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Yahweh Alone Deserves Credit for the Sabbath
Anyone who reads SnyderTalk regularly knows that I am an ardent supporter of Israel and the Jewish people. In art, medicine, literature, business, and the sciences to name just a few fields of endeavor, Jewish people have made contributions that are far in excess of what you would expect given their percentage of the population. The following facts prove that point beyond any doubt:
At least 187 Jews and people of half- or three-quarters-Jewish ancestry have been awarded the Nobel Prize, accounting for 22% of all individual recipients worldwide between 1901 and 2012, and constituting 36% of all US recipients during the same period. In the research fields of Chemistry, Economics, Physics, and Physiology/Medicine, the corresponding world and US percentages are 27% and 39%, respectively. Among women laureates in the four research fields, the Jewish percentages (world and US) are 38% and 50%, respectively. Of organizations awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 24% were founded principally by Jews or by people of half-Jewish descent. (Jews currently make up approximately 0.2% of the world’s population and 2% of the US population.)
As a nation, Israel is a shining example of democracy and liberty in a region of the world where repression and brutality are common. Israel is a world leader in technology, agriculture, medicine, and many other fields. Both Israel and the Jewish people deserve a great deal of credit for their many accomplishments that have improved the quality of life for people around the globe. Even so, neither Israel nor the Jewish people nor Judaism had anything to do with the establishment of the Sabbath.
That’s why I must take issue with Uri Heitner, a writer for Israel Hayom. In an article titled “Why secular Jews need Shabbat”, he made the following remarks:
The Supreme Court’s decision last week regarding the opening of grocery stores in Tel Aviv on Shabbat is not per se about Shabbat, the values it embodies, the city’s ethos or the nature of public space in a Jewish and democratic state. The court was specifically concerned with the local authority’s obligation to follow the law and not selectively enforce it. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to use this occasion to discuss the character of Shabbat in Israeli society.
Shabbat is one of Judaism’s greatest contributions to mankind, sanctifying the seventh day for rest. It is a day when we do not work, do not earn a living, do not conduct business or add to our wealth. A day devoted to family, to community, to leisure, culture, learning, and the spirit. Shabbat does not only belong to observant Jews but to all of us. It is in everyone’s interest that Shabbat not be a regular day of the week. But what makes it unlike other days? Different Jews will respond to this question according to their beliefs and lifestyles. Our public space should give expression to these different paths alongside each other.
I think that Heitner was correct about the Israeli Supreme Court’s reasoning in its recent decision, but he was wrong when he said, “Shabbat is one of Judaism’s greatest contributions to mankind.” Yahweh deserves all of the credit for that wonderful contribution to the lives of men and women everywhere many of whom have no idea who He is much less that His Name is Yahweh.
It’s true that Yahweh gave us the Sabbath through the Jewish people and that He incorporated it in the Ten Commandments so that everyone would know about it. The Sabbath is number 4 on that list right behind not having any other gods except Yahweh, not making graven images, and not taking Yahweh’s Name in vain. Saying that the Sabbath is important is an understatement, but as I said, it was Yahweh’s idea and He deserves the credit.
There is a huge difference between Judaism the religion and Yahweh’s commands. The oral tradition that dominates Judaism today is preserved in the Talmud and the Midrashim. It’s like Supreme Court rulings, and it has the force of law in Judaism. Stated another way, in Judaism, oral tradition takes precedence over the Torah, the prophets, and the writings (i.e., the Tanach), and it has taken Judaism so far from what Yahweh said and intended that in many areas what He said is reduced to naught. That is the ultimate expression of taking Yahweh’s Name in vain—to profess faith in Him, to reject what He said completely, and then to make up your own set of rules many of which are diametrically opposed to Yahweh’s commands.
I’m not suggesting that Yahweh didn’t intend for human beings to play a significant role in the interpretation of His commands. It is obvious that He had that thought in mind when He told Moses to govern His people and to set up a court as it were. This is what I am saying: humans have gone way too far, much further than Yahweh intended. By their edicts and decrees, they have minimized the importance of Yahweh’s law, elevated their traditions at Yahweh’s expense, and set us on a trajectory that will lead us to an eventual confrontation with Yahweh. The effect on Yahweh’s people has been devastating even though most of them don’t seem to realize it.
