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Sabbath

In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath (/ˈsæbəθ/) or Shabbat (from Hebrew


‫ ַׁשָּבת‬Šabbāṯ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book
of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by
God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as God rested from creation.[1] The
practice of observing the Sabbath (Shabbat) originates in the biblical
commandment "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy".

The Sabbath is observed in Judaism and Sabbatarian forms of Christianity


(such as some Protestant and Eastern denominations). Observances similar
to, or descended from, the Sabbath also exist in other religions. The term
may be generally used to describe similar weekly observances in other
religions.

Biblical Sabbath Welcoming the Sabbath with


the lighting of Shabbat
‫֙ת‬ candles according to Jewish
Sabbath (as the verb ‫ ָׁשַב‬shabbat) is first mentioned in the Genesis creation
custom.
narrative, where the seventh day is set aside as a day of rest (in Hebrew,
shabbat) and made holy by God (Genesis 2:2–3). Observation and
remembrance of Sabbath (Hebrew: ‫ ַׁשָּבת‬shabbat) is one of the Ten
Commandments (the fourth in the original Jewish, the Eastern
Orthodox, and most Protestant traditions, the third in Roman
Catholic and Lutheran traditions).

Most Jews who observe the Sabbath regard it as having been


instituted as a perpetual covenant for the Israelites (Exodus 31:13–
17), as a sign respecting two events: the day during which God
rested after having completed Creation in six days (Exodus 20:8–
11) and the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:12–
For the Abrahamic religions:
15). However, most Sabbath-keeping Christians regard the Sabbath
Judaism, Seventh Adventist
as having been instituted by God at the end of Creation week and
Christians, and Samaritanism
that the entire world was then, and continues to be, obliged to
Sabbath begins Friday at sundown
observe the seventh day as Sabbath.
and ends at Saturday sundown. Thus
the sunset is a common symbology
Originally, Sabbath-breakers were officially to be cut off from the
of the Sabbath.
assembly or potentially killed (Exodus 31:15). Observance in the
Hebrew Bible was universally from sixth-day sundown to seventh-
day sundown (Nehemiah 13:19, cf. Leviticus 23:32),[2] on a seven-
day week. Consultations with prophets (II Kings iv. 23) were sought on the Sabbath.[3] Sabbath corporate
worship was not prescribed for the community at large, and the Sabbath activities at the shrines were
originally a convocation of priests for the purpose of offering divine sacrifices, with family worship and rest
being centered in homes.[4][5]

Judaism
Jewish Shabbat (Shabbath, Shabbes, Shobos, etc.) is a weekly day of rest, observed from sundown on
Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night. Thirty-nine activities prohibited on
Shabbat are listed in Tractate Shabbat (Talmud). Customarily, Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles
shortly before sunset, at halakhically calculated times that change weekly and geographically. The Dead
Sea Scrolls Uncovered, a translation by Robert Eisenman and Michael Wise, reveals the Essene calendar as
celebrating the Sabbath commencing on the 4th day of Abib (Nisan) page 192 3 days after the new moon
of the Passover month then celebrated on the 11th, 18th and 25th. The second Essene month reveals a
Sabbath on the second day exactly 7 days from the 25th of Abib Sabbath witnessing a solar calendar
continuation. Page 193 of the same translation reveals a second recalibration commencing at the 2nd
equinox where at the beginning of the 7th Month of The Feast of Trumpets the Sabbath commences again
on the 4th day 3 days after the New Moon. The Essenes did it this way because In Genesis it reads God
made the moon on the 4th day and rested 3 days later. The New Moon is the first day of the Hebrew
month. Judah ha-Levi (12th century) proposed a nascent Jewish date line for dating of Shabbat, later
calculated to fall between China and Japan (other lines exist, and travelers are expected to note both
personal and local Shabbat); and Pinchas Elijah Horovitz (18th century) stated that polar regions should
observe Shabbat based on calculating 24-hour days, although without establishing a date line.

Shabbat is a widely noted hallmark of Jewish peoples. Subbotniks (literally, Sabbatarians) are a Russian
sect, categorized as either Jews or Judaizing Christians, that became particularly branded by strict Shabbat
observance; (Hungarian-born radical Reform leader Ignaz Einhorn even shifted his congregation's Shabbat
worship to Sundays.) Several weekly Shabbats per year are designated as Special Sabbaths, such as
Shabbat haGadol, prior to Pesach (literally, "the High Sabbath", but not to be confused with other High
Sabbaths); and Shabbat Teshuvah, prior to Yom Kippur ("Repentance Sabbath").

