these assump-
tians as the day of rest and wor- The view that the apostolic tions. Nothing in the New Tes-
ship in place of the biblically- Jerusalem church pioneered Sun- tament prescribes or even sug-
prescribed, seventh-day Sab- gests the c o m m e m o r a t i o n of
bath. Jesus' resurrection on Sunday. In
The classic explanation, as The earliest
fact, Sunday is consistently de-
stated by Thomas Aquinas, is documentary sources nominated not as the "Day of the
that "the observance of the Resurrection," but as the "first
Lord's day took the place of the refute both these day of the week." 3
observance of the Sabbath not The earliest explicit references
by virtue of the [biblical] pre- assumptions. to the observance of Sunday as
cept but by the institution of the Christian Sabbath are by
the Church." 1 In other words, Nothing in the New
Barnabas (ca. 135 C.E.) and Jus-
the adoption of Sunday obser- Testament prescribes tin (ca. 150 C.E.). Both writers
vance has been traditionally at- do mention the resurrection as a
tributed to ecclesiastical author- or even suggests the basis for Sunday observance but
ity rather than to biblical or only as the second of two reasons,
apostolic precepts. This has commemoration of important but not predominant.
been the position of most his- These references hardly confirm
torians who have studied the Jesus' resurrection on
the contention that the origin of
question. Sunday. Sunday, as sometimes claimed,
Recently, however, some "is to be found solely in the fact
scholars have argued that Sunday day worship rests on two incor- of the Resurrection of Christ on
observance has a biblical or ap- rect assumptions. The first in- the day after the Sabbath." 4
ostolic origin. According to correct assumption is that be- If the early Jerusalem church
these scholars, from the incep- cause the resurrection and ap- had pioneered and promoted
tion of the Church, the Apostles pearance of Jesus occurred in Sunday observance, we would
themselves chose the first day of Jerusalem on Sunday, the expect to find that the primitive
the week in place of the seventh Apostles instituted Sunday wor- Christian community in Jerusa-
day in order to commemorate ship to c o m m e m o r a t e these lem broke away almost immedi-
the resurrection or Easter ap- events by the distinctive Chris- ately from Jewish religious tradi-
pearance of Jesus three days af- tian liturgy. The second incor- tions and services. Those who
ter his crucifixion. rect a s s u m p t i o n is t h a t the argue for an apostolic origin of
My own assessment of the
August 1996/SHABBATSHALOM 29
 Sunday observance make pre- Sunday worship instead. adapt the sun's day for their Chris-
cisely this contention. But the While social, political, and re- tian worship. This would serve to
opposite is the case. The book ligious conditions explain why a emphasize to non-Christian Ro-
of Acts, as well as several Judeo- new day of worship was substi- mans the Christian similarity to
Christian documents, persua- tuted for the Saturday Sabbath, familiar Roman practice and the
sively demonstrate that both the they do not explain why Sunday dissimilarity to Jewish custom. All
ethnic composition and the theo- rather than Friday (the day of of this supports—if only indi-
logical orientation of the Jerusa- Christ's passion) or another day rectly—the suggestion that Sun-
lem church were profoundly Jew- was chosen. The influence of sun day was chosen for Christian wor-
ish. Luke's characterization of worship, with its "Sun-day," pro- ship because it was the sun's day.
the Jerusalem church as "zealous vides the most plausible explana- A more direct indication is pro-
for the law" (Acts 21:20) is an tion. "From the early part of the vided by the use of the sun as a
accurate description. second century A.D., the cult of symbol to justify Sunday obser-
The attachment of the Jerusa- Sol Invictus [the Invincible Sun] vance. The motifs of light and of
lem church to the Mosaic Law is was dominant in Rome and in the sun are frequently invoked by
reflected in some of the decisions other parts of the Empire." 5 the Church Fathers to develop a
of the so-called Jerusalem Coun- We know that the Roman sun- theological justification for Sun-
cil held about 40-50 C.E. (see cults otherwise influenced Chris- day worship. God's creation of
Acts 15). The exemption from tian thought and liturgy. The light on the first day and the res-
circumcision is there granted only Church Fathers frequently con- urrection of the Sun of Justice
"to the brethren who are of the demn Christian veneration of the which occurred on the same day
Gentiles" (Acts 15:23). No con- sun. In early Christian art and coincided with the day of the sun.
cession is made for Jewish-Chris- literature, the sun is often used Jerome, to cite only one example,
tians, who must continue to cir- as a symbol to represent Christ. explains: "If it is called day of the
cumcise their children. The orientation of early Chris- Sun by the pagans, we most will-
James's s t a t e m e n t at the tian churches was changed; in- ingly acknowledge it as such, since
Jerusalem Council in support of stead of facing Jerusalem as did it is on this day that the light of
his proposal that concessions be synagogues, churches were ori- the world has appeared and on
made to Gentile Christians is also ented to the east. The dies natalis this day the Sun of Justice has
significant: "For generations past Solis Invicti (the birthday of the risen."6 The day of the sun, then,
Moses has had spokesmen in ev- Invincible Sun) was chosen as the may well have been viewed by
ery city; he is read every Sabbath Christian Christmas. Christians familiar with its ven-
in the synagogues" (Acts 15:21). A second-century change in the eration, as a providential and valid
All interpreters recognize that Roman calendar also suggests the substitution for the seventh-day
both in his proposal and in its influence of sun worship on the Sabbath, since the substitution
justification, James reaffirms the Christian choice of Sunday as the could well explain biblical myster-
binding nature of the Mosaic new Sabbath. The seven-day week ies to the pagan mind by means
Law, which was customarily was first adopted by the Roman of effective and familiar symbols.
taught every Sabbath (Saturday) Empire in the first century C.E.
in the synagogue. At that time the days of the week
1
Paul's last visit to Jerusalem were named after the planets (as Summa Theologica, Q. 122 Art. 4
(58-60 C.E.) provides further in- they still are). Saturn's day (Sat- (New York: Benzinger Brothers, Inc.,
1947), II: 1702.
sight. The apostle was informed urday) was originally the first day 2
Willy Rordorf, Sunday: The History
by James and the elders that thou- of the week. The sun's day (Sun- of the Day of Rest and Worship in the
sands of converted Jews were "all day) was originally the second day Earliest Centuries of the Christian
zealous for the law" (Acts 21:20); of the week. Under the influence Church, trans. A. A. K. Graham (Phila-
Paul was then pressured by the of sun worship, however, a change delphia: Westminsrer Press, 1968), p.
218.
same leaders to prove that he also occurred in the second century: 3
Cf. Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke
"live[d] in observance of the law" The sun's day (Sunday) became 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1
(Acts 21:24) by undergoing a rite the first day of the week, in the Corinthians 16:2.
4
of purification at the Temple. In most honored position. (Each of Jean Danielou, The Bible and the
the light of this deep commitment the other days was advanced one Liturgy (Notre Dame, IN: University of
day, and Saturn's day thereby be- Notre Dame Press, 1956), p. 242.
to the observance of the Law, it is 5
Halsberghe, Gaston H., The Cult of
hardly conceivable that the Jerusa- came the seventh day of the week.) Sol Invictus (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1972),
lem church would have abrogated This development probably influ- p. 44.
6
one of its chief precepts— enced Roman Christians with a Jerome, In die dominica Paschae
Sabbathkeeping—and pioneered pagan background to adopt and homilia CCL 78, 550, 1, 52.

