Some of the next few posts regarding Jewish roots will be things I've touched on briefly back when I first started this blog and was looking at the Feasts of the Lord. So if you've been with me since then you may already know some of this. I'm just diving into it more now than I did before. If you know of something I've not touched on please share. I'm still learning and by no means know it all (and may not even get it all right!). I also have so much I'm learning right now that I won't be sharing every little tidbit, so I'd love your comments!
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The U.S. along with most of the world is based on Roman time, in which the day begins at midnight. The Jewish calendar however is based on God's time in which the day begins at sundown. This is reckoned by the fact that six times in Genesis 1 God describes as day as "the evening and the morning". That is the evening hours are mentioned prior to the morning hours. (v. 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). In addition, the Lord commanded the Jewish people to celebrate Yom Kippur from evening to evening.
It will be for you a Shabbat of complete rest, and you are to deny yourselves; you are to rest on your Shabbat from evening the ninth day of the month until the following evening. (Leviticus 23:32)
Therefore, as mentioned in my previous post about Tu B'Shevat holidays actually begin at sundown when the new day begins.
Sundown is usually determined as being when three stars can be seen in the sky. This obviously means that the new day will begin at different times from day to day, week to week and even place to place.
Based on this and the fact that the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat) is the seventh day (our Saturday), if we were to celebrate the true Jewish Shabbat, we would begin our celebration/rest at sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.
1 comment:
And I believe that the Sabbath existed before the ten commandments and even before there was a Jew per se. If the Sabbath originated at the beginning of the world as taught in Genesis, would it not figure that it is a Sabbath for all? Secondly, the Sabbath was never abolished as many Christian denominations would have us believe. If the Sabbath was abolished at the cross as they claim, then the ten commandments were also abolished and I don't think anyone believes that.
So the question is: Is the Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) still in effect and if so, should it be kept by not just Jews (by blood), but also spiritual Israel (all Christians)? Something to ponder.... *smile*
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