There are two kinds of "work" mentioned in regards to the Holy days/ Feasts - translated as "work" and "servile work". How do Messianics define these two kinds of "work"? Do they generally follow what the Rabbis have said?
A wife is not listed as those who may do no work on Shabbat in Exodus 20 vs 8-11. JPS 1917
That's not work - God doesn't expect babies and very young children to starve and be helpless on Sabbath. Good grief - where's the mercy in that?Wives are not actually listed in the so-called 10 commandments under Sabbath. They have duties to perform if others are dependent on them, as in babies and very young children or family are sick / ill.
That's not work - God doesn't expect babies and very young children to starve and be helpless on Sabbath. Good grief - where's the mercy in that?
It's okay to feed & take care of livestock on Sabbath - how much more a human being with helpless children or sick people?
Wives are called to obey the Sabbath and not do servile work.
I didn't say they were defined as work - they are essential tasks.
My point was, is, that wives are not included in the list of those who may not work on the Sabbath.
Simple fact.
if you wish to teach wives that it's okay to work on the Sabbath, which is contrary to the Scriptures, then that's on your head, not mine.
I'm just going by what you've stated - perhaps I'm misunderstanding you, and if I am, I apologizeThat would have been a very convincing argument... if that had been what I said, but I didn't, so it's not.
Show me where it specifically mentions wives in relation to essential tasks, as I defined them, being banned on Shabbat? Book, Chapter and verse, please
I'm just going by what you've stated - perhaps I'm misunderstanding you, and if I am, I apologize
do you teach that it's okay for a wife to work at her job on the Sabbath?
That is only true if they are outside the work of God.This debate will all come to ruin over these questions:
What is work?
Who has the authority to define work?
Most fundamentalists are 'scripture alone' people who reject any authority and only do what they think God is telling them to do personally. In this case, every man is a law unto themselves.
gotcha - I apologize for my misunderstanding.No, I did not say that. No one, on Shabbat, can work. However, it is also true that Exodus 20 does not list one's wife. I believe that is because, as I have said several times, and you agreed earlier, one's wife may have babies, young children, sick or ill family that she would look after.
This does NOT mean she can cook food (unless it is for medical purposes), wash up, vacuum the house through, do the washing, clean the windows, drive to the shops, make the beds, turn on or off the lights, etc etc etc.
In regards to wives not being specifically mentioned, it's written:
"Exo 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,"
It doesn't say it was only to the men.
And it's written:
Deu 5:22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
So the way I see it, when God said "thou shalt not do any work," the "thou" included both men and women.
If you actually read what the Tanach says in Exodus 20 you will find that everyone is covered, but NOT the wife - which is what I said. You can run round in theological circles, but the simple fact is the only person missed from the list is the wife. Now, that may upset your understanding, but unless you can find a Tanach that includes the wife, or the 'mother of your son', there is little that can be done about it except to try and understand why the omission is made, which is what has been done on this thread. Quoting Deuteronomy doesn't explain, or change, Exodus. In any case, if you look carefully, Moses wrote the second set of tablets, not G_d.
We will have to agree to disagree. I think wives were included because the words were spoken to the 'assembly'. And I wouldn't put taking care of ones child or a sick relative in the category of "work".
Edit-
I went and took a look, and if one wants to get technical, the "you" or "thou" is masculine singular which would mean the commandments were only directed to the men. So if one wanted to, they could argue that women aren't obligated to keep the commandments at all. But I don't want to argue that.