30 SHABBAT SHALOM/August 1996

T h e S h a b b a t i n O b l i v i o n

Guy-Richard Benhamou

The Church's fidelity and credibility in question.

o commemorate the the Messiah, one of the effects of book of Malachi, where Elijah,
resurrection, the Church his ministry would be a renewed precursor of the Messiah, is fore-
adopted Sunday as the respect for what is prescribed by seen as "turnfing] the hearts of
day of the Lord. As for the Torah (Matthew 5:17-20; the fathers to the children, and
the Sabbath, now considered as James 2:10). The contrary would the hearts of the children to their
b e l o n g i n g to the a n c i e n t highly discredit Yeshua as the fathers" (Malachi 4:6)* in a new
dispensation, it was discarded Messiah. appreciation of the Torah. It
to the archives. More explicitly, the key role would be illogical for Malachi to
As a Jew, I am faced with a of the Torah is developed in the preach a return to the "statutes
fundamental and judg-
dilemma, for ments" of
In adopting Sunday over Saturday, one pleased
the Sabbath the Torah
was given to all the pagans as well as avoided an only too Jewish (Malachi
generations of 3:22 in He-
the people of Shabbat. This nearsighted rationale led to the brew; 4:5 in
God (Exodus English) and
31:13-17), uprooting of Christianity, who, calling herself announce
meaning that jsrae[ but refuting- the people and laws of Israel, is the c o m i n g
it maintains its J o l x J of One who
actuality n now but a shadow of the original model. What would abol-
perpetuity. ish all of
Yeshua is truly remains is but an ersatz. that. The

