HaShem Rested?

simchat_torah

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If you read Abraham Heschel's book The Sabbath you will find that he alludes to a beautiful idea...
We are beings that are confined to space and time. We have built HaShema palaceon Earth, or 'in space'... the temple. However, he longs to find a place to reside in time as well, thus he set aside the Sabbath.

I wanted to expand on this idea a bit.
Ever since I was young I wondered "Why did G-d need to rest?" Was he not all powerful? Why would he need a rest?

Sure, I heard all the excuses/explanations the teachers had to offer, but I was never satisfied. It never made senst to me.

Until...

One day I was reading through Isaiah. I cam across a passage...
Isaiah 66
1 This is what the L-RD says:
"Heaven is my throne,
and the Earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?

This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my Torah.
BINGO!

HaShem asks, "Where will my resting place be?"
In "one who's spirit is contrite"!!!!

He longs to make/find his rest in US! He will find rest... or find his shabbat... in those who are contrite in spirit and humble.

Later I found this passage over in Isaia 57:15
For this is what the high and lofty One says-
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
"I live in a high and lofty place
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit."
His love for us is so powerful that he longs to make us his dwelling place. When we honor Shabbat, we are honoring his desire to find rest/sabbath within us!

Shalom,
Yafet.
 

Henaynei

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Shalom,

The concept of Shabbat - which is a side thought to this thread is thus:

As I used to teach my children in Shabbat School; G-d did not break a sweat when He said "Light Be!," nor did His back get tired while shaping man from the mud. The "what" from which G-d rested was "creating," or "making." As we know He did not cease from "sustaining."

In traditional Judaism is the understanding that we, like HaShem, are to cease from creating on Shabbat - we are to stop exerting our will and ability to change the world to fit our whim for a full day - the L-rd's day, the Shabbat, the seventh, the day of rest. When viewed from this perspective the prohibitions of Shabbat make *MUCH* more sense than just "do no work and make no fire." It becomes then, much easier to try and figure how this applies to us today.

Not turning lights on or off, not starting and driving the car, not cooking or heating foods, and the many other prohibitions, now fit into the puzzle and make sense. They become a service of honor and praise rather than a burden.

When we turn from exerting our will, when we take the time during the week to remember that Shabbat is coming and to prepare throughout the week to be able to observe Shabbat, we are preparing a place in our hearts, minds and lives for HaShem to reside.

Then with the Psalmist we can rejoice in recognition of the true Owner of all creation and that the mighty gates of our hearts have opened up to the L-RD, strong and mighty, the King of Glory!!

Psalm 24
1 The earth is the L-RD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers.

3 Who may ascend into the hill of the L-RD? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the L-RD And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face--{even} Jacob. Selah.

7 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory? The L-RD strong and mighty, The L-RD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift {them} up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is this King of glory? The L-RD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
 
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LibertyChic

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Henaynei said:
Shalom,

The concept of Shabbat - which is a side thought to this thread is thus:

As I used to teach my children in Shabbat School; G-d did not break a sweat when He said "Light Be!," nor did His back get tired while shaping man from the mud. The "what" from which G-d rested was "creating," or "making." As we know He did not cease from "sustaining."
I've also heard it explained that on the 7th day, G-d created rest. :)
 
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ShirChadash

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Henaynei said:
Shalom,

The concept of Shabbat - which is a side thought to this thread is thus:

As I used to teach my children in Shabbat School; G-d did not break a sweat when He said "Light Be!," nor did His back get tired while shaping man from the mud. The "what" from which G-d rested was "creating," or "making." As we know He did not cease from "sustaining."

In traditional Judaism is the understanding that we, like HaShem, are to cease from creating on Shabbat - we are to stop exerting our will and ability to change the world to fit our whim for a full day - the L-rd's day, the Shabbat, the seventh, the day of rest. When viewed from this perspective the prohibitions of Shabbat make *MUCH* more sense than just "do no work and make no fire." It becomes then, much easier to try and figure how this applies to us today.

Not turning lights on or off, not starting and driving the car, not cooking or heating foods, and the many other prohibitions, now fit into the puzzle and make sense. They become a service of honor and praise rather than a burden.

When we turn from exerting our will, when we take the time during the week to remember that Shabbat is coming and to prepare throughout the week to be able to observe Shabbat, we are preparing a place in our hearts, minds and lives for HaShem to reside.

Then with the Psalmist we can rejoice in recognition of the true Owner of all creation and that the mighty gates of our hearts have opened up to the L-RD, strong and mighty, the King of Glory!!

Psalm 24
1 The earth is the L-RD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers.

3 Who may ascend into the hill of the L-RD? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the L-RD And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face--{even} Jacob. Selah.