Shabbaton

Colloquially, in contemporary Israel, the term Shabbaton or Shaboson may mean an event or program of
education and usually celebration held on Shabbat, or over an entire weekend with main focus on Shabbat.
Such events are held by youth groups, singles groups, synagogues, schools, social groups, charitable
groups or family reunions, can be either multi-generational and wide-open or limited-group, and can be
held where a group usually meets or offsite. "Shabbaton", rather than just "retreat", signifies recognition of
the importance of Shabbat in the event or program.. Another meaning of the term is what in English is
called "Sabbatical", a period of paid leave from work, common mostly in educational systems.

Christianity
In Eastern Christianity, the Sabbath is considered still to be on Saturday, the seventh day, in remembrance
of the Hebrew Sabbath. In Catholicism and most branches of Protestantism, the "Lord's Day" (Greek
Κυριακή) is considered to be on Sunday, the first day (and "eighth day"). Communal worship, including
the Holy Mysteries, may take place on any day, but a weekly observance of the resurrection is made
consistently on Sunday. Western Christianity sometimes refers to the Lord's Day as a "Christian Sabbath",
distinct from the Hebrew Sabbath, but related in varying manner.

First-day

Since Puritan times, most English-speaking Protestants identify the "Lord's Day" (viz., Sunday) with a
"Christian Sabbath", a term Roman Catholics in those areas may also celebrate with the Eucharist. It is
considered both the first day and the "eighth day" of the seven-day week. In Tonga, all commerce and
entertainment activities cease on Sunday, starting at midnight and ending the next day, at midnight, as
Tonga's constitution declares the Sabbath sacred forever.[6] In Oriental Orthodoxy, the Ethiopian Orthodox
Tewahedo Church has observed both Sunday Resurrection Day and Saturday Sabbath in different ways for
several centuries, as have other Eastern Orthodox traditions.

Puritan Sabbatarianism or Reformed Sabbatarianism is strict observance of Sabbath in Christianity that is


typically characterized by its avoidance of recreational activities. "Puritan Sabbath", expressed in the
Westminster Confession of Faith, is often contrasted with "Continental Sabbath": the latter follows the
Continental Reformed confessions such as the Heidelberg Catechism, which emphasize rest and worship
on Lord's Day, but do not forbid recreational activities.

Seventh-day

Several Christian denominations observe Sabbath in a similar manner to Judaism, though with observance
ending at Saturday sunset instead of Saturday nightfall. Early church historians Sozomen and Socrates cite
the seventh day as the Christian day of worship except for the Christians in Rome and Alexandria. Many
Sabbatarian Judeo-Christian groups were attested during the Middle Ages. The Waldensians, a religious
group founded during the 12th century, are regarded as one of the first Post-Constantinian Christian groups
to observe the seventh-day Sabbath. The Szekler Sabbatarians were founded in 1588 from among the
Unitarian Church of Transylvania and maintained a presence until the group converted to Judaism in the
1870s. Seventh Day Baptists have observed Sabbath on Saturday since the mid-17th century (either from
sundown or from midnight), and influenced the (now more numerous) Seventh-day Adventists in America
to begin the practice in the mid-19th century. They believe that keeping seventh-day Sabbath is a moral
responsibility equal to that of any of the other Ten Commandments, based on the example of Jesus. They
also use "Lord's Day" to mean the seventh day, based on Scriptures in which God calls the day "my
Sabbath" (Exodus 31:13) and "to the LORD" (Exodus 16:23) and in which Jesus calls himself "Lord of
Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8). The question of defining Sabbath worldwide on a round earth was resolved by
some seventh-day Sabbatarians by making use of the International Date Line (i.e., permitting local rest-day
adjustment, Esther 9:16–19), while others (such as some Alaskan Sabbatarians) keep Sabbath according to
Jerusalem time (i.e., rejecting manmade temporal customs, Daniel 7:25). Adherents of Messianic Judaism (a
Christian sect or grouping of sects), also generally observe the Sabbath on Saturdays.

Many of the Lemba in southern Africa, like some other African tribes, are Jewish and claim common
descent from the Biblical Israelites, based on observing traditional Jewish customs. Genetic analysis has
also demonstrated that a distinct group of the Lemba, have the oral history and genetic ancestry of early
Hebrews. The Lemba keep one day a week holy like Sabbath, and maintain many beliefs and practices
associated with Judaism.[7][8]

Seventh-day versus First-day

In 321 AD, Roman emperor Constantine the Great enacted the first civil law regarding Sunday observance.
The law did not mention the Sabbath by name, but referred to a day of rest on "the venerable day of the
sun."

