Debunking Viral Claim About the Talmud and Minors
9 min read
Shabbat isn’t about stopping work — it’s about learning to see why we work at all.
Shabbat observance is one of the most defining expressions of Jewish faith and identity. The Talmud teaches that keeping Shabbat is an affirmation that God created the world1 and continues to guide its ongoing existence. Yet beyond belief, Shabbat also shapes Jewish life itself — characterized both by refraining from certain forms of creative work and by emphasizing joy, family, and connection.
How do these practical aspects of Shabbat relate to Judaism’s foundational ideas of creation and divine purpose? The Torah says the God rested on the seventh day. 2 How is rest applicable to a non-physical being?
The Ten Commandments appear twice in the Torah, and in each instance, Shabbat occupies a central place. In the first version, the Torah commands: “Do not do any work… for in six days God made heaven and earth… but He rested on the seventh.” 3 In the second version, it adds: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and that God brought you out… therefore God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath.” 4
These two explanations — creation and the Exodus — frame Shabbat as a living testimony to two central beliefs: that God is the Creator of the universe, and that He continues to guide and sustain it. The Exodus narrative — with its plagues, the splitting of the sea, the manna, the clouds of glory, and the revelation at Sinai — was the most direct revelation of divine involvement in the human world. 5
Every instant of existence depends on the divine will sustaining it.
Kabbalistic thought adds a deeper layer. God’s creative act was not limited to a single historical moment; rather, creation is continuous. Every instant of existence depends on the divine will sustaining it. What appears to us as stable reality is, in truth, the ongoing renewal of divine energy. The miracles of the Exodus served as a visible demonstration that nature itself is not an independent entity, but the steady expression of God’s will — a pattern He may alter at any moment.6
“God’s rest,” therefore, does not signify withdrawal or inactivity. God did not cease to create; He ceased to introduce new laws of nature. During the six days of creation, new dimensions and principles of reality were continually emerging. On the seventh day, the framework of existence was complete — and the world entered a steady rhythm of divine sustenance rather than innovation. 7
With the completion of the creative process, humanity was given the capacity to perceive the divine within creation.
What was added on that seventh day was not a new physical element, but a new spiritual faculty: perception. With the completion of the creative process, humanity was given the capacity to perceive the divine within creation. During the six days, the act of creation itself testified to the Creator. On the seventh, recognition of God became a matter of awareness — of seeing beyond the veil of nature. The Exodus later served as a historical reminder of this truth, when God once again revealed His presence openly. 8
The Kabbalists teach that the number seven symbolizes this very dynamic. Physical existence unfolds in six directions — up, down, north, south, east, and west — representing the full span of material space. The seventh represents the conscious observer — the one who perceives and gives meaning to the whole. 9 Shabbat, the seventh day, thus represents awareness: the capacity to see purpose in existence itself.
God’s “rest,” then, is not idleness but the addition of consciousness — the subtlest and most essential element of creation. Humanity mirrors this divine pattern on Shabbat: by refraining from activity, we gain perspective on why we act at all. Shabbat invites us not merely to stop working, but to step back and perceive — to infuse our lives with understanding and purpose.
The Talmud identifies 39 categories of labor prohibited on Shabbat. 10 These include forms of agricultural work, construction, processing materials, writing, sewing, and kindling fire — essentially, the acts of creative transformation used to build and sustain civilization. While strenuous exertion is not in the spirit of Shabbat, 11 it is not itself the Torah’s definition of “work.” The Torah’s restriction concerns creative activity — acts that alter or shape the material world.
This understanding parallels the divine model. God did not “rest” from effort, but from innovation — from the act of creating something new. Likewise, Jews honor this cessation by refraining from their own creative acts, acknowledging that the world and all human capability ultimately derive from God. By halting our creative endeavors, we express gratitude and humility before the Source of all existence.
When we stop reshaping the world, we create space to perceive it.
Yet there is also a deeper purpose. When we stop reshaping the world, we create space to perceive it. By stepping back from the drive to produce and manipulate, we can reflect on the meaning of our actions — on the purpose behind our work and our striving. In this pause, we reclaim the awareness that God embedded into the seventh day of creation.
Among the 39 categories, one appears distinct: the prohibition against carrying between private and public spaces. Unlike the others, it does not involve creative transformation. Communities often construct an eruv — a symbolic boundary of poles and string — that defines a shared private domain within which carrying is permitted. 12
Why should carrying be restricted at all? Carrying symbolizes human interaction within society — the movement between private individuality and public belonging. It represents our capacity to engage in communal life. By refraining from this movement on Shabbat, Jews symbolically place the entire structure of human society under divine sovereignty. Just as the first 38 categories express the submission of human mastery over nature, the 39th expresses submission of human social mastery to God. 13
Historically, these 39 categories reflect a profound transformation. The Jewish people first performed them under Egyptian slavery, where their