{"id":133,"date":"2013-03-10T01:04:04","date_gmt":"2013-03-10T06:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bethadonai3.web802.discountasp.net\/wordpress\/?page_id=133"},"modified":"2013-06-23T14:50:19","modified_gmt":"2013-06-23T18:50:19","slug":"shabbat","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/?page_id=133","title":{"rendered":"Shabbat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Shabbat Day of Rest<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

Any discussion of the Biblical feasts, or holidays should start with Shabbat. \u00a0It is not only the first mentioned in the chronology of Leviticus 23, but it also comes first in importance. \u00a0It so important that God saw fit to include it in the Ten commandments, and set it apart as one of His \u201cappointments\u201d not just once a year, as with the other feasts, but once every week. \u00a0Looking at scriptures that mention Shabbat will point out the keys to observance of this important appointment with the Lord.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Leviticus 23:1-3:
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>The LORD said to Moses, \u00a0[2] “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed \u00a0feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[3] ” ‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of<\/span><\/span> rest<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>, a day of <\/span><\/span>sacred assembly<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>. \u00a0You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Exodus 20:8-11:
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it <\/span><\/span>holy<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>. \u00a0[9] Six days you shall labor and do all your work, \u00a0[10] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. \u00a0[11] For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it <\/span><\/span>holy<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShabbat\u201d means rest. \u00a0This is the central element of this feast, and is one of the actions we must take in order to properly observe it. \u00a0In His infinite wisdom, God told us to take time out to recharge ourselves, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. \u00a0Jewish tradition says that as God presented the commandments, He told Moses: \u00a0\u201cI have a precious gift stored away in my treasures for you, and its name is Shabbat. \u00a0I desire to give this gift to Israel. \u00a0Go and inform them of it.\u201d (Talmud: \u00a0Shab. 10b) \u00a0We are so busy with our schedules crammed full that it is hard to accept this gift by fitting in a time of rest. \u00a0God understands this…that left to our own devices we would keep going and going until we burned out and were of no use to anyone. \u00a0God, who made us from the dust of the earth, knows that rest is necessary for us to function at our most creative, enthusiastic, healthy, and spiritually sound, peak. \u00a0In the flesh there is always \u201cone more thing to do\u201d, but when we give in to that pitfall of \u201cbusyness\u201d we fall for one of Satan\u2019s traps (b.u.s.y. = being under Satan\u2019s yoke). \u00a0Our forefathers recognized this when they said: \u00a0\u201cMore than the Jews have preserved Shabbat, Shabbat has preserved the Jews.\u201d \u00a0This is one of God\u2019s blessings to His people that has allowed them to rise to the top in countless fields of endeavor, in spite of persecution. \u00a0Obeying the Sabbath laws has also kept the Jewish people as a readily identifiable entity for God\u2019s use. \u00a0Yeshua recognized the gift of Shabbat when He said:<\/p>\n

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. \u00a0(Mark 2:27)<\/p>\n

He summarized the commandments with:<\/p>\n

Matthew 22:37-40:
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>Yeshua replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ \u00a0[38] This is the first and greatest commandment. \u00a0[39] And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ \u00a0[40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The first three of the Ten Commandments deal with our vertical relationship with God. \u00a0Obeying them shows that we love Him with our whole being. \u00a0\u00a0The Last six deal with our horizontal relationship with our fellow man. \u00a0The fourth, the Sabbath commandment, is the hinge which binds our love for God and man together. \u00a0When we separate our common, or work days from the holy day, we express our love and gratefulness to the Lord. \u00a0We love our Heavenly Father and want to please Him by our obedience. \u00a0Honoring Shabbat acknowledges Him as the\u00a0 creator of the universe.<\/p>\n

