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Sabbath quotes from the 'Jews'

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Sabbath quotes from the 'Jews'

Postby Watchman555 » 26 Jun 2015, 17:52

Babylonian Talmud


Shabbath 69b


R. Huna said: If one is travelling on a road or in the wilderness and does not know when it is the Sabbath, he must count six days and observe one. Hiyya b. Rab said: He must observe one and count six [weekdays]. Wherein do they differ? One Master holds that it is as the world's Creation; the other Master holds that it is like [the case of] Adam.

An objection is raised: If one is travelling on a road and does not know when it is the Sabbath, he must observe one day for six. — Surely that means that he counts six days and observes one? No: he keeps one day and counts six. If so, [instead of] 'he must observe one day for six,' he should state, 'he must observe one day and count six'? Moreover, it was taught: If one is travelling on a road or in a wilderness and does not know when it is the Sabbath, he must count six and observe one day.' This refutation of Hiyya b. Rab is indeed a refutation.

Raba said: Every day he does sufficient for his requirements [only], except on that day. And on that day he is to die? — He prepared double his requirements on the previous day. But perhaps the previous day was the Sabbath? But every day he does sufficient for his requirements, and even on that day. Then wherein may that day be recognized? By kiddush and habdalah.

Raba said: If he recognizes the relationship to the day of his departure, he may do work the whole of that day. But that is obvious? — You might say, Since he did not set out on the Sabbath, he did not set out on the eve of the Sabbath either; hence this man, even if he set out on Thursday. it shall be permitted him to do work on two days. Hence he informs us that sometimes one may come across a company and chance to set out [on a Friday].

HE WHO KNOWS THE ESSENTIAL LAW OF THE SABBATH.


How do we know it? — Said R. Nahman in the name of Rabbah b. Abbuha, Two texts are written: Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath; and it is written, and ye shall keep my Sabbaths. How is this to be explained? 'Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath' [implies] one observance for many Sabbaths; [whereas] 'and ye shall keep my Sabbaths' [implies] one observance for each separate Sabbath. R. Nahman b. Isaac demurred: On the contrary, the logic is the reverse: Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath [implies] one observance for each separate Sabbath; [whereas] 'and ye shall keep my Sabbaths' [implies] one observance for many Sabbaths.

HE WHO KNOWS THAT IT IS THE SABBATH.


http://www.come-and-hear.com/shabbath/shabbath_69.html


Karaite Insights


What is the Shabbath?
by Melech ben Ya'aqov
Does Shabbath Have to Be on a Saturday?

One of the questions which I am constantly asked by former gentiles making their way into Karaism is whether Shabbath must be on a Saturday. The idea that it must be on Saturday comes from two questionable assumptions:

(1) That Saturday is the actual "anniversary" of the day within the seven day week on which Yehowah rested from creating the universe, and

(2) That the Shabbath has to be the same day as this anniversary.

If either one of these assumptions is incorrect, then Shabbath does not have to be on a Saturday.

While there is no outright proof that the first assumption is not correct, there is also no outright proof that it is.

Through all the trials and tribulations that humanity has experienced over the past 5,000 years, we have no proof whatsoever that our current Saturday is the actual seven-day "anniversary" of the original Shabbath of Creation. Likewise, the Rabbinical year (5768 as of this writing) is only a guesstimate rather than a cold, hard fact. (More likely than not, the current year is not what the Rabbinical calendar says it is.) To illustrate this point, I borrow a quote from the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix, who, explaining his post-apocalyptic world, says, "You believe it's the year 1999 when in fact it's closer to 2199. I can't tell you exactly what year it is, because we honestly don't know."

As for the second assumption, this too comes from the flawed Rabbinical concept that the essence of the Shabbath is the celebration of the seventh-day "anniversary" of Yehowah's rest-after-creation. In fact, the essence of the Shabbath is not the seventh day, but the rest. As usual, the Rabbis have switched the focus of this crucial holiday away from its humanistic and social justice aspects, and placed it on the symbolic and ritualistic aspects.

From a Karaite point of view, we do not celebrate the Shabbath because it is some esoteric and mystical anniversary of an original Shabbath, we celebrate it so that we can rest, so that our dependents can rest, and so that our animals can rest. This is the essence of the Shabbath. Shabbath, and indeed the entire Torah, is about serving Elohim through serving our fellow man. Thus, theoretically speaking, it does not matter what day the Shabbath falls on; it only matters that on every seventh day, the entire society is allowed a day of rest, physical and spiritual rejuvenation, and holiness.

Do I therefore recommend that you start celebrating Shabbath on Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Sunday? No, I do not. I personally celebrate the Shabbath on Saturday, and will continue to do so. This is the day that the people of Israel have currently chosen for the Shabbath, and the Shabbath must be a national rather than an individual effort. But let us not harbor the illusion that the day the nation has chosen is the exact same day on which Elohim rested, or that it even needs to be. What is important and central to the idea of the Shabbath is that on every seventh day, all people and animals get a chance to rest.


http://karaiteinsights.com/article/shabbat.html#sthash.4SzMOrWj.dpuf



(Emphasis mine)

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