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Just as we have witnessed throughout the history of the People of the 1st Covenant, there are also many sects of so called Christians. We of the New Covenant consider them harlots. As God said, these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts…. Their teachings are merely traditions of men. Simply put, the Sabbath was before the Law as was the Promise. Praise Jesus
Shalom Rabbi Blumenthal,
Good day. Thank you for sharing the significance of the Sabbath (Shabbat) to us.
You stated the message of the Sabbath is that every man, including Jesus belongs to God.I understand that the Sabbath is God’s gift to the Jewish people. However it seems that the message behind this observance is relevant to the non Jew as well. As a non Jew , can I observe this special day in my own way, or at least say thank you to Hashem for gift of Shabbat?Is it halachicly permissible for a Jewish person to make room at the Shabbat table for the non Jew?
One of my favourite festivals, apart from Christmas , is the Chinese Lunar New Year festival, celebrated by ethnic Chinese across the globe.The main reason I love this festival is because my ethnic Chinese friends invite me, a non Chinese to their pre Chinese New Year lunch gatherings every year.We will gather around the round table ,chopsticks in hand and toss the contents of the Yee Sang (Yusheng/Prosperity Toss) high in the air while wishing for health, prosperity and all good things in the coming year. After that, we sit down to a spread of delicious food before us .
The Chinese New Year festival, like the Shabbat, is confined to the Chinese community. However it warms my heart that I am able to share in the spirit of the festival by participating in this gathering, even though it is held before the festival.
Likewise, I hope that you and the Jewish community will consider to share the spirit of Shabbat in addition to its message to a wider audience. Perhaps this will shut the mouths of those who criticize Jewish observances. Thank you.
Sharon S You are correct in pointing out that the Sabbath is a gift to the Jewish people at the same time that its message is relevant to all humanity. non-Jewish people may join Jewish families and communities in their celebration of the Sabbath and this is commonly done. It is permitted for a non Jew to celebrate the Sabbath as long as they don’t keep all of the laws that pertain to the Jew – in other words if they do some activity on the Sabbath that is prohibited to the Jew they have already recognized that the observance is a gift to teh Jewish people and that they are not trying to declare it their own.
1000 Verses – a project of Judaism Resources wrote: >
Shalom Rabbi Blumenthal,
Thank you for replying to my query on non Jew and the Sabbath. The topic of Sabbath and Christianity is painful and confusing to both Jews and Christians. Can I suggest to you the following-despite the differences, both Jews and Christians see the Sabbath as a sign and fulfillment of a covenantal relationship they have with the Divine.
God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th day. The Sabbath (7th day) is a sign of the covenant between God and the Jewish people. As such , the 7th day is not only a rest day, it is also a “covenant” day –the Jewish people are living in your covenant relationship with God by fulfilling the command to keep the Sabbath holy.
Like the Jewish Sabbath, Sunday is a “covenant day” when the New covenant is fulfilled.Jesus died on Friday and rose from the dead on Sunday , equivalent to the “first day of the week” as described in the New Testament. Christians commemorate this day by gathering and breaking bread on this day from the very beginning ( Act 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2). The Apostle John calls this day “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). Christians are living in the new covenant relationship with Jesus by fulfilling the command to keep the Lord’s day holy.
The earliest Christians , who were Jewish, celebrate both the Sabbath and the Lord’s day. Non Jewish Christians celebrate the Lord’s day. As such non Jewish christians are not missapropriating the Jewish Sabbath .
I have put in a link to a video presentation by Fr. Mike Schmitz, a catholic priest on why do Jews and Christians have different Sabbath days. This video is intended for a Catholic audience. The reason I share is (1)This video gives an authentic answer on why Christians observe Sunday instead of the Jewish Sabbath (2) to show that there are teachers of Christianity who are able to articulate why they believe in what they believe without the need to criticize Jewish observances.
