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The Fourth Commandment

Hadawar harewii  הדבר הרביעי
 
Remember the Shabbat day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a Shabbat unto יהוה thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days יהוה made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them and he rested on the seventh day; wherefore יהוה blessed the Shabbat day, and hallowed it. (2M 20:8 (7) -11 (10))
 

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Question:  What does the fourth commandment order us?
 
Answer: The fourth commandment orders us to remember the Shabbat day, to honor its holiness, not to engage in any work that day and to honor the Shabbat as the Eternal's holy day.
 
Question: What does the word Shabbat mean?
 
Answer: The word Saturday - Shabbat שׁבּת means the day of the rest, and it is derived from the Hebrew root shavat שָׁבַת, which means to stop work, not to work, to rest.
 
Question:  Why do we call this day Shabbat?
 
Answer: Because God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in/on them in six days and He rested on seventh day and ceased from his work.
 
Question: What is Shabbat in remembrance of and why was it commanded?
 
Answer: Saturday reminds us of the creation of the World and also reminds us of the One God - the Creator. Therefore, by keeping of the Shabbat, we remind ourselves forever that there is Only One God - the Creator who created the World.
 
Question: What is the Shabbat day devoted to?
 
Answer: The Shabbat day is devoted to physical rest, spiritual meditation, prayer and the study of the Law תוֹרה.
 
Question: What kinds of work are prohibited on this day?
 
Answer: All work without any exceptions.
 

Question: Is it permiited to work in extraordinary circumstances?

Answer: In the case of extreme danger, work is permitted. For example war was allowed in the ancient kingdom of Israel and nowadays a defensive war is allowed. Work is also allowed in a case of emergency such as a flood, fire, or in the case of a seriously ill person.

Our teachers used to say: a soul (life) in danger takes precedence over the Saturday - סכּנת נפשׁ דּוֹחה את השּׁבּת Sakanat nefesh ddokha et haShabbat.

Question: What meaning did our teachers of faith give to the observance of Saturday?

Answer: How important is the observance of Saturday in our Law?  The following statement is from our teachers:

The commandment  of Saturday is equal to all the other commandments of the Law - מצות שּׁבּת שׁקוּלה כּנגד כּל המצוֹת Mitzvat Shabbat shekulah keneged kol hamitzvot.

Question: How should Saturday be celebrated?

Answer: Shabbat - Saturday should be celebrated in following way: it is necessary to say the special Saturday prayers, the Shabbat prayers תּפלת שּׁבּת Tfilat Shabbat are longer than the usual prayers. It is required to read a portion of the Torah - פּרשׁה parasha, and one chapter of the Prophets - הפטרה haftara. It is necessary to serve festive food, better food than on a normal working day and it is also necessary to wear feastive clothing.

Question: What other obligations arise from this commandment?

Answer: The celebration of other feasts commanded by Holy Scripture is derived from this commandment. The words of the prophet Isaiah about Shabbat -

If thou turn away thy foot because of the Shabbat, from pursuing thy business on My holy day; and call the Shabbat a delight, and the holy of יהוה honorable; and shalt honor it, not doing thy wonted ways, nor pursuing thy business, nor speaking thereof; then shalt thou delight thyself in יהוה, and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of יהוה hath spoken it. (Isaiah 58: 13-14)