7 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory? The L-RD strong and mighty, The L-RD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift {them} up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is this King of glory? The L-RD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
I'm printing that, Henaynei. Bless you. :kiss:
 
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Trish1947

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As I used to teach my children in Shabbat School; G-d did not break a sweat when He said "Light Be!," nor did His back get tired while shaping man from the mud. The "what" from which G-d rested was "creating," or "making." As we know He did not cease from "sustaining
If I may, I would like to tell you of something that happend to us, for God to explain the keeping of the Sabbath.

A few years ago, on the Sabbath we got a call that My mother-in-law had turned gravely ill, and was not expected to live. So we packed up and left to go see her, and I wanted to pray for her. But God had other plans, while we we're on the highway, a car veered across the lane of traffic heading right to us, my Husband turned the wheel to avoid him, but we rolled the car into a ditch. We we're o.k. But we have a friend that observes the 7th day of rest to an absolute T. But I had for got in our worry, that it was the Sabbath day for him. And he was a machanic with a tow truck. So I called him on my cell phone and told him what had happend and would he come and help us, and he told me NO, its the sabbath. I was furious at first, but I understood his view, I guess. About an hour later he showed up with his tow truck and got us out of the situation. He told me that after he hung the phone up that the Lord started really dealing with him on what he had said. And showed him to scripture about helping someone that had fallen into a ditch.. haha.. We we're in a ditch literally.. Well to make this long story short, He later told me, that because of his obediance, the Lord has blessed him with twice the business that next week. My mother-in-law is totally well also.
 
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Henaynei

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simchat_torah said:
In Judaism, Life is the greatest thing to presereve. If breaking a commandment means preserving life, then so be it.

shalom,
yafet.
The Rabbis quote scripture stating: "'You shall live by these commandments' - it is therefore understood that you shall Live by them not Die by them"
 
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Shiphrah

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I have been having a hard time finding a balance of resting on the Sabbath, being a nursing student doesn't leave one much time to rest. However God has been most gracious in this and while I don't get to do things as I normally do, I have been able to find the kind of rest that only God offers.

Recently I had someone ask me what of those in the military and medical profession? How can they rest on the Sabbath and abstain from work? Any thoughts on this?

( sorry didn't mean to hijack this thread)
 
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Henaynei

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Shiphrah said:
I have been having a hard time finding a balance of resting on the Sabbath, being a nursing student doesn't leave one much time to rest. However God has been most gracious in this and while I don't get to do things as I normally do, I have been able to find the kind of rest that only God offers.

Recently I had someone ask me what of those in the military and medical profession? How can they rest on the Sabbath and abstain from work? Any thoughts on this?

( sorry didn't mean to hijack this thread)
I am a nurse too - for 20 years.

When in nursing school I was not messianic, but I was a committed believer and single parent.

I made an agreement with HaShem - I would be in church every service (Q Wed & BID [essentially all day] Sunday) and He would prosper my studying. He was faithful for 3 years and so was I!! I never missed a service and even though Wednesday was the evening before the "Masterys" (on which we were never allowed to get less than a B - anything less was an F and only allowed one retake a semester) I never had to retake a Mastery.

Several years into my nursing I became Messianic. I chose areas where I made less money and had much less security (both financial and job) but where I could choose to not work Shabbat. Prersently I work in an arena where there is never any work on the weekends. But in nursing that is not true of the more stable, professionally challenging and better paying jobs. There have been other times when I worked it out that I would work every Sunday but not on Shabbat. For the purpose of commuicating with my employers I usually defined Shabbat as from 7p Friday to 7p Saturday - I found trying to actually explain the shifting times of Shabbat more than they could handle or process.

I will admit that I did lose one job I absolutely loved because of the Shabbat. When hired I had an agreement with the management that I would work every Sunday and Christian holidays but never on Shabbat, and this worked quite well for many months. There were plenty of other people available to work Saturday and several who were quite willing to have every Sunday off in trade. However, one nurse who kept neither Satruday nor Sunday logged a challenge and insisted that I was getting unfair treatment. She had more tenure than the supervisor and more weight with the older nurses - so since that department was run as a democracy I was let go.

In Israel people in the businesses you mention, medical, military, police ect - work as did the priests - to save a life.

What I found was that I had to search my heart and ask:
1) was I truly trusting G-d or making choices out of financial fear when saying I had to work on Shabbat? Was my source my nursing or G-d?
2) was I using the "save a life" clause to make it easier and not have to stand for my observance and obedience to G-d??
3) was I using my "observance and obedience" as a goad to push the fact of my realtionship and religiosity in to the faces of others by demanding my religious "rights?"

Then pray pray pray and search and study about Shabbat - there are amazing answers out there!
B"H
 
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