Sharon S I did not get a chance to see the video but I am pleased to hear that there are Christians who have strayed from the negative roots of the Christian Scriptures. The authors and editors of that work did find it necessary to malign the observance of God’s Sabbath. As for the new covenant – it is not Christianity – https://judaismresources.net/2011/03/27/jeremiah-31-teaches-that-christianity-is-not-the-new-covenant/
1000 Verses – a project of Judaism Resources wrote: >
Shalom Rabbi Blumenthal,
Thank you for your reply and confirmation that Christianity is not the new covenant. My apologies if my comment seem to imply otherwise.
I am only suggesting that both Jews and Christians see the concept of the Sabbath, not only as a day of rest , but as a sign and fulfillment of a covenantal relationship they have with the object of their worship. I shared the Christian perspective with the purpose to illustrate these similarities.
Hope this clarifies.Thank you.
Shalom Rabbi Blumenthal
Good day. I am sorry to bother you again, but appreciate if you can look into the following request.
1. Please watch the video that I posted in my earlier comment when you are free. This is a short video, about 8 minutes.
2.Please feedback in this blog if Fr Mike Schmitz , the teacher of Christianity, has maligned the Jewish Sabbath in his video presentation with reasons .
Again, my apologies. I will not ask further after this. Thank you.
The Sabbath was a part of the original Covenant that YHWH made with the ancient Israelites. It was not made with the Jews, although there were Yahudim mixed in with the rest of the Israelite tribes. The rest period was for the people, on each 7th day, this in today’s time period can vary 24 hrs, depending on where on the globe you life. The exact day doesn’t mean anything, just every 7th. For Christianity, the day was polluted by Constantine who wanted it on his “Sun” day. It was Constantine and his Roman Church that corrupted much of what was basic Christianity prior to 313, when Constantine adapted his re-make of Christianity. The rest is history. Now Christianity still a “trinity god” and a birthday of god in December. They have Mary as the mother of god (god producer), human sacrifice to please their god, etc. etc. So what else is new? Christianity is mostly false, so is much of Judaism with their traditions. Why not just use what Micah 6:6-8 says, and forget all the rest . . . . simple eh? BTW it is not a “new” covenant, it is a “renewed Covenant” from one that was external to one that is now “internal.”
This is a deep subject. There is no doubt early Jewish believers in Messiah, long before the Gentile converts were called Christians, observed the Day of Resurrection, the First Day or Eighth Day for worship, for gathering to hear preaching and for rest from menial work. They also observed the Jewish Sabbath the seventh day. The Apostle preached in the synagogues. the disciples rested on the Sabbath whilst Messiah’s body was in the tomb and if the disciples in Jerusalem had wholesale switched to Sunday, would it not have been number one on the list of grievances laid against them in Acts 21.24?
I have a number of dear friends who still observe the seventh day as the Sabbath. My own practical position is guided by Col.2.16, the Yom Kippur is the Sabbath of Sabbaths and that is now empty for Israel, but replete with rich significance for disciples of Yeshua/Jesus, both Jew and Gentile. We’re not troubled by the Sabbath or continued Sabbath observance. I suspect it will continue till the end, Mt.24.20, (a reference not only to the horrors of AD 70 but to those that will come at the manifestation of the Antichrist in Jerusalem v.15).
However the sealing of Redemption, the Source of New Creation, Apostolic precedence, and frequent references to the importance of the Eight Day in spiritual restoration (Lev.9.1, 12.3, 14.10,23,15.14,29, 23.36,39 Num.6.10,7.54, 29.35) all point to a significant change in the Law once its contents are transcribed on the heart as the New Covenant requires, Jer.31.33, Ezek.11.19,36.25-7, 37.14), something that particularly accompanies restoration to the land in unregeneration at the time of the Gog and Magog which precedes Israel’s regeneration (Ezek.39.29), something I believe we are close to witnessing, except that Sudan and Libya still stand neutral to the Russia/Turkey/Iran coalition that stands against Israel (Ezek.38.5), though not for long I suspect with the help of the current US administration.
Sharon
You probably know this but, Just in case, alot of questions like the one about the sabbath can be found at “asknoah.org” or in The Devine Code, book, by Moshe Weiner.
Larry , thank you for sharing this.