August 1996/SHABBAT SHALOM 31

 word of God is coherent and is
If Yeshua is truly the Messiah, one of the effects
not content with half-truths.
The Church, enrooted in Juda- of his ministry would be a renewed respect for
ism, should have manifested
more insight. what is prescribed by the Torah (Matthew
The Midrash {Genesis Rabbah,
section 11) comments on Gen- 5:17-20; James 2:10). The contrary would
esis 2:3, "Then God blessed the
highly discredit Yeshua as the Messiah.
seventh day and sanctified it,"
with a question: "Why is the
Sabbath blessed? Because it has concerning the Sabbath is asso- It is only through the action
no companion. The first day ciated with the prohibition not of the Messiah that the destiny
goes with the second, the third to p r o s t i t u t e one's daughter of the people of Israel is reverted
with the fourth, the fifth with (Leviticus 19:29-30). back to before the event of the
the sixth, but the Sabbath re- It remains to be known in golden calf, to the still untar-
mains alone. That is why it is what way the Sabbath is to be nished time of the giving of the
set a p a r t . " All of this, the observed. The "first" Decalogue Torah at Sinai, where Israel
Midrash explains, is due to the says: "Remember the Sabbath shared the p a r t n e r s h i p with
duality of creation. This dual- day, to keep it holy. . . . For in God. The "second" Decalogue
ity is already announced by the six days the Lord made the heav- is then discarded, and the "first"
letter beth, the second letter of ens and the earth, the sea, and is reactualized with at its center
the Hebrew alphabet, which be- all that is in them, and rested on the Sabbath, which concerns all
gins the story. Everything in the seventh day. Therefore the those redeemed by the Messiah.
Creation goes by pairs; no ele- Lord blessed the Sabbath day Sunday was chosen as a com-
ment remains isolated. Only and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8- memoration of the resurrection.
God, at the origin of this dual- 11). The act of remembrance, It was also already a sacred day
ity, remains one and unique. as well as the event of creation, to the Romans. In adopting
We translate the root qodesh pointing to the universality of Sunday over Saturday, one
"sanctification," but the Bible the commandment, is empha- pleased the pagans as well as
ignores this definition which sized here. It is the Decalogue avoided an only too Jewish
pertains more accurately to pa- of harmony. Shabbat. This nearsighted ratio-
gan v o c a b u l a r y . T h e Bible On the other hand, in the nale led to the uprooting of
speaks rather of "separation" or "second" Decalogue, the lan- Christianity, who, calling herself
of "setting apart." "Be ye holy guage is imperative: "Observe Israel but refuting the people
as I am holy," an expression dis- the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, and laws of Israel, is now but a
s e m i n a t e d t h r o u g h o u t the as the Lord your God com- shadow of the original model.
Pentateuch, is biblically under- manded you. . . . And remem- What remains is but an ersatz.
stood as "Be ye separate as I am ber that you were a slave in the "For I say to you, that unless
set apart." This "setting apart" land of Egypt, and that the Lord your righteousness exceeds the
has an essentially social conno- your God brought you out from righteousness of the scribes and
tation, as one is called to live dif- there by a mighty hand and by Pharisees, you will by no means
ferently from the rest of the an outstretched arm; therefore enter the kingdom of heaven"
world. the Lord your God commanded (Matthew 5:20). To exceed the
"To set apart" is to dedicate you to keep the Sabbath day" righteousness of the scribes and
to oneself something or some- (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). The Pharisees, one must be aware of
one. To "bless" is to gather expression "as the Lord com- the content of that righteous-
someone under one's protection. manded you" abounds in this ness. It is not a new path that
Thus, God dedicates the Sab- "second" Decalogue, given after we are asked to follow, but the
bath to Himself and adopts it. the episode of the golden calf. same path, only with a firmer
One then better understands The Creation is no more evoked; step. The church's fidelity and
the stern tone of Exodus 31:13- there is a shift in the relation be- credibility are at this price.
16. One does not profane the tween G o d and His people.
adoptive daughter of God, be- Having lost her position of part-
trothed to Israel at Sinai, and ner, Israel in now subjected to a Guy-Richard Benhamou, now de-
ceased, was a free-lance writer in
becoming the heart herself of the religion, as the slave of a master France.
Torah. Along the same line of who has bought her and reminds "Bible quotations are from the New
t h o u g h t , the c o m m a n d m e n t her of it. King James Version.