Be that as it may, as I said, Yahweh instituted the Sabbath—not Israel, not the Jewish people, and not Judaism. He gave us the Sabbath as a gift so that we could relax each week and spend some quality time with Him. It’s clear that Yahweh wants us to observe the Sabbath because it’s included in the Ten Commandments and that He wants us to regard it as holy—i.e., set apart. What that means in practical terms for men and women differs by individual because we are engaged in a wide variety of worldly pursuits during the week. In the end, though, the Sabbath is supposed to be different from the other 6 days of the week. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for most of us, believers included.
Changing the subject a little, I think that the prohibition against saying Yahweh’s Name is the best example of oral tradition taking us in a direction that Yahweh never intended. He commanded us to declare His Name to the world, but Jewish sages more than 2,000 years ago decided that it was best for people not even to say His Name. They probably thought that they were protecting us by preventing us from accidentally using Yahweh’s Name in vain or from blaspheming His Name, but what they did has produced this result. Today, most people, believers included, don’t even know that Yahweh has a Name or they think that His Name is the LORD, God, HASHEM, Adonai, Yehovah, or Jehovah.
Like our reckless callousness where Sabbath observance is concerned, the prohibition against saying Yahweh’s Name is a serious problem. I have addressed it thoroughly in my book His Name is Yahweh. You should take the time to read it.
Jewish People Relaxing at Dusk in Hurva Square in Front of the Hurva Synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem
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Hosea 5: 6-8
They will go with their flocks and herds to seek Yahweh, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn from them. They have dealt treacherously against Yahweh, for they have borne illegitimate children. Now the new moon will devour them with their land. Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah. Sound an alarm at Beth-aven: “Behind you, Benjamin!”
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback. It’s also available for free in PDF format.
- God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
- “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
- “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
- Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)
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Hamas is No Peace Partner for Israel
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Hosea 4: 6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
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Morsi’s national security chief: Military coup underway in Egypt
Egypt generals hold crisis meeting hours before Morsi deadline
PM: Palestinian leaders think its possible to destroy Israel
Turkish court nixes disputed Istanbul park project
Controversial ‘Rachel Corrie’ play ignites debate over freedom of speech
Campaign against Christian Arab conscripts condemned by Knesset
A-G: Migrants can be detained for non-violent crime
Israel’s Ambassador condemns ’anti-Semitic‘ German cartoon
Rouhani urges end to meddling in Iranians’ private lives
Netanyahu issues tenders for 2 private ports, attacks Histadrut
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Morsi Offers to Form Interim Coalition Government
‘Full Military Coup Underway’ in Egypt
Turkish ‘Incendiary Words Have Tragic Consequences’, Says AJC
Egypt Facing Chaos, Says Expert
PA Policeman Admits to Terror Attack
Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian Military in Struggle
Iran Importing High-Grade Alumina Ore
Jordan Cracks Down on Journalists
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Arrested
Court Allows Jew to Pray Near Temple Mount
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Egypt’s fate hangs in the balance as military leaders, Morsi vow fight to the death
Egypt reinforces army along Gaza border, Israel confirms
Abbas optimistic that peace talks will resume
PA won’t come to its senses anytime soon
Electoral reform gets underway as Knesset passes governability bill
Judges to Olmert’s lawyers: Where’s the money?
NY Times: Why is Kerry focused on Israel and Palestinians?
After long absence, Netanyahu meets with Likud rank and file
A-G to vet chief Sephardi rabbi candidate over ‘racist comments’
Iran exploiting sanctions loophole to import aluminum for missiles
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Syrian Christians: “Why is America at war with us?”
Mubarak: Protests Against Morsi are Bigger than Protests Against Me
Hezbollah MP Warns: With Departure of Army Chief Lebanon ‘Will Fall Into a Security Vacuum’
New UN Counterterror Chief Doesn’t Believe Hamas is a Terrorist Group
Obama’s Arab Spring Intervention Leads to More Hatred of America
Right-wing extremism among Egyptian protests: “Obama supports terrorism”
Museums Increasingly Criticized for Failure to Return Stolen Nazi-Era Art
Amnesty Fever in UK, Muslim MP Says It’s Only Way to Win Minority Votes
Israel upbraids Dutch over ‘preposterous’ Mideast report
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David Horovitz: Why “a Little More Work” Won’t Do It, Mr. Kerry— Insanity — according to a definition variously attributed to Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, Confucius, and most credibly to a 30-year-old book called “Narcotics Anonymous” — is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Five times John Kerry has been to our part of the Middle East since taking office in February. Five times, like some hapless gofer, he has shuttled back and forth between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, ferrying demands and proposals, and rejections. The estimate is that he spent 14 hours in the company of Netanyahu on this latest mission alone, and another seven with Abbas.
