Sabbaths

Sabbaths is a term used to describe days set apart for rest and worship in several religious traditions, most notably Judaism and Christianity. The concept centers on abstaining from ordinary work and dedicating time to spiritual observance, prayer, and communal gatherings.

In Judaism, the weekly Sabbath, or Shabbat, begins Friday evening and ends after nightfall on Saturday. It commemorates both creation and the Exodus from Egypt. Observance typically includes lighting candles, sharing festive meals, reciting prayers, attending synagogue services, and refraining from work or certain activities. Havdalah marks the return to ordinary weekdays. In addition to the weekly Sabbath, Jewish law recognizes other Sabbaths, including the Sabbatical year (shemitah), when the land is to lie fallow every seventh year, and the Jubilee after seven such cycles. Festivals like Passover and Sukkot also feature sacred days described as Sabbaths or high Sabbaths, with special convocations and rest from work.

In Christianity, Sabbath observance varies by tradition. Many churches designate Sunday as the Lord’s Day in remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus, gathering for worship and often treating it as a weekly day of rest and spiritual focus. Some Christian groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists, observe Saturday as the Sabbath in accordance with biblical instruction, while others emphasize the moral principle of rest rather than a strict weekly day-specific rule.

The term Sabbath therefore encompasses a spectrum of rest-day practices, from the weekly Shabbat in Judaism to corresponding or reinterpretations in Christian communities, along with longer-cycle Sabbaths tied to agricultural and festival calendars.