32 SHABBAT SHALOM/August 1996

 R e c e n t B o o k s

Robbins is a scholar of the Hebrew Old Testa-

ment and the Greek N e w Testament; and it is his
personal, biblical scrutiny which prompted the
writing of "And in the Seventh Day. "
"And in the Seventh Day"

Guy L. RoNrins, jr.

"And in the Seventh Day, "by Guy L. Robbins,

Jr., American University Studies, Series VII, T h e -
ology and Religion, Vol. 36 (Peter Lang Publish-
ing, Inc., 1995), 298 pp., $32.95.
"And in the Seventh Day" expounds the actual
import of the traditional, fourth-commandment
reference to G o d the Almighty's having "rested"
on the seventh day, and explains Jesus Christ's
apparent disregard for this precept's Sabbath day. Sabbath and Synagogue: The Question of
Indeed, in its clear and consistent resolution of Sabbath Worship in Ancient Judaism, by
these matters, "And in the Seventh Day" is with- H e a t h e r A. McKay (E. J. Brill, 1994), 2 7 9 pp.,
out modern precedent, exposing the fourth com- $83.50.
m a n d m e n t as having irrefutable promise of hope "Sabbath worship as a c o m m u n a l event does
for all people, as well as an enduring reminder of n o t feature in the H e b r e w Bible. In the con-
the challenge: "Anything whatever you wish, that text of the first century C.E., according to Philo
people would do to you, you do likewise to them." and Josephus, the sabbath gatherings took place
Guy L. Robbins received his Master's degree in only for the purpose of studying the law, a n d
Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theo- n o t for the liturgical recital of psalms or prayer.
logical Seminary, and has studied at T h e Queen's Classical a u t h o r s d e p i c t Jews s p e n d i n g t h e
University of Belfast, N o r t h e r n Ireland. Mr. sabbath at h o m e . Jewish inscriptions provide

August 1996/SHABBATSHALOM 33
 n o e v i d e n c e of s a b b a t h - w o r s h i p in p r a y e r - keeper of the Sabbath. This masterpiece brings
houses {proseuchai), while the M i s h n a h pre- to our understanding of the old Sabbath fresh
scribes no special c o m m u n a l sabbath activities." poetic and profound insights—indeed "intui-
T h i s unusual observation leads the a u t h o r to tions of Eternity."
the strange conclusion that "there is no u n - Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-72), one of
equivocal evidence that the Sabbath was a day the foremost Jewish thinkers of our century, was
of worship" (p. 251). We may n o t agree with internationally known as a scholar, author, ac-
this interpretation because of the "unequivocal tivist, and theologian. H e was Professor of Eth-
evidence" of the N e w Testament Scriptures and ics and Mysticism at the Jewish Theological
of a n c i e n t J e w i s h w r i t i n g s ( e s p e c i a l l y t h e Seminary of America. His major work in two
M i s h n a h and Q u m r u n ) , yet this study deserves volumes—Man Is Not Alone and God in Search
our a t t e n t i o n in the Jewish-Christian discus- of Man—has been widely acclaimed. Dr. Mar-
sion. tin Luther King, Jr., at whose side Rabbi Heschel
H e a t h e r A. McKay, M . S c , B.D., P h . D . , Se- marched from Selma to Montgomery, called him
nior Lecturer in Religious Studies at Edge Hill "one of the truly great m e n of our day and age, a
College, O r m s k i r k , Lancashire, UK, teacher of truly great p r o p h e t . "
C o n t e m p o r a r y Religions and Beliefs. She re-
searches on Jewish and Christian use of the O l d
Testament a n d on feminist biblical criticism.