On the venerable day of the sun let the magistrate and people residing in cities rest, and let all
workshops be closed. In the country however, persons engaged in agricultural work may
freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so
suitable for grain growing or for vine planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such
operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.[9]
An Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine:

Q. How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days?
A. By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; and
therefore they fondly contradict themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most
other feasts commanded by the same church.
Q. How prove you that?
A. Because by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the church's power to ordain feasts,
and to command them under sin; and by not keeping the rest [of the feasts] by her
commanded, they again deny, in fact, the same power.[10]

The Augsburg Confession:

They [the Catholics] allege the Sabbath changed into Sunday, the Lord's day, contrary to
the decalogue, as it appears; neither is there any example more boasted of than the
changing of the Sabbath day. Great, they say, is the power and authority of the church,
since it dispensed with one of the ten commandments.[11]

A Doctrinal Catechism,

Q. Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of
precept?
A. Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists
agree with her. She could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of
the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no
Scriptural authority.[12]

Catholic Christian:

Q. Has the [Catholic] church power to make any alterations in the commandments of God?
A. ...Instead of the seventh day, and other festivals appointed by the old law, the church
has prescribed the Sundays and holy days to be set apart for God's worship; and these we
are now obliged to keep in consequence of God's commandment, instead of the ancient
Sabbath.[13]

The Catechism of the Council of Trent:

The Church of God has thought it well to transfer the celebration and observance of the
Sabbath to Sunday![14]

New moon

The new moon, occurring every 29 or 30 days, is an important separately sanctioned occasion in Judaism
and some other faiths. It is not widely regarded as Sabbath, but some messianic and Pentecostal churches,
keep the day of the new moon as Sabbath or rest day, from evening to evening. New-moon services can
last all day.

Some modern sects who are Sabbath keepers have suggested a Sabbath based on the New Moon citing
Psalm 104:19 (https://biblehub.com/psalms/104-19.htm) and Genesis 1:14 (https://biblehub.com/genesis/1-1
4.htm) as a key prooftexts. Observers recognize the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of the month of the
Hebrew Calendar as Sabbath days which should be observed.[15] They reject the 7 day week as non-
biblical. The Lunar Sabbath theory is rejected by most Sabbatarian groups and Judaism as false and
misleading but the recently discovered Dead Sea Scrolls translated by Eisenman and Wise show the Essene
Jewish calendar revealing the first sabbath of the month of Nisan being on the 4th day 3 days after the new
moon and kept every 7 days for the rest of the year. While some of the writings at the Dead Sea sect or
Qumran state the 4th day, other writings such as HaYubilim XLIV:1 or The Jubilees 44:1 mention the
seventh day of the 3rd moon a sacrifice takes place and Yaakob stays seven days later because travel in not
permitted on Shabbat. Philo of Alexandria also mentions in Decalogue XXX (161) But to the seventh day
of the week he has assigned [the beginning of] the greatest festivals, those of the longest duration
[Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles], at the periods of the equinox both vernal and autumnal in each year;
appointing two festivals for these two epochs, each lasting seven days; the one which takes place in the
spring being for the perfection of what is being sown, and the one which falls in autumn being a feast of
thanksgiving for the bringing home of all the fruits which the trees have produced. And seven days have
very appropriately been appointed to the seventh month of each equinox, so that each month might receive
an especial honour of one sacred day of festival, for the purpose of refreshing and cheering the mind with
its holiday.

Day of the Vow

Day of the Vow or Dingane's Day (Afrikaans Geloftedag or Dingaansdag, December 16) was the name of
a religious public holiday in South Africa commemorating a famous Boer victory over the Zulu. Celebrated
as annual Sabbath (a holy day of thanksgiving) since 1838, it was renamed Day of Reconciliation in 1994.
The anniversary and its commemoration are intimately connected with various streams of Afrikaner and
South African nationalism.

Millennial Sabbath

Since Hippolytus of Rome in the early third century, Christians have often considered that some thousand-
year Sabbath, expected to begin six thousand years after Creation, might be identical with the millennium
described in the Book of Revelation. This view was also popular among 19th- and 20th-century
dispensational premillennialists. The term "Sabbatism" or "Sabbatizing" (Greek Sabbatismos), which
generically means any literal or spiritual Sabbath-keeping, has also been taken in Hebrews 4:9 to have
special reference to this definition.

Spiritual Sabbath

Some modern Christians uphold Sabbath principles but do not limit observance to either Saturday or
Sunday, instead advocating rest on any one chosen day of the week as following the spirit of Sabbath, or
advocating Sabbath as instead a symbolic metaphor for rest in Christ. These look upon Sabbath as a
principle to be observed in spirit rather than in letter, regarding the rest offered in Jesus as the only New
Testament admonishment containing the root word of "Sabbath" (Matthew 11:28) and sometimes as a more
permanent rest than a day could fulfill (Hebrews 4:9).