Boaz Bismuth: Egypt’s secular-military coalition—This time, like in the first revolution two years ago, the Egyptian army is supporting the people. The first time, surprisingly, the army abandoned Mubarak. Today it is turning its back, almost naturally, on Mohammed Morsi. The military is acting like a people’s army. With half a million soldiers to the 17 million civilians protesting in the streets, the army had little choice but to adapt to the reality of the situation.
Avi Issacharoff: For Egypt’s military, there’s no turning back— Just hours after publishing an unequivocal statement that put it firmly on the opposition’s side, Egypt’s military, late Monday night, issued a second announcement in which its leaders attempted to regain a more neutral position. “Military coups are not part of our ideology,” the later message said. “The published statement was meant to push the sides towards an agreement… We have no plan of taking power into our own hands.”
Dr. Bosmat Yefet-Avshalom: Lack of leadership in Egypt—The millions of demonstrators who have taken to the streets in Egypt in recent days are another expression of the deep rift that divides Egyptian society. On one side, there is the opposition, comprised of liberal forces, including leftists and loyalists of the old Hosni Mubarak regime. They have one goal — removing Mohammed Morsi from the presidency. On the other side, there is the Islamist bloc, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, which doesn’t intend to give up the power it obtained via legitimate democratic means.
Ruthie Blum: And now it’s Morsi’s turn—There is nothing to suggest that the mass demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi are any more indicative of hunger for democracy than the 2011 protests that led to the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak. This is not to say that the Egyptian people aren’t hungry. On the contrary, their economic conditions — already appalling during Mubarak’s autocratic rule — have continued to decline under the Muslim Brotherhood leader who took the helm a year ago. It is this situation that best explains why millions of Egyptians from all walks of life and political parties are taking to the streets to conduct another coup.
Elliott Abrams: Israelis and Palestinians: What if they get to the table?— U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has dedicated enormous amounts of time to getting the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table. The last serious negotiations took place toward the end of the Bush administration, and failed when the Palestine Liberation Organization rejected a remarkable offer from then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. An attempt to get negotiations started was made by the Obama administration on September 1, 2010, but after a round of talks in Washington things broke down very quickly.
Yoel Guzansky: All in the Family: The Changing of the Guard in Qatar—In an unusual step, Sheikh Hamad Bin Halifa al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, transferred the throne to his 33-year old son, Prince Tamim, who thus becomes the youngest ruler in the Arab world. Hamad thereby put an end to rumors circulating in recent months of an impending change in leadership. It is still unclear how – or even if – the change in leadership will affect Qatar’s foreign policy. Policy, certainly in the realm of national security, was always set by the outgoing Emir and his inner circle and bore his personal stamp. Tamim has seen eye to eye with his father on many issues, and the fact that the outgoing Emir and Prime Minister are not disappearing altogether raises the probability that there will not be any essential change in Qatari policy. Still, the new Emir may want to focus on internal issues and try to shift the center of gravity to development projects, instead of furthering the wasteful foreign policy pursued by Qatar, which has sparked criticism from within.
David Harris: Iranian Elections— A number of observers, including The New York Times, have exulted that the recent presidential elections produced a “moderate” winner, Hassan Rouhani. They suggest this could signify a new era in Iranian policy. Perhaps, but then again, perhaps not. When it comes to Iran, it would be wishful thinking to allow hope to substitute for experience.
Michael Eisenstadt: Not by Sanctions Alone: Using Military and Other Means to Bolster Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran—Washington must supplement sanctions with the more effective use of its military, and of the informational and soft-power assets that Tehran really fears, to alter the Islamic Republic’s cost-benefit calculus. Washington has frequently responded with an abundance of prudence and caution to Iranian actions. Such restraint, however, is seen in Tehran as a sign of weakness, and may cause Tehran to doubt U.S. claims that “all options are on the table” regarding its nuclear program.
Abraham Cooper and Harold Brackman: Kerry’s Challenge: Empower the Right Palestinians—There is growing frustration on the Palestinian street about the PA’s failure to deliver basic services. One of the most articulate critics is Sheikh Fard al-Jabari, responsible for 3,500 members of his clan in the South Hebron Hills. He charges that the PA represents no more than 5% of the West Bank population. Ever the pragmatist, he stated he wants to live in peace with his Jewish neighbors, yet if elections were held tomorrow, he would vote for Hamas. “At least they would take care of the basic social services that the PA has failed to deliver,” Jabari lamented.
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Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now. There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Other Books by Neil Snyder
- Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days. Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall. Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace. With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
