Shabbat (Hebrew:
שַׁבָּת,
Modern Shabbat
Tiberian Šabbāṯ,
Ashkenazi pronunciation:
Shabbos,
Yiddish: שבת,
IPA: [ʃabəs],
in
English: the Sabbath,
"rest" or "cessation")
is the seventh day of the
Jewish
week and a day of rest
in
Judaism.
Shabbat is observed from a
few minutes before sunset on
Friday evening until a
few minutes after the
appearance of three stars in
the sky[1]
on
Saturday night.
The exact times, therefore,
differ from week to week and
from place to place,
depending on the time of
sunset at each location. In
polar areas where there is
no sunrise or sunset at
certain times of the year, a
different set of rules
applies.
On Shabbat Jews recall the
Biblical Creation
account in
Genesis, describing God
creating the Heavens and the
Earth in six days and
resting on the seventh.
It also recalls the giving
of the Torah at
Mount Sinai, when God
commanded the Israelite
nation to observe the
seventh day and keep it
holy.
Shabbat is considered a
festive day, when a Jew is
freed from the regular
labors of everyday life, can
contemplate the spiritual
aspects of life, and can
spend time with family.
Traditionally, three
festive meals are eaten:
on Friday night, Saturday
morning, and late Saturday
afternoon. The day is also
noted for those
activities prohibited on
Shabbat according to
halakha (Jewish law).