Latter Day Saint Movement

In 1831, Joseph Smith published a revelation commanding his related movement, the Latter Day Saint
movement, to go to the house of prayer, offer up their sacraments, rest from their labors, and pay their
devotions on the Lord's day (D&C 59:9–12).
That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house
of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; for verily this is a day appointed unto
you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High.

— D&C 59:9–10[16]

Latter-day Saints believe this means performing no labor that would keep them from giving their full
attention to spiritual matters (Ex. 20:10). LDS prophets have described this as meaning they should not
shop, hunt, fish, attend sports events, or participate in similar activities on that day. Elder Spencer W.
Kimball wrote in his The Miracle of Forgiveness that mere idle lounging on the Sabbath does not keep the
day holy, and that it calls for constructive thoughts and acts.[17]

Members of the Church are encouraged to prepare their meals with "singleness of heart" on the Sabbath[18]
(D&C 59:13) and believe the day is only for righteous activities (Is. 58:13.) In most areas of the world, this
means worship on Sunday, though there is adaptation for Israel and many majority-Muslim
countries.[19][20]

In harmony with this revelation, members of the LDS church attend sacrament meeting each week. Other
Sabbath-day activities may include: praying, meditating, studying the scriptures and the teachings of latter-
day prophets, writing letters to family members and friends, reading wholesome material, visiting the sick
and distressed, and attending other Church meetings.[21]

Islam
The Quran shares the six-part Abrahamic creation narrative (32:4, 50:38) and the Sabbath as the seventh
day (yaum as-Sabt: 2:65, 4:47, 154, 7:163, 16:124), but God's mounting the throne after creation is taken in
contradistinction to Elohim's concluding and resting from his labors. The Quran states that since Sabbath
was only for Jews, Muslims replace Sabbath rest with jumu'ah (Arabic: ‫)جمعة‬. Also known as "Friday
prayer", jumu'ah is a congregational prayer (salat) held every Friday (the Day of Assembly), just after
midday, in place of the otherwise daily dhuhr prayer;

The Quran states: "When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday, hasten earnestly to the Remembrance
of Allah, and leave off business: That is best for you if ye but knew" (62:9). The next verse ("When the
prayer is ended, then disperse in the land ...") leads many Muslims not to consider Friday a rest day, as in
Indonesia, which regards the seventh-day Sabbath as unchanged; but many Muslim countries, such as
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh, do consider Friday a nonwork day, a holiday or a
weekend; and other Muslim countries, like Pakistan, count it as half a rest day (after the Friday prayer is
over). Jumu'ah attendance is strictly incumbent upon all free adult males who are residents of the locality
(and not travelling).

Samaritanism
The Sabbath is observed weekly by the Samaritan community every Friday to Saturday beginning and
ending at sundown, for twenty four hours the families gather together to celebrate the rest day, all electricity
with the exception of minimal lighting (kept on the entire day) in the house is disconnected, no work is
done, neither is cooking or driving allowed. The time is devoted to worship which consists of seven prayer
services (divided into two for Sabbath eve, two in the morning, one in afternoon and one at eve of
conclusion), reading the weekly Torah portion (According to the Samaritan yearly Torah cycle), spending
quality time with family, taking meals, rest and sleep, and within the community visiting each other is
encouraged.[22] Shabbat candles are not used in Samaritan custom and would be considered a violation of
the biblical commandment of "You shall not kindle fire".[23][24]

Other religious traditions

Seven-day week

By synecdoche (naming the whole for a part), in Jewish sources by the time of the Septuagint, the term
"Sabbath" (Greek Sabbaton, Strong's 4521) also came to mean an entire "se'nnight" or seven-day week,
the interval between two weekly Sabbaths. Jesus's parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:9–14)
describes the Pharisee as fasting "twice a week" (Greek dis tou sabbatou, literally, "Twice of the Sabbath").
Philo of Alexandria states in Decalogue XX. (96) The fourth commandment has reference to the sacred
seventh day, that it may be passed in a sacred and holy manner. Now some states keep the holy festival
only once in the month, counting from the new moon, as a day sacred to God; but the nation of the Jews
keep every seventh day regularly, after each interval of six days; (97) and there is an account of events
recorded in the history of the creation of the world, constituting a sufficient relation of the cause of this
ordinance; for the sacred historian says, that the world was created in six days, and that on the seventh day
God desisted from his works, and began to contemplate what he had so beautifully created; (98) therefore,
he commanded the beings also who were destined to live in this state, to imitate God in this particular also,
as well as in all others, applying themselves to their works for six days, but desisting from them and
philosophising on the seventh day, and devoting their leisure to the contemplation of the things of nature,
and considering whether in the preceding six days they have done anything which has not been holy,
bringing their conduct before the judgment-seat of the soul, and subjecting it to a scrutiny, and making
themselves give an account of all the things which they have said or done; the laws sitting by as assessors
and joint inquirers, in order to the correcting of such errors as have been committed through carelessness,
and to the guarding against any similar offences being hereafter repeated.