S A B T A T H

The
Shabbal
Experience
Men l>v Step

I.on Pali

ABRAHAM JOSHUA Friday Night and Beyond: The Shabbat Ex-

H E S C H E L perience—Step-by-Step, by Lori Palatnik (Jason
Aronson Inc., 1994), 183 pp., $25.00.
Friday Night and Beyond: The Shabbat Expe-
The Sabbath, by A b r a h a m Joshua Heschel rience—Step-by-Step is a practical guide to Jew-
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1951/1995), 118 pp., ish Sabbath observance. Lori Palatnik walks us
$15.00. through the celebration with an easy-to-follow
W e s a l u t e t h e n e w e d i t i o n of A b r a h a m "how-to" approach, allowing us to experience a
Heschel's great book on the Sabbath, a need for traditional Shabbat. C o m m o n questions and
any religious person and certainly a must for any concerns are explored by the author, who has

34 SHABBAT SHALOM/ August 1996

also included personal reflections by other indi- ing 'trouble spots' in Jewish-Christian relations.
viduals on each aspect of the observance. It illuminates the diverse strands of early anti-
" T h e Sabbath is a foundation stone of Jewish Judaism while providing the reader with a few
life, both spiritual and social. But the gap be- surprises" (Claudia Setzer, M a n h a t t a n College).
tween those who have n o t tasted its sweetness " T h r o u g h imaginative historical a r g u m e n t ,
a n d inspiration, and the m o d e of traditional the c o n t r i b u t o r s in this volume offer a coher-
Sabbath observance seems almost unbridgeable. ent and compelling challenge to the n o t i o n that
" Friday Night and Beyondby Lori Palatnik pro- the N e w Testament authors are anti-Semitic.
vides such a bridge, for the uninitiated as well T h e location of the N e w Testament in a largely
as the initiated. She does so painstakingly, en- Jewish w o r l d refocuses t h e c h a r g e of a n t i -
gagingly, with an exaltation that hovers over ev-
ery detail—and above all in both current idiom
and profound love for both Sabbath and every
Jew" (Rabbi N a c h m a n Bulman). iiti-Semitism
"This is a warm and wonderful book that de- \\i
scribes some of the most life-enhancing aspects
Earl) Christianity
of Jewish tradition in inviting, accessible terms.
Readying Friday Night and Beyond is like join- ISSVBS or POLEMIC
ing an especially joyous and informative family AND nun

table as an honored Shabbat guest" (Michael

Medved).
Lori Palatnik is a writer and educator with
"' -m.i T - . , # I B ft / t 9
Aish HaTorah, Toronto, an international Jew-
ish adult-education organization. She has ap-
peared on television and radio and has lectured,
both in N o r t h America and abroad, illuminat-
ing traditional practices and life-styles for our
contemporary world.

Semitism on those w h o use the Scriptures. If

taken seriously, this book should raise the ques-
tion o f ' t h e G o d of the Jews and Gentiles' in a
new way and place Jewish-Christian dialogue
on a different footing" (Donald Juel, Luther
Anti-Semitism and Early Christianity: Issues N o r t h w e s t e r n Theological Seminary).
of Polemic and Faith edited by Craig A. Evans Craig A. Evans is Professor of Biblical Stud-
a n d D o n a l d A. Hagner, foreword by James A. ies at Trinity Western University, British C o -
Sanders (Fortress Press, 1993), 328 pp., $18.00. lumbia. H e is the a u t h o r of several academic
"This clearly focused and well-integrated vol- studies, including To See and Not Perceive: Isaiah
u m e . . . is m o s t welcome. T h e c o n t r i b u t o r s 6:9-10 in Early Jewish and Christian Interpre-
take controversial texts as they stand and ad- tation.
dress t h e m with analyses that display academic D o n a l d A. H a g n e r is George Eldon Ladd
d e p t h a n d integrity, g e n u i n e reverence, a n d Professor of N e w Testament at Fuller Theologi-
personal as well as ecumenical sensitivity" (Ri- cal Seminary, California. His published works
chard I. Pervo, Seabury-Western Theological include Hebrews in the N e w International Bib-
Seminary). lical C o m m e n t a r y series.
"This work provides historical context and
n u a n c e d exegesis of the texts that are c o n t i n u -

August 1996/SHABBAT SHALOM 35