First article in a three-part series on the concept of the Sabbath.
Let’s try the following theological zinger on for size:
“Why, exactly, would God feel it necessary to rest after creating the universe? Was He tired?”
The question isn’t as facetious as it sounds. Judaism, like many other major religions, conceives of the Almighty an All-Powerful being. That, indeed, is why they call Him “the Almighty”. So if God is really All-Powerful, how difficult would it have been for him to create a Universe? Presumably, this didn’t require a lot of exertion on His behalf. Well, then, why did He need to rest afterwards?
Well, that’s one conundrum. And now, here’s another:
Most of us seem to assume that Sabbath observance is tied to our acknowledgement that God created the world; that is, “we rest, because the Creator rested”. But there is something odd about this when you get right down to thinking about it. Why do we commemorate God's Creation of the Universe through a day of "rest"? Why not instead set aside a day of "work"?
In case this question doesn’t strike you as all that troubling, let’s bring it out of the realm of abstract theology for a minute and couch the problem in more mundane terms.
Imagine that the government decided to institute a special Rosa Parks Day on the calendar. Its intent: To commemorate the civil rights triumph of the black woman who refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. And imagine that officials were looking for some sort of symbolic activity they could promote on this day to honor the memory of Rosa Parks' great act. Eventually, they came up with the following: Everyone should go home on Rosa Parks Day, and take a nap in bed. Why? Because, you see, after Rosa Parks took her historic ride on the bus, she was tired, and she went home to rest in bed. So let's all commemorate Rosa Parks Day by resting in bed, just as she did.
Shouldn’t we instead remember creation by "creating," rather than "resting"?
I don't think many people would consider this a spectacular idea. If you really wanted to commemorate Rosa Parks, then we should re-enact her historic trip. People could spend part of the day riding on buses, or finding ways to fight racial prejudice in their home towns, just like Rosa did. But taking a nap? Somehow, that just doesn't seem to add up.
Yet on the Sabbath, isn't that really what the Torah is asking of us? We commemorate the Almighty's historic act of creating the world -- and we do so by resting. We do this, we say, because the Almighty rested when He finished making the universe. But shouldn’t we instead remember creation by "creating," rather than "resting"? The point isn’t that God rested – it’s that He made the world, right? Isn't “rest” just incidental?
Back to the Text
Well, let’s look at the verses and check it out. In Genesis chapter 2, the Torah chronicles the coming into being of the very first Sabbath. Listen carefully to these verses and ask yourself: Exactly what is the Sabbath designed to commemorate?
God finished on the seventh day the work that he had made, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work that He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work that God had created to make (Bereishis, 2:1-3).
These verses tell us the reason the Almighty deemed the Seventh Day special: Because on this day He rested... Now, think about what those words are actually saying. As strange as it may seem, the verse is telling us that the point of the Sabbath Day is not, actually, to celebrate God's creation of the universe. It is to celebrate His rest.
One second. That sounds downright silly. How could anyone think that God’s Rest is more important than His work – than the very act of creating the world? It sounds roughly like saying that the purpose of work is vacation. Vacation might be nice; it helps you gear up and refresh yourself to accomplish more things when you get back to work. But is vacation really what it’s all about?
Purposeful Rest
Evidently, the verses are telling us we need to re-assess our ideas about work and rest. God's rest, apparently, had very little in common with the idea of "vacation." It was not something that merely happened after God created the world; it was not that God took some time off for a breather. The Creator's rest was a deliberate act. It was a kind of rest that was, somehow, an end in and of itself:
You made the Seventh Day Holy for Your Name, it being the very purpose of the Making of Heaven and Earth...
These words come from the backbone of the Friday night prayers Jews recite every week, from the Friday night shemoneh esrei. Listen to what they are saying. Shabbat, "rest," is portrayed as the very purpose of creation, the end for which the entire heavens and earth were created.
What does it mean to see rest in this way -- not as something you do to help you work, but something which is the very point of all your labor? Why would God consider His "rest" more worthy of commemoration than His successful creation of a universe?
Tied up in the secret of rest's deeper meaning is the mystery of Shabbat itself. It is a mystery we will explore further next week.
