{"id":68272,"date":"2020-01-07T16:51:05","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T14:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=68272"},"modified":"2023-08-03T08:51:45","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T05:51:45","slug":"why-shabbat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/why-shabbat\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Shabbat?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[652,480,378],"acf":{"old_id":"68272","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34243,"related_cahpter":"390","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"A reason for exile, a key to redemption","content":"

In three verses of this brief chapter, 2, 4, and 6, Isaiah refers to Shabbat. Why was it chosen here for special mention?<\/span><\/p>\n

Malbim* explained that it was singled out because it is \u201cthe foundation of our faith, for by means thereof one testifies to his belief in creation and Providence\u201d (4). However, it is Radak, on this occasion, who delivers a homily on the profound meaning of the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of the observance of Shabbat is its sanctification\u2026 and all sanctification means separation\u2026 It is kept separate from the other days of the week by means of food and drink and clean clothes\u2014in the physical realm, and, in the spiritual realm, by relinquishing from his soul all mundane concerns and preoccupying himself with Torah, wisdom, and inquiry into God\u2019s deeds.<\/span><\/p>\n

[Isaiah] mentioned Shabbat specifically at this point because he was calling upon the exiles to improve themselves in order to depart from their exile and [keeping] Shabbat was the best thing they could do since it was because of its violation that they were sent into exile, as the Sages said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because its inhabitants violated Shabbat, to wit: \u201dAnd they have closed their eyes to My Sabbaths; I am profaned in their midst\u201d (Ezekiel 22:26). They also said that if Israel were to keep two Sabbaths, they would be redeemed immediately because it states, \u201cwho keep My Sabbaths\u201d (here, v.4) and afterwards \u201cI will bring them to My sacred mount\u201d (7).<\/span><\/p>\n

The reference to Shabbat applies to all other positive commandments, but it [alone] was mentioned because of its gravity. Although it also has prohibitions, the positive [commandments] are the totality of it, because if one rests, he will not be performing any [prohibited] labor.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Radak did not explain why Isaiah linked Sabbath observance specifically to eunuchs (4) and foreigners (6), Malbim explained that the foreign-born convert has no past and the eunuch has no future. Their observance of Shabbat, however, draws them into the embrace of the Jewish nation and ensures their immortality.<\/span><\/p>\n

*For the significance of Malbim\u2019s commentary to the Book of Isaiah,<\/span> see our introduction to chapter 1.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Image: Renanim Synagogue, Heichal Shlomo, Jerusalem, Israel \/ 2014<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":68274,"id":68274,"title":"is56-shabbat","filename":"is56-shabbat.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/why-shabbat\/is56-shabbat\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is56-shabbat","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":68272,"date":"2020-01-07 14:50:37","modified":"2023-07-27 06:12:51","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":378,"height":470,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat-241x300.jpg","medium-width":241,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","medium_large-width":378,"medium_large-height":470,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","large-width":378,"large-height":470,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","1536x1536-width":378,"1536x1536-height":470,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","2048x2048-width":378,"2048x2048-height":470,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","post_full_size-width":378,"post_full_size-height":470,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat-338x420.jpg","home_baner-width":338,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Why Shabbat?","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"A reason for exile, a key to redemption","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":68274,"id":68274,"title":"is56-shabbat","filename":"is56-shabbat.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/why-shabbat\/is56-shabbat\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is56-shabbat","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":68272,"date":"2020-01-07 14:50:37","modified":"2023-07-27 06:12:51","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":378,"height":470,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat-241x300.jpg","medium-width":241,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","medium_large-width":378,"medium_large-height":470,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","large-width":378,"large-height":470,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","1536x1536-width":378,"1536x1536-height":470,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","2048x2048-width":378,"2048x2048-height":470,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat.jpg","post_full_size-width":378,"post_full_size-height":470,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is56-shabbat-338x420.jpg","home_baner-width":338,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68272"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68272"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68275,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68272\/revisions\/68275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}