Genesis 2:3:
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of <\/span><\/span>creating<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> that He had done.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The fourth commandment also allows us to express our love for others since we are to let our sons, daughter, servants, and strangers join in our rest. \u00a0We can demonstrate weekly that we love them as we do ourselves. \u00a0\u00a0So the Sabbath rest is for everyone. \u00a0When Yeshua declared that it was made for man<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>, He used a word that translates into a generic term for humanity, both Jew and Gentile alike. \u00a0This idea is made clear in Isaiah.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah 56:2-7<\/span><\/span><\/b>
\n[6] And <\/span><\/span>foreigners<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, <\/span><\/span>all<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> who keep the Sabbath<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant– [7] these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. \u00a0Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for <\/span><\/span>all<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> nations<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another key element in Shabbat observance \u00a0taken from commandment number four states: \u00a0\u201cremember…\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/i> \u00a0implying that of all the Ten Commandments this is the one that is most likely to be ignored and forgotten. \u00a0Its inclusion on God\u2019s \u201ctop ten\u201d list, and the unique preface preclude any right to ignore Shabbat if we are to say the other nine commandments are still valid. \u00a0God recognizes that it would be easy for man to ignore this commandment, especially in today\u2019s culture, since it is the only one with no threat of civil punishment or loss of reputation. \u00a0In this sense observing Shabbat can serve as a true test of obedience, motivated only by a desire to please God in all things.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the B\u2019rit HaDasha (New Covenant) the Ten Commandments are transformed into ten promises we are to believe and embrace when the Ruach HaKodesh speaks to our hearts. \u00a0This can be understood when we look at the Hebrew. \u00a0Words for a command such as \u201clo tinaf\u201d, \u201cdon\u2019t commit adultery\u201d, can be interpreted as a future tense promise of \u201cyou won\u2019t<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> commit adultery\u201d. \u00a0In the same way, when God\u2019s\u00a0 law is written on our hearts, we won\u2019t want to disobey them since our new nature will want to please our Heavenly Father.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t give us liberty to do away with God\u2019s express statute…as believers in the Messiah we have the same need to honor the clear distinction between the common week days and the Sabbath day set aside for God. \u00a0It\u2019s just that now this commandment is written on our hearts instead of tablets of stone. \u00a0Shabbat observance is not legalism; we are not attempting to earn<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> our salvation by this, but rather to show that <\/span><\/span>because<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> we are redeemed, we now have a desire to please God by honoring what He has established.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another purpose of Shabbat is that it is to serve as a sign:<\/p>\n

Exodus 31:12-17:
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>Then the LORD said to Moses, \u00a0[13] “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. \u00a0This \u00a0will be a <\/span><\/span>sign<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the \u00a0LORD, who makes you holy.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[14] ” ‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to \u00a0death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. \u00a0[15] For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of <\/span><\/span>rest, holy to the LORD<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>. Whoever does any \u00a0\u00a0work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. \u00a0[16] The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, \u00a0celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. \u00a0[17] <\/span><\/span>It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the \u00a0seventh day he abstained from work and rested.’ “<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Hebrew word for \u201csign\u201d indicates a pledge or a token of what is promised. \u00a0God gave us certain promises, and Shabbat is a visible token of His commitment to keep His promises. \u00a0This is a picture of ancient agreements between a king and a lesser nation. \u00a0The king would have his own sign engraved in the middle of the agreement as a guarantee the he would keep his part of the covenant. \u00a0God had already made agreements with Abraham and his descendants years before. \u00a0Now, in Exodus, in the midst of a legal document, God reminds His people that He intends to remain their God and has called them to be set apart from the nations. \u00a0It is His doing and for His purposes. \u00a0Leviticus 26 mentions keeping Shabbat in connection with blessings to come from obedience, as well as curses from disobedience.<\/p>\n

Leviticus 26:2-4
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>” ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. \u00a0[3] ” ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, \u00a0[4] I will send you rain in its season, and \u00a0the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Leviticus 26:27-28
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>” ‘If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, \u00a0[28] then in \u00a0my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. \u00a0He spoke through Isaiah promising joy and calling Shabbat a delight.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah 58:13-14 <\/span><\/span><\/b>
\n“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’S holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, [14] then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” \u00a0The mouth of the LORD has spoken.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For all believers, Shabbat is a picture of how God has blessed us; it should be a joy and delight for us. \u00a0He also connects it with His deliverance:<\/p>\n

Deut. 5:15
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God <\/span><\/span>has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Just as the nation of Israel was redeemed from bondage in Egypt where they had no rest, we as believers are redeemed from bondage to sin.<\/p>\n

Leviticus 26:13
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yeshua set us free from that slave labor…He is Lord of the Sabbath, and it is through Him that we find our rest.<\/p>\n

Matthew 12:8
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” \u00a0Shabbat is a picture of our life as believers in Messiah:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hebrews 4:9-10<\/span><\/span><\/b>
\n\u201cSo there remains a Shabbat-keeping for God\u2019s people. For the one who has entered God\u2019s rest has also rested from his own works, as God did from His.\u201d \u00a0(JNT)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Just as the redeemed Israelites wanted to return to Egypt, our fleshly desire to be constantly \u201cdoing\u201d pulls us to put aside the Sabbath rest in exchange for worldly behavior. We are called to a faith walk that includes trusting God that six days of labor each week is sufficient to accomplish what needs to be done. \u00a0We need a weekly reminder of this. \u00a0We gather together in assembly on that day to thank Him for the rest He has given us from the world and its sin. \u00a0The early believers in Yeshua understood this and continued to honor Shabbat:<\/p>\n

Luke 23:56
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Worshipping Him on Shabbat lets our minds and hearts and spirits be refreshed and renewed from a week of worldly turmoil.<\/p>\n

