Among the monotheistic religions, the Shabbat is one of the central concepts that distinguishes the Jewish tradition from the others. But if Saturday is considered a holy day by Jews, Sunday is for Christians, and Friday for Muslims. I have always wondered: who originated all this? According to the traditional narrative, it was God himself – the biblical God – who instituted the Shabbat as an exclusive sign of the covenant with the people of Israel.
But is this really the case? I have studied the subject in depth, discovering roots of the Shabbat that are much older and more widespread than we have been taught.
English subtitles
Shabbat: foundation of faith or instrument of domination?
I’ll start with an authoritative definition. According to Rabbi Isidor Grunfeld, Shabbat is “yesod ha-emunà”, or the true foundation of the Jewish faith. A pillar of Jewish spirituality, to the point that it is said: “The Shabbat preserved the Jews, because the Jews preserved the Shabbat.”
But what does observing the Sabbath really mean? The Bible talks about it in general terms: “abstaining from all work”. But what is meant by “work”? The texts do not fully clarify this point. Originally, the prohibited activities were related to the construction of the Temple. Over time, the rabbis systematized this concept into 39 precise categories of prohibitions (melakhot), adding further restrictions (ghezeroth) to avoid any infringement, even unintentional.
Behind this regulatory framework there is a very specific idea: on the day of Shabbat, man must suspend all exercise of his power over nature, all productive or transformative acts, to symbolically recognize that the universe belongs to God.
The 39 melakhot and the extension of the prohibitions
The melakhot are not simple “works”, but creative and productive activities, manifestations of man’s ability to transform the world. Some examples? Sowing, lighting a fire, building, writing, grinding, dyeing, transporting objects from a private to a public space. The “ghezeroth” expand these prohibitions even further: washing your hands over the grass is forbidden because it is equivalent to irrigation; changing the water in a flowerpot could favor plant growth. Even taking a child out of the house in a pram can violate the Shabbat, unless a non-Jew does it. All this to avoid any risk of violation.
Is the Shabbat really an exclusive revelation from God?
By studying in depth the archaeological studies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, I discovered that the Shabbat already existed centuries earlier in Mesopotamian culture under the name of “sabbatu”, a day dedicated to total rest. It was practiced by the Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians, suggesting that Yahweh, identified as one of the Elohim, had adapted an already existing practice.
These customs, centuries before the time of Moses, were part of Mesopotamian culture and the word “sabbatu” appears to be the direct ancestor of the Jewish Shabbat, sharing its spirit and social function.
What if the Shabbat was inherited from the Elohim?
According to an alternative reading of the Bible as a historical text, it could be a cultural transmission between peoples and divinities. From this point of view, Yahweh would have been nothing more than one of the Elohim, local rulers described in ancient texts. Each one had his own people, territory and rules. The Shabbat, therefore, would be nothing more than a rule shared among several Elohim, adapted to the Israelite context.
The role of the Shabbat in the preservation of Jewish identity
This does not detract from the historical and identity value that the Shabbat has had (and continues to have) for the Jewish people. It has been fundamental for cultural and religious cohesion during centuries of diaspora.
However, it should not be considered an exclusive and “divinely revealed” institution. It is an ancient cultural product, it has traveled among civilizations and has been transformed over time, while maintaining a clear symbolic function: to remind man that he is not the absolute master of the world.
Conclusion
Through the analysis of rabbinic texts and archaeological discoveries, it is clear that Shabbat, considered one of the pillars of divine revelation, is in fact part of an ancient tradition shared among Mesopotamian civilizations. This invites us to reflect on how many religious “revelations” are in fact reinterpreted and handed down traditions.
Shabbat seems to be one of the most significant examples.
