40 Comments

  1. Great article! Shabbat Shalom!! Question though, on your portion above about spending time with family & the idea of having a BBQ…we are called to not kindle any fire of any sort on Sabbath. Thought that was kind of misleading to people who are coming into this for the first time and reading that. Was wanting a clarification on that portion or if you meant having a meal that was made by fire the day before😊 thanks!

    1. Well it depends I suppose on how how observant one is and that is between them and the Lord. But for me, especially in the fall and spring, we usually BBQ the food prior to sunset on Erev Shabbat so we can see. But yes, you make an excellent point that needs to be clarified for Shabbat day that it’s food cooked prior or cooked after Shabbat ends. Thank you for pointing that out! I will update that to clarify.

  2. My Sabbath needs some pruning and this article has been a great encouragement to me.

    Yes, Lord, I will.

    Thank you!

    Elizabeth

  3. Hello Diane,

    This is the first time I have been on your website and am enjoying the information and scripture you give regarding the Sabbath Day. God is calling me to refocus on Him during Sabbath Days, so this blog is very timely. It is important to me that the Sabbath is kept holy. Going to Church, visiting with family and sharing a meal with members of our Church is commonplace. However, my upbringing is Christian, so the idea of not kindling a fire intrigues me. Does this mean that all food eaten on the Sabbath is always served cold? Also, how would dirty dishes be approached? These are two issues that I am struggling to find answers. I appreciate any advice.

    1. Hi Sherry…that is a great question. So planning is definitely something that is called for. Cholent, which is a yummy stew, is left on to cook overnight in many cases and you can keep food warm using items already turned on (like the cholent is left on in a slow cooker). As long as the fire is not kindled AFTER the start of Shabbat, it can be on during Shabbat. For dirty dishes, we use paper plates when possible for meals outside of the main meal on Shabbat. I rinse them and put them in the dishwasher and leave them until Saturday evening. The rest we throw out. So it’s some creativity. But keep in mind that not all Jews go to the extreme of not turning on lights and things like that. It says not to kindle a fire. But many Jews have different ways of observing that.

  4. Very intereting. Thank you. Saturday’s Mass reading was from Is 58, where in vs. 13 he says what is a “good” sabbath. The ones that really got me were, “refrain from following your own pursuits” and “avoid idle chatter”. For my family I think that means turn off the video game console and don’t gossip or get into political rants. It got me into looking for ideas for what TO do. This was helpful. Especially the prompt to DO GOOD. (Mt 12:12). Thank you and God Bless, Brad B.

    1. Yes the “following your own pursuits” one is a great way to explain what refrain from! I am happy you found some ideas for what to do on Sabbath as well. There is often such a focus on what not to do. I am glad you enjoyed the post!

  5. This is wonderful. I am a Seventh-day Adventist. I LOVE Sabbath. Have you noticed, that man’s 1st day was a day of rest. Man could rest because God did all the work, and His work was “complete” (whole, perfect). Our creator is also our kinsman-redeemer (Goel in Hebrew). Jesus redeemed us perfectly, completely. And just like redemption is the theme of the Sabbath command in Deuteronomy 5, the complete work of Christ’s redemption for us is the reason we “rest” on Sabbath. We rest because He did the work. Woo Hoo! Sabbath is a day of remembrance that our creator is also our redeemer who completed the work. Now that’s a reason to celebrate. Shabbat Shalom sister.

  6. First of your articles Ive read, WELL DONE. Im sure I’ll have questions later. Been learning Hebrew since 2014 at least. Changed how I see things alot! Shalom!

    1. Thank you so much and I am so glad you enjoyed it!! Feel free to ask any questions you might have!!

  7. Thank you so much, I recently decided to start keeping the Sabbath and am eager to learn on how to correctly keep the sabbath, especially with kids from toddlers to 12. I’m thankful to God to have found your teaching on Sabbath. God bless you!

  8. In the summer when the sun doesn’t set until 9 or 10pm, and in the winter when it may set as early as 3:30pm (Europe), do you still wait to light the candles and eat until that late (or do it that early in winter)?

    1. I personally do but sometimes I light them earlier in the summer and usher in Sabbath early. No harm in extending it in my opinion! I do absolutely 100% do it early in the winter. I may light them early but I never light them late. I begin Shabbat when the sunsets. It takes some extra planning and I do have to shift how I do things but yes…I don’t mind at all when I bring in Sabbath a little before sunset.

  9. “Work on Scripture memorization! You will find some free coloring Scripture memorization cards below this list!”
    Are these Scripture memorization cards missing, or is it just me who cannot find them?

    1. Jerry thank you for pointing this out. I will definitely have a look and see what happened.

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