How do we honor God\u2019s command by keeping the Sabbath holy<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>? \u00a0Are we free to interpret our own meaning of holiness? \u00a0There is no specific list in scripture covering all the do\u2019s and don\u2019ts for this special day. \u00a0The Jewish sages and rabbis developed a long list of restrictions and Sabbath regulations to deal with every imaginable situation. \u00a0Their aim was to put such a hedge around the Sabbath commandment that no violation of holiness could ever take place. \u00a0They understood from warnings in scripture how failure to honor God on this day resulted in devastation. \u00a0The prophets have said that Sabbath keeping was an indication of the Israel\u2019s spiritual condition.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Ezekiel 20:13<\/span><\/span><\/b>
\n” ‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws–although the man who obeys them will live by them–and they utterly desecrated my <\/span><\/span>Sabbaths<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>. \u00a0\u00a0So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the desert.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jeremiah 17:27
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>But if you do not obey me to keep the <\/span><\/span>Sabbath<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the <\/span><\/span>Sabbath <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’ “<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Some went too far in their interpretations. \u00a0The Essenes, for example, went so far as to forbid certain bathroom functions on the Sabbath. Another example in modern times is the prohibition to push the buttons that make an elevator start and stop, so in many hotels in Israel Shabbat elevators run up and down, automatically stopping at all floors. \u00a0Other man-made restrictions put more of a burden than a blessing on keeping the Sabbath, losing sight of the blessing of joy and delight. \u00a0Going to the opposite extreme in the name of liberty can be equally unproductive. \u201cResting\u201d does not necessarily mean just enjoying our favorite sport or entertainment. \u00a0Remember the words of Isaiah:<\/p>\n

Isaiah 58:13<\/span><\/span><\/b>
\n“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from <\/span><\/span>doing as you please<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’S holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not <\/span><\/span>going your own way<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> and not <\/span><\/span>doing as you please<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> or speaking idle words…”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When we wrestle with what is proper and holy, verses what is not, we need to ask the Ruach Ha Kodesh to show us how to stay in balance. Genuine needs for health and well-being overrule restrictions that would have us not lift a finger to help others. \u00a0This is well illustrated when Yeshua healed on the Sabbath.<\/p>\n

Mark 3:4<\/span><\/span><\/b>
\nThen Yeshua asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew 12:12<\/span><\/span><\/b>
\n\u201c..Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shabbat In The Home<\/b><\/h3>\n

There are many personal ways to keep Shabbat in our homes. \u00a0Knowing the traditional elements and their symbolism can help to decide which to incorporate in our home life.<\/p>\n

The first step is preparation<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>. \u00a0This idea is so important that Friday became known as \u201cpreparation day\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Luke 23:54
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The preparation involves special foods, organizing the Sabbath artifacts, cleaning, and most of all, arranging our schedules for prayer and time together.<\/p>\n

The Sabbath officially begins at dusk, and traditionally is ushered in by lighting at least two candles<\/span><\/span><\/span>. \u00a0By rabbinical interpretation this should take place eighteen minutes before sunset so that the \u201cwork\u201d of kindling a fire will not actually take place on Shabbat. \u00a0Although anyone may do this, it is usually the woman who lights the candles, a reminder that Eve, the first woman, extinguished the light of eternal life by disobeying God. However, believers can remember that God chose another woman, Miriam, to give birth to the \u201clight of the world\u201d, Yeshua. \u00a0Candles remind us of ancient days when lamps were lit in the house to give light in the evening. \u00a0On Friday nights the lamps were lit before sundown and left burning. Often the house would have but two rooms, thus a light for each. \u00a0Our two candles also symbolize the two injunctions for Shabbat: \u201c<\/span><\/span>remember<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>\u201d and \u201c<\/span><\/span>observe<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>\u201d. \u00a0We can also use them to remind us to <\/span><\/span>thank God<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i> for \u201ccreation\u201d and \u201credemption\u201d. \u00a0\u00a0They are also a picture of the
\ntwo-fold nature of God\u2019s promise to Abraham:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Genesis 12:2
\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>… I will bless <\/span><\/span>you<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>; \u00a0…and you will be a blessing to many <\/span><\/span>others<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While at least two are used, some people use more. \u00a0There can be a candle for each family member, or small pairs for young daughters. Perhaps candlelight for each room.<\/p>\n