High Sabbaths

"High Sabbaths" are observed by Jews and some Christians. Seven annual Biblical festivals, called miqra
("called assembly") in Hebrew and "High Sabbath" in English and serving as supplemental testimonies to
Sabbath, are specified in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy; they do not necessarily fall on weekly
Sabbath. Three occur in spring: the first and seventh days of Pesach (Passover), and Shavuot (Pentecost).
Four occur in fall, in the seventh month, and are also called Shabbaton: Rosh Hashanah (Trumpets); Yom
Kippur, "Sabbath of Sabbaths" (Atonement); and the first and eighth days of Sukkoth (Tabernacles). "High
Sabbaths" is also often a synonym of "High Holy Days", viz., Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Shmita

Shmita (Hebrew: ‫שמטה‬, Strong's 8059 as shemittah, literally "release"), also called sabbatical year, is the
seventh (‫שביעי‬, Strong's 7637 as shebiy'iy) year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by Torah for
the Land of Israel, relatively little observed in Biblical tradition, but still observed in contemporary Judaism.
During Shmita, the land is left to lie fallow and all agricultural activity, including plowing, planting, pruning
and harvesting, is forbidden by Torah and Jewish law. By tradition, other cultivation techniques (such as
watering, fertilizing, weeding, spraying, trimming and mowing) may be performed as preventive measures
only, not to improve the growth of trees or plants; additionally, whatever fruits grow of their own accord
during that year are deemed hefker (ownerless), not for the landowner but for the poor, the stranger, and the
beasts of the field; these fruits may be picked by anyone. A variety of laws also apply to the sale,
consumption and disposal of Shmita produce. When the year ended, all debts, except those of foreigners,
were to be remitted (Deuteronomy 15:1–11); in similar fashion, Torah requires a slave who had worked for
six years to go free in the seventh year. Leviticus 25 promises bountiful harvests to those who observe
Shmita, and describes its observance as a test of religious faith. The term Shmita is translated "release" five
times in the Book of Deuteronomy (from the root ‫שמט‬, shamat, "desist, remit", 8058).

Babylonian rest days

Counting from the new moon, the Babylonians celebrated the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th as "holy-days", also
called "evil days" (meaning "unsuitable" for prohibited activities). On these days officials were prohibited
from various activities and common men were forbidden to "make a wish", and at least the 28th was
known as a "rest-day". On each of them, offerings were made to a different god and goddess. Tablets from
the 6th-century BCE reigns of Cyrus the Great and Cambyses indicate these dates were sometimes
approximate. The lunation of 29 or 30 days basically contained three seven-day weeks, and a final week of
nine or ten days inclusive, breaking the continuous seven-day cycle. The Babylonians additionally
celebrated the 19th as a special "evil day", the "day of anger", because it was roughly the 49th day of the
(preceding) month, completing a "week of weeks", also with sacrifices and prohibitions.[25] Difficulties
with Friedrich Delitzsch's origin theory connecting Hebrew Shabbat with the Babylonian lunar cycle
include reconciling the differences between an unbroken week and a lunar week, and explaining the
absence of texts naming the lunar week as Shabbat in any language. Reconstruction of a broken tablet
seems to define the rarely attested Babylonian Akkadian word Sapattum or Sabattum as the full moon: this
word is cognate or merged with Hebrew Shabbat, but is monthly rather than weekly. It is regarded as a
form of Sumerian sa-bat ("mid-rest"), attested in Akkadian as um nuh libbi ("day of mid-repose"). This
conclusion is a contextual restoration of the damaged Enûma Eliš creation mythos, which is read as: "
[Sa]pattu shalt thou then encounter, mid[month]ly."

The pentecontad calendar, thought to be of Amorite origin, includes a period known to Babylonians as
Shappatum. The year is broken down into seven periods of fifty days (made up of seven weeks of seven
days, containing seven weekly Sabbaths, and an extra fiftieth day, known as the atzeret), plus an annual
supplement of fifteen or sixteen days, called Shappatum, the period of harvest time at the end of each year.
Identified and reconstructed by Hildegaard and Julius Lewy in the 1940s, the calendar's use dates back to at
least the 3rd millennium BCE in Western Mesopotamia and surrounding areas; it was used by the
Canaanite tribes, thought by some to have been used by the Israelites prior to King Solomon, and related to
the liturgical calendar of the Essenes at Qumran. Used well into the modern age, forms of it have been
found in Nestorianism and among the Palestinian fellaheen. Julius Morgenstern believed that the calendar
of the Jubilees had ancient origins as a somewhat modified survival of the pentecontad calendar.

