Babylonian Talmud, Beitzh 16a
R. Hama b. Hanina said: He who makes a gift to his neighbor need not inform him, for it says, ‘And Moses knew not that the skin of his face sent forth beams’. An objection was raised: ‘That ye may know I am the Lord who sanctify you’, The Holy One, blessed be He, said unto Moses: Moses, I have a precious gift in my treasury and its name is Sabbath and I wish to give it to Israel; go and tell them…
Babylonian Talmud Berachot 57b
Three things are a reflex of [come from] the world to come: Sabbath, sunlight, and tashmish [sexual relations]…( BT Ber. 57b)
(1) And the skies and the earth and all their array were finished. And in the seventh day God finished God’s work that God had done and ceased in the seventh day from all God’s work that God had done. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because God ceased in it from doing all God’s work, which God had created.
This is the thing which the Lord has commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons, whom each of you has in his tent; And the people of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
And when they did measure it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning
However they listened not to Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank; and Moses was angry with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating; and when the sun became hot, it melted. And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said to them, This is what the Lord has said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy sabbath to the Lord; bake that which you will bake today, and boil what you will boil today; and that which remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade; and it did not stink, neither was there any worm in it. And Moses said, Eat that today; for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you shall not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass, that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, How long refuse you to keep my commandments and my laws
See, because the Lord has given you the sabbath, therefore he gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide you every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor, and do all your work; But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and made it holy
(יב) וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר. (יג) וְאַתָּה דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אַךְ אֶת שַׁבְּתֹתַי תִּשְׁמֹרוּ כִּי אוֹת הִוא בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם לָדַעַת כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם. (יד) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת כִּי קֹדֶשׁ הִוא לָכֶם מְחַלְלֶיהָ מוֹת יוּמָת כִּי כָּל הָעֹשֶׂה בָהּ מְלָאכָה וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מִקֶּרֶב עַמֶּיהָ. (טו) שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים יֵעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה כָּל הָעֹשֶׂה מְלָאכָה בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת מוֹת יוּמָת. (טז) וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת לְדֹרֹתָם בְּרִית עוֹלָם. (יז) בֵּינִי וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹת הִוא לְעֹלָם כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ. (יח) וַיִּתֵּן אֶל מֹשֶׁה כְּכַלֹּתוֹ לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ בְּהַר סִינַי שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת לֻחֹת אֶבֶן כְּתֻבִים בְּאֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
Speak you also to the people of Israel, saying, Truly my sabbaths you shall keep; for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am the Lord that does sanctify you. You shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy to you; every one who defiles it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work in it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant.
It is a sign between me and the people of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. And he gave to Moses, when he finished talking with him upon Mount Sinai, two tablets of Testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.
And Moses gathered all the congregation of the people of Israel together, and said to them, These are the words which the Lord has commanded, that you should do them.
Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord; whoever does work in it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the people of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying, Take you from among you an offering to the Lord; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver, and bronze,
Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord your God has commanded you.
Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is inside your gates; that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.
If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your affairs on My holy day; If you call the sabbath “delight,” The Lord’s holy day “honored”; And if you honor it and go not your ways nor look to your affairs, nor strike bargains – Then you can seek the favor of the Lord. I will set you astride the heights of the earth, And let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob—For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Shabbat in Torah – Biblical Values and Concepts
- Shabbat is the culmination and crown of God’s Creation. God blesses Shabbat and makes it holy. Shabbat is woven into the fabric of the universe (T1):
- The Hebrew word Shabbat is derived from the verb to cease (T1).
- No gathering (of manna).Shabbat helps us realize we have enough and have done enough (T2):
- Shabbat is a time of ceasing from m’lachah/productive work (T3)
- Shabbat is an opportunity for bringing Godliness into the world/for imatatio deo (T3): Every 7thday is God’s Shabbat, and we must recognize the day’s holiness by resting from our work just as God did. And we must make sure that all those for whom we bear responsibility do the same.
- Shabbat helps connect us to God (T4) : It is a remembrance of the work of Creation/of God in the world.
- Shabbat is a source of providing belonging/identity with Jewish people: Shabbat is a sign of the connection between God and the Jewish People for all time and a reminder that God sanctifies us. One who defiles it is liable for the death penalty. (T4)
- No fire shall be kindled on Shabbat. Shabbat provides an opportunity to take a break from trying to master the natural world (T5)
- Observance of Shabbat interrupts the creation of the tabernacle. Observance of Shabbat is of such importance that cease even human works of creation that are of the highest spiritual value (T5)
- Shabbat is in remembrance of the Exodus Just as God releases the slave so do we. On Shabbat social hierarchy is cancelled; there is equality in rest. Only because we were freed from slavery are we free to celebrate Shabbat. (T6)
- Shabbat directs us away from the mundane and allows us to have a taste of delight and honor of the Holy (T7)
In the Torah m’lachah is not defined (no definitive list or definition). Several activities, though, are forbidden in the Torah and the rest of the bible:
- Engaging in work (Exod. 20:10; Duet. 5:14)
- Gathering from the field (Numbers15:32-36)
- Traveling (exodus 16:29-30
- Kindling fire (Exodus 35:2-3)
- Doing business and carrying (Isa. 58:13, Jer. 17:22)
- Agricultural activity (Exodus 34:21)
- Treading winepresses and loading animals (Neh. 13:15-18)
This is based on the sources found on http://kehillahsynagogue.org/shabbat-practice/ and Rav Rimon
(ב) ת"ר ביה"ש ספק מן היום ומן הלילה ספק כולו מן היום ספק כולו מן הלילה מטילין אותו לחומר שני ימים
דאיתמר שיעור ביה"ש בכמה אמר רבה אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל שלשה חלקי מיל