Click here to order Rabbi Fohrman’s book The Beast that Crouches at the Door: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Beyond.
(12) jay, August 8, 2015 12:35 AM
Interesting
I never thought about Shabbat in this way
(11) Esther Cook, January 14, 2015 3:46 AM
Purpose: enjoyment
Why would anybody, G-d or other, do anything at all except to enjoy the result.
So we get six days to work (or play) and make stuff, and one day to appreciate it all.
I believe G-d is outside time and all 7 "days" were NOW to Him, but the six days is a description that humans can understand and benefit from.
Scientists tell us that billions of years went by in the universe during these processes, but God is recounting something at a higher level of reality than that.
(10) Dr. Simcha Baker, November 19, 2010 8:08 AM
Six Days
In answer to (7) Steven Stone: The six days are for the benefit of His ultimate creation - Man. G-d's 'essense' has no boundary in time and space. He is present 'anytime' and 'everytime; 'anywhere' and 'everywhere. A billion years is like a nanosecond; a billion light years is like the smallest dimension possible. Therefore, why not let the 'history' of the Universe play out over billions of years - it's only an instant to Him!
(9) Pleasant, November 16, 2010 12:00 AM
Really?
Has it ever occurred to anyone that: A. Maybe he's all powerful because he follows his OWN rules. B. Maybe his creation needed a rest from his work.
(8) Annie Ssali, November 10, 2010 7:02 AM
This is a timely article. With all the emphasis put on work today and all the materialism around us one definately needs to realize the true essence of Shabbat from the perspective of the Almighty One. looking forwad to next week's article
(7) Steven Stone, November 9, 2010 6:41 PM
6 Days
The better question could be why did it take almighty God 6 days? It could have been done in the blink of a human eye.
(6) Vivien Christian, November 8, 2010 7:54 PM
Spirituality in Rest
This article has definitely made me think; and I'm looking forward to parts 2 & 3. Maybe God created a day of rest for us so that we can consider the work of His hands and, like Him, find it good?
(5) Leonardo Arenas, November 8, 2010 2:22 PM
Shabbat - Exclusively Intended for Man
All acts of G_d in the creation week is solely intended to make the planet earth suitable for man's sake to live. The 7 day duration of creation became a weekly cycle for man that was also a part of creation.This time cycle was originated by G-d Himself . Months and yearly cycle are man's re-creation based on G-d's original timeframe. It is for these spiritual/biblical reasons that man should observe and remember this 7th day 'Shabbat' as G-d so ordered. Who is man to question his Creator being only a part of His creation? G-d bless us. Amen.
(4) Dr. Simcha Baker, November 8, 2010 7:40 AM
Spiriuality is the essence of Shabbat.
I hope that the answer to G-d's 'rest' on Shabbat is that He rested in creating the physical and on the Sabbath made His Creation Holy by injecting spirituality into what He created during the 'first six days'. That is the 'rest' that we attempt to emulate as we cease from raising the physical to spiritual levels Sunday-Friday and concentrate strictly on the spiritual -as G-d did, does, and will continue to do.
(3) ruth housman, November 7, 2010 5:48 PM
to "wrest" meaning from Rest
I look forward to your next commentary. I would say, in thinking about this, that there is much meaning to be derived from this and one would be a setting apart of a day, for contemplation of what was created as prays is also for praise. We talk about the "rest" of our days, and perhaps to carry this particular meaning forward, namely what I wrote, would be to take the meaning of the Sabbath and carry it into all the other days of our lives, and namely, make every day, a sacred day, so reminiscent of That Day.
(2) S.H. Parker, November 7, 2010 3:30 PM
Excellent question; you certainly have my attention
This is an excellent question and one which hadn't really made an impression on me. Before. Looking forward to the next installments....
(1) Gary Katz, November 7, 2010 2:53 PM
A little context
When you think about it, the very concept of Sabbath is brilliant. Imagine thousands of years ago, people breaking their backs working to survive. Yet there's a universal concept that, for one day a week, you don't work. You take a break. You pause and reflect. Pretty advanced stuff!