Shabbat - Heart of Wisdom

or singing Proverbs 31’s acclamation of thewoman of valour. The wife may reciprocate byreciting Psalm 128 in honor of her husband. Then,one by one, laying his hand on their heads andaffirming his love for them, the father blesses hischildren with the words of the Aaronic Benedictionand other scriptural blessings. There is timefor singing the songs of Zion and offering personalprayers to God. It is a family celebrationpar excellence.During the Sabbath, the family gathers in a synagogue(meeting) to offer corporate prayers toGod and to hear the exposition of his Torah (theHebrew Scriptures). This isin fulfillment of thescripturalrequirement for a “holy convocation,” a collectivegathering,andisinkeepingwith Judaicconceptof salvation in the context of community.Christians should well reflect on whether theJewish people have discovered and maintainedthe key to Shabbat observance: time for God andfamily. It is not an occasion just to sleep or togather at an appointed place to sing a few songs,offer a “word of prayer,” and listen to the postulationsof a preacher, only to rush off to do thefun things dreamed about during the sermon. It is asanctuary in time in which one can escape the worldand achieve oneness with God and with family.WHICH DAY AND WHAT TO DO?Which day is the Sabbath, and what do we doon that day? These are the questions that inevitablyarise. Though they seem difficult, the answersare really quite simple. If one knows which day isthe “first day of the week,” the question of whichday is the Sabbath becomes a simple arithmeticproblem. God, himself, declares: “The seventhday is the Sabbath” (Exodus 20:10). By addingsix days to the first day of the week–which everyChristian knows is Sunday–we confirm the factthat Shabbat is Saturday. Since the biblical day beginsat sundown so that there is “evening andmorning” in that order, Shabbat begins at sundownon Friday (or in Jewish tradition when onecan see three stars or planets) and concludes atsundown on Saturday.The Sabbath is one of God’s “forever” creations.It has never changed, nor will it ever change.An immutable God did not instruct his Son whois the same yesterday, today, and forever, to changethe date of his weekly Shabbat.There can be no doubt that the earliest churchcontinued in the same tradition of Sabbath observancethat it had inherited from the Jewish matrixfrom which it was birthed. Early on, it is likelythat this Sabbath (Saturday) celebration carried overinto the evening of the first day of the week (Sunday),probably continuing until after midnight, atwhich time communion was shared. An early exampleof this is Paul’ssermon in Acts 20. Thispractice was, no doubt, Christians should well reflecta celebration of the resurrectionthat had oc-on whether the Jewishpeople have discovered andcurred at the end of theSabbath before daybreakon the first day of Shabbat observance: timemaintained the key tothe week.for God and family. It is aLater, in an effort to sanctuary in time in whichdistance itself from Judaism,most of theone can escape the worldchurch adopted Sunday and achieve oneness withas the day of worship, God and with family.a practice that was enforcedby imperial edictunder Constantine theGreat. Both Jesus and the apostles, however, observedShabbat in the manner prescribed in theHebrew Scriptures.The fact that other days of the week are alsoidentified as Sabbaths, however, establishes thetruth that Sabbath is a principle. The first and lastdays of Unleavened Bread are Sabbaths, as areRosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and other festival times.Each of these Sabbaths is an invitation to meetwith God, and the fact that they often occur ondays of the week other than the seventh day underscoresto us the truth that God may be worshippedand family may be affirmed on any dayof the week. Indeed, Christians who set apart Sunday(or any other day, for that matter) for Godand family are practicing the principle of Sabbath.This is, no doubt, the reasoning behind Paul’sobservation of flexibility in holy day observancesin Romans 14. Apparently Paul was extrapolatingfrom the teaching Gamaliel in the rabbinic SchoolGOD’S LAMP, MAN’S LIGHT$17Presenting Vivid Images ofThe Mysteries of the MenorahDr. John D. Garr has written a masterful analysisof the menorah, the only biblical symbol that has thedistinction of being designed by God himself.You will simply be amazed at the wealth of insightthat has been hidden from the historical church becauseof its separation from Judaism and things Jewish.You will be challenged to embark on a more completestudy of the Jewish roots of your Christian faithwhen you consider this enriching and inspirationalteaching on the menorah, God’s lamp, man’s light. Ifyou’re restoring the Jewish roots of your faith, thisbook is a must read.Order FromHebraic Christian Global CommunityP. O. Box 421218 A Atlanta, GA 30342SHABBAT ISSUE 9