Buddhist rest day

The Uposatha has been observed since Gautama Buddha's time (500 BCE), and is still being kept today in
Theravada Buddhist countries. It occurs every seven or eight days, in accordance with the four phases of
the moon. Buddha taught that Uposatha is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind", resulting in inner calm
and joy. On this day, disciples and monks intensify their practice, deepen their knowledge, and express
communal commitment through millennia-old acts of lay-monastic reciprocity.
Thai Chinese likewise observe their Sabbaths and traditional Chinese holidays according to lunar phases,
but not on exactly the same days as Uposatha. These Sabbaths cycle through the month with respect to the
Thai solar calendar, so common Thai calendars incorporate Thai and Chinese calendar lunar dates, as well
as Uposatha dates, for religious purposes.

Cherokee rest days

The first day of the new moon, beginning at sunrise, is a holiday of quiet reflection and prayer among the
Cherokee. Monthly fasting is encouraged, for up to four days. Work, cooking, sex and childbirth were also
prohibited during the empty moon days, called "un-time" or "non-days"; childbirth during these days was
considered unlucky. The Cherokee new year, the "great new moon" or "Hunting Moon", is the first new
moon in autumn, after the setting of the Pleiades star cluster and around the time of the Leonids meteoric
shower.

Sabbath as Saturday

One folk tradition in English is the widespread use of "Sabbath" as a synonym of midnight-to-midnight
"Saturday" (literally, Saturn's day in at least a dozen languages): this is a simplification of the use of
"Sabbath" in other religious contexts, where the two do not coincide. (Using midnight instead of sundown
as delimiter dates back to the Roman Empire.) In over thirty other languages, the common name for this
day in the seven-day week is a cognate of "Sabbath". "Sabbatini", originally "Sabbadini", often "Sabatini",
etc., is a very frequent Italian name form ("Sabbatos" is the Greek form), indicating a family whose
ancestor was born on Saturday, Italian sabato; "Domenico" indicated birth on Sunday.

In vampire hunter lore, people born on Saturday were specially designated as sabbatianoí in Greek and
sâbotnichavi in Bulgarian (rendered in English as "Sabbatarians"). It was also believed in the Balkans that
someone born on a Saturday could see a vampire when it was otherwise invisible.

Wicca

The annual cycle of the Earth's seasons is called the Wheel of the Year in Wicca and neopaganism. Eight
sabbats (occasionally "sabbaths", or "Sun sabbats") are spaced at approximately even intervals throughout
the year. Samhain, which coincides with Halloween, is considered the first sabbat of the year.

An esbat is a ritual observance of the full moon in Wicca and neopaganism. Some groups extend the esbat
to include the dark moon and the first and last quarters. "Esbat" and "sabbat" are distinct and are probably
not cognate terms, although an esbat is also called "moon sabbat".

European records from the Middle Ages to the 17th century or later also place Witches' Sabbaths on similar
dates to sabbats in modern Wicca, but with some disagreement; medieval reports of sabbat activity are
generally not firsthand and may be imaginative, but many persons were accused of, or tried for, taking part
in sabbats.

Unification Church
The Unification Church has a regular day of worship on Sunday, but every eight days Unificationists
celebrate the day of Ahn Shi Il, considered as Sabbath but cycling among the weekdays of the Gregorian
calendar. The Family Pledge, formerly recited at 5:00 a.m. on Sundays, was moved to Ahn Shi Il in 1994
and includes eight verses containing the phrase "by centering on true love".

Baháʼí Faith

The day of rest in the Baháʼí Faith is Friday.[26]

Secular traditions
Secular use of "Sabbath" for "rest day", while it usually refers to the same period of time (Sunday) as the
majority Christian use of "Sabbath", is often stated in North America to refer to different purposes for the
rest day than those of Christendom. In McGowan v. Maryland (1961), the Supreme Court of the United
States held that contemporary Maryland blue laws (typically, Sunday rest laws) were intended to promote
the secular values of "health, safety, recreation, and general well-being" through a common day of rest, and
that this day coinciding with majority Christian Sabbath neither reduces its effectiveness for secular
purposes nor prevents adherents of other religions from observing their own holy days. Massachusetts,
uncharacteristically, does not specify which day of the week its "Day of Rest" statute applies to, providing
only that one day off from work is required every week; an unspecified weekly day off is a very
widespread business production cycle. The Supreme Court of Canada, in R. v. Big M Drug Mart Ltd.
(1985) and R. v. Edwards Books and Art Ltd. (1986), found some blue laws invalid for having no
legitimate secular purpose, but others valid because they had no religious purpose.