After candle lighting comes the \u201ckiddush<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>\u201d, <\/span><\/span>the cup of sanctification<\/span><\/span><\/span>. \u00a0Wine or grape juice can be used. \u00a0The man of the house usually says the blessing, takes a sip, and then passes the cup to all the family members. \u00a0This symbolizes spreading the joy of Shabbat, since wine has been associated with joy and life in Judaism. \u00a0For believers we have a weekly reminder of the shed blood of Yeshua for our redemption.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Following the kiddush is the \u201cha motzie<\/span><\/span><\/b>\u201d, <\/span><\/span>blessing the challah, or bread<\/span><\/span><\/span>. \u00a0Challah is often in the form of two braided loaves. \u00a0When God provided manna for the Children of Israel, He sent a double portion of Friday and none on Saturday so they would not have the labor of gathering on Shabbat. \u00a0We also remember that God provided Yeshua, born in the town called \u201cBet Lechem\u201d, \u201chouse of bread\u201d, and that He explained to us:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

John 6:48-50<\/span><\/span><\/b>
\n” I am the bread of life. \u00a0[49] Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. \u00a0[50] But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The challah is usually covered with a cloth, a symbol of the dew that was on the ground when the Israelites woke each morning. \u00a0God\u2019s love is fresh to us each day, just as the dew.<\/p>\n

While some people slice the challah, in the home it is traditionally passed around whole, with each person breaking off their own piece. \u00a0In Judaism there is the eternal hope for peace, and a knife, representing an instrument of war is not used on the challah. \u00a0This is to remind us of the future promise of Isaiah:<\/p>\n

Isaiah 2:4 <\/span><\/span><\/b>
\n“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. \u00a0Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When we each break off our own piece we remember that our \u201cdaily bread\u201d does not come from man, but from God alone to each one of us.<\/p>\n

The Sabbath officially closes when three stars become visible in the evening sky. \u00a0This can be a family activity enjoyed in anticipation of the closing ceremony for Shabbat, \u201cHavdalah<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>\u201d. \u00a0Havdallah means \u201c<\/span><\/span>separation<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201d, and officially begins the new week. \u00a0Just as the holiness of Shabbat is ushered into the home with a ceremony, so it should have an official closing as a means of making a distinction between what is holy and what is worldly. \u00a0The blessings and scriptures read at this time extend this idea of separation to the distinction of light from the dark, followers of God from the heathen, and God\u2019s high moral standards from man\u2019s corruption.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Havdallah uses the elements of wine and candles, but in a different form than Shabbat. \u00a0When the wine is poured, it is allowed to overflow<\/span><\/span><\/i> the cup, a symbol of God\u2019s overflowing blessing to us. \u00a0It also shows the fullness and completion of our week, and the hope that the week to come would also overflow with blessings. \u00a0Wine was often costly in ancient Israel, so a house where it flowed like water was regarded as truly blessed. \u00a0As believers we can see this as a reminder of Messiah\u2019s blood poured out for us.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

After the wine blessing a box of fragrant spices<\/span><\/span><\/span>, or \u201c<\/span><\/span>bessamim<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>\u201d is blessed and passed around. \u00a0This ritual started around the second century B.C.E. to compensate for the gloom at Shabbat\u2019s departure. \u00a0The sweet fragrance of the spices would leave a lasting aroma of Shabbat in the often harsh week to follow. \u00a0Today we can use bessamim to remind us of the incense burned when the high priest ministered in Temple times, and of the One High Priest ministering for us in heaven today. \u00a0When incense was burned in the holy of holies it was a symbol of our prayers being a fragrant aroma as they ascended to God.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The candle used for Havdallah is braided with multiple wicks<\/span><\/span><\/i>. \u00a0For a family this can be a symbol of their <\/span><\/span>serving the Lord in unity<\/span><\/span><\/span>. This <\/span><\/span>\u201ctorch\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/i>provides more light than an ordinary candle, and so is a symbol of <\/span><\/span>God\u2019s wisdom and illumination<\/span><\/span><\/span>. \u00a0As believers we can use it to remember the light of Messiah that blots out the darkness of sin.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To close the Havdallah ceremony the candle is put out in wine<\/span><\/span><\/i>. Traditionally this has meant <\/span><\/span>the end of the light and joy of Shabbat<\/span><\/span><\/span>, but we can also see it as Yeshua\u2019s light and blood mixing together, <\/span><\/span>a reminder of His atonement for us<\/span><\/span><\/span> to carry into the coming week.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As the Sabbath was opened<\/span><\/span><\/i> at dusk with greetings of \u201c<\/span><\/span>Shabbat shalom!<\/span><\/span><\/b>\u201d, now we <\/span><\/span>close<\/span><\/span><\/i> with \u201c<\/span><\/span>Shavuah tov!<\/span><\/span><\/b>\u201d, \u201cMay the week ahead be good!\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Shabbat Day of Rest Any discussion of the Biblical feasts, or holidays should start with Shabbat. \u00a0It is not only the first mentioned in the chronology of Leviticus 23, but it also comes first in importance. \u00a0It so important that God saw fit to include it in the Ten commandments, and set it apart as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":109,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/133"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=133"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":646,"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/133\/revisions\/646"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bethadonai.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}