In honor of Israel’s 75th birthday, Israel365 is excited to launch a new series of essays that will unlock the secrets of the Hebrew Bible!
Excerpted from Rabbi Akiva Gersh’s forthcoming book, 75 Hebrew Words You Need to Understand the Bible, these essays illuminate the connection between related Hebrew words, revealing Biblical secrets only accessible through Hebrew.
Enjoy the series – and happy 75th birthday to the State of Israel!
שַ××ÖøÖ¼×Ŗ
SHABBAT
SHA-BAHT
SABBATH
××××Ø ××Ŗ ××× ×ש××Ŗ ×ק×ש×.
××©× × ×Ŗ× ××× ×× ××××Ø×Ŗ ×× ×ש××Ŗ× ××××Ŗ× ×××××Ŗ× ×××Ø× ××ש××× ××ק×××.
Shabbat, Hebrew for āSabbath,ā derives from the Hebrew word lishbot, āto rest.ā It is the name given to the seventh day of creation, when God rested after creating the world in six days. At Mount Sinai, God commanded the Israelites to rest on this day as well.
The word Shabbat is also related to the Hebrew word laāshevet, meaning āto sitā or āto dwell.ā The act of settling the land of Israel is called yishuv haāaretz, and communities in the land of Israel are often called yishuvim, literally ādwellings.ā Along the same lines, a school for Bible study is called a yeshiva in Hebrew, because students and scholars sit around tables, probing and exploring the wisdom of God found in the Bible and other sacred texts.
Shabbat is also connected to the Hebrew word laāshuv, āto return,ā a word often used to connote repentance and returning to God, as it says in the Book of Lamentations, āReturn us, God, to You, and let us come back; renew our days as of old!ā (Lamentations 5:21). Shabbat is not only a day of physical rest but is also a day of returning to our true spiritual selves and realigning our lives with Godās will. Our physical rest on Shabbat creates the time and space to contemplate, study and bask in the joy of Godās presence.
The sages refer to Shabbat as a great gift from God. In our generation, this gift is perhaps more precious than ever before. Shabbat offers us a respite from our cultureās obsession with productivity and from the overwhelming and constant presence of technology. A day of freedom from all mundane concerns, Shabbat is a weekly opportunity to reconnect with God, our loved ones, and the things that truly matter.
