About This Text
Author: Yoel Bin Nun
Composed: Alon Shvut, 2015 CE
Zakhor VeShamor is a 21st-century Hebrew work by Rabbi Yoel Bin-Nun. The title alludes to two biblical passages: Exodus 20:8 says to remember (zakhor) Shabbat and connects Shabbat to God’s creation of the world, while Deuteronomy 5:12 says to observe (shamor) Shabbat and identifies the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt as a reason for Shabbat. The author analyzes how these dual themes of creation, related to nature and agriculture, and history, emphasizing nationhood and providence, are expressed in Shabbat and throughout the Jewish calendar.