The weekend is that period of the week set aside by custom or law for rest from labor. In many countries
the non-working days are Saturday and Sunday, and in that case "the weekend" is often considered to
begin when Friday's workday ends. This five-day workweek arose in America when labor unions
attempted to accommodate Jewish Sabbath, beginning at a New England cotton mill and also instituted by
Henry Ford in 1926; it became standard in America by about 1940 and spread among English-speaking
and European countries to become the international workweek.[27][28] China adopted it in 1995 and Hong
Kong by 2006. Businesses in India and some other countries might follow either the international
workweek or a more traditional plan that is nearly the same but includes half a day of work on Saturday.
While Indonesia and Lebanon have the international workweek, in most Muslim countries Friday is the
weekend, alone or with Thursday (all or half) or Saturday. Some universities permit a three-day weekend
from Friday to Sunday. The weekend in Israel, Nepal, and parts of Malaysia, is Friday (all or half) and
Saturday. Only the one-day customary or legal weekends are usually called "Sabbath".

State-mandated rest days

State-mandated rest days are widespread. Laws of the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) required imperial
officials to rest on every mu (every fifth day), within a ten-day Chinese week. The rest day was changed to
huan or xún (every tenth day) in the Tang dynasty (618–907).

The reform calendar of the French Revolution was used from 1793 to 1805. It used ten-day weeks,
contained in twelve months of three weeks each; the five or six extra days needed to approximate the
tropical year were placed at the end of the year and did not belong to any month. The tenth day of each
week, décadi, replaced Sunday as the day of rest and festivity in France.
From 1929 to 1931, the Soviet Union mandated a five-day week in which each day designated by color as
a state rest day for a different 20% of the workforce; members of the same family did not usually have the
same rest day. Three weeks each year were longer (six or seven days instead of five), because those weeks
were interrupted by holidays. From 1931 to 1940, the Soviets mandated a six-day week, with state rest
days for all upon the 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th, and 30th of each Gregorian month, as well as upon March 1.
This also necessitated varying weeks of five to seven days over the year.

Among many calendar reform proposals that eliminate the constant seven-day week in exchange for
simplified calculation of calendrical data like weekday names for given dates, some retain Sabbatical
influences. The Hermetic Lunar Week Calendar uses moon phases, resulting in weeks of six to nine days.
The International Fixed Calendar and World Calendar both use 364-day years containing exactly 52 weeks
(each starting on a day designated as Sunday), with an additional one or two intercalary "blank" days not
designated as part of any week (Year Day and Leap Day in the International Fixed Calendar; Worldsday
and Leapyear Day in the World Calendar). Supporters of reform sought to accommodate Sabbatical
observance by retaining the modified week and designating the intercalary days as additional Sabbaths or
holidays; however, religious leaders held that such days disrupt the traditional seven-day weekly cycle. This
unresolved issue contributed to the cessation of calendar reform activities in the 1930s (International Fixed
Calendar) and again in 1955 (World Calendar), though supporters of both proposals remain.

Subbotnik

The subbotnik is a weekly day of volunteer work on Saturday in Russia, other (former) Soviet republics,
the Eastern Bloc, and the German Democratic Republic, sporadically observed since 1919. The voskresnik
is a related volunteer workday on Sunday. They focus on community service work; "Lenin's Subbotnik"
was also observed annually around his birthday.

Sabbatical

From the biblical sabbatical year came the modern concept of a sabbatical, a prolonged, often one-year,
hiatus in the career of an individual (not usually tied to a seven-year period). Such a period is often taken in
order to fulfill some goal such as writing a book or traveling extensively for research. Some universities and
other institutional employers of scientists, physicians, or academics offer paid sabbatical as an employee
benefit, called "sabbatical leave"; some companies offer unpaid sabbatical for people wanting to take career
breaks.

References
Judaism portal

Christianity portal

Islam portal

1. "Sabbath Definition & Meaning" (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sabbath).


Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
2. "cev bible, search keyword 'like sabbath' " (https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quic
ksearch=like+sabbath&qs_version=CEV).
3. Emil G. Hirsch, Joseph Jacobs, Executive Committee of the Editorial Board., Julius H.
Greenstone. (1905). "Sabbath". Jewish Encyclopaedia : a descr. record of the history,
religion, literature, and customs of the Jewish people from the earliest times to the present
day. New York : Funk & Wagnall, p. 587. Retrieved 13 May 2016. JewishEncyclopedia.com
(http://d2b4hhdj1xs9hu.cloudfront.net/I1LL587Q.jpg)
4. Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. (2001). Israelology: the missing link in systematic theology. Tustin,
Calif.: Ariel Ministries. pp. 595–601. ISBN 0914863053
5. Goldberg, Louis A. (1980). Leviticus: A Study Guide Commentary. Grand Rapids:Zondervan
Publishing House. p. 116. ISBN 9780310418139
6. "Constitution of Tonga" (https://www.parliament.gov.to/parliamentary-business/documents/co
nstitution-of-tonga/file/115-constitution-of-tonga-revised-1988). Parliament of Tonga.
Retrieved 20 August 2018.
7. "African tribe descended from Jews, DNA tests show" (https://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/
Jewish-News/African-tribe-descended-from-Jews-DNA-tests-show).
8. Thomas, Mark G.; Parfitt, Tudor; Weiss, Deborah A.; Skorecki, Karl; Wilson, James F.; le
Roux, Magdel; Bradman, Neil; Goldstein, David B. (2000). "Y Chromosomes Traveling
South: The Cohen Modal Haplotype and the Origins of the Lemba—the 'Black Jews of
Southern Africa' " (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1288118). American
Journal of Human Genetics. 66 (2): 674–686. doi:10.1086/302749 (https://doi.org/10.1086%
2F302749). PMC 1288118 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1288118).
PMID 10677325 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10677325).
9. Schaff’s History of the Christian Church, vol. III, chap. 75.
10. Rev. Henry Tuberville, D.D. (R.C.), (1833), An Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine. p. 58.
11. Art. 28. Augsburg Confession.
12. Rev. Stephen Keenan, (1851), A Doctrinal Catechism. p. 174.
13. The Catholic Christian Instructed in the Sacraments, Sacrifices, Ceremonies, and
Observances of the Church By Way of Question and Answer, RT Rev. Dr. Challoner, p. 204.
14. Catechism of the Council of Trent. p. 402, second revised edition (English), 1937. (First
published in 1566)
15. "The WLC Sabbath Challenge" (https://www.worldslastchance.com/wlc-challenge.html).
Bible Prophecy | Online Bible Studies | Videos | WLC. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
16. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/s
criptures/dc-testament/dc/59.9-11?lang=eng)
17. The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 96–97
18. churchofjesuschrist.org D&C 59:13 (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-t
estament/dc/59?lang=eng)
19. – Attending church on Friday (https://www.ldsliving.com/18-Unique-LDS-Traditions-from-Aro
und-the-World/s/88061)
20. churchofjesuschrist.org – Study by Topic – Sabbath (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu
dy/manual/gospel-topics/sabbath-day?lang=eng)
21. True to the Faith, p. 146
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-
materials/36863_eng.pdf
22. "Sabbath Observance: How Israelite Samaritans Keep the Sabbath" (https://www.israelite-s
amaritans.com/religion/sabbath-observance/). Israelite Samaritan Information Institute.
Retrieved 2023-05-02.
23. "Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” Exodus 35:3.
24. "The Samaritan Sabbath" by Jacob, Son of Aaron, The High Priest of The Samaritans at
Shechem. Page 441-442. https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/bsac/1908_430.pdf
25. Pinches, T.G. (1919). "Sabbath (Babylonian)" (https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofr10
hast_0/page/888/mode/2up). In Hastings, James (ed.). Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics.
Selbie, John A., contrib. Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 889–891.
26. Hornby, Helen, ed. (1983). Lights of Guidance: A Baháʼí Reference File (http://bahai-library.c
om/hornby_lights_guidance&chapter=2#n372). New Delhi, India: Baháʼí Publishing Trust.
p. 109. ISBN 978-81-85091-46-4. Retrieved 2009-03-15. "III. Baháʼí: E. Miscellaneous
Subjects: 372. Friday is Day of Rest in Baháʼí Calendar."
27. "Where the Five-Day Workweek Came from" (https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/
2014/08/where-the-five-day-workweek-came-from/378870/). The Atlantic. 21 August 2014.
28. "How the Five Day Work Week Became Popular" (http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/
2016/09/five-day-work-week-became-popular/). 5 September 2016.

External links
The dictionary definition of Sabbath at Wiktionary
Quotations related to Sabbath at Wikiquote
"Sabbath" (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_Student%27s_Reference_Work/Sabbat
h). The New Student's Reference Work (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_Student%
27s_Reference_Work). 1914.
Nekrutman, David (2022). Your Sabbath Invitation: Partnership in God's Ultimate
Celebration (https://www.yoursabbathinvitation.com/). Isaiah Projects. ISBN 978-
0578262512.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sabbath&oldid=1188557649"

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