Enroll in our online Biblical Hebrew course
The Israelite week was established at the time of creation as a seven day cycle. Today we take this for granted, but the idea that humans should organize and track their time around periods of seven days was not always universally accepted. Periods of six and ten-day weeks can be found in a number of ancient cultures. Moreover, in the Israelite/Jewish week, the days, instead of being named, are simply numbered. Only the seventh day has been privileged to have its own name שַׁבָּת (shabbat) - the Sabbath.
The word שַׁבָּת (shabbat) comes from the story of creation in Genesis 2:1-3. It is said that God ceased/rested from all the work that he had done on the seventh day. The word for resting/ceasing that is used in Hebrew is "shabbat".God blessed that day and it became a special day ever since. In Modern Hebrew, the word for “labor strike” is שביתה (shvita) and comes from the very same root.
Time goes by so quickly and the concept of a day of rest is so smart, we wish we had invented it! Well, we didn’t invent Sabbath, but at the Israel institute of Biblical studies, we created a great opportunity for people like you to learn Biblical Hebrew online, and unravel deep mysteries in the Holy Scriptures from the comfort of your home. Enroll today and gain the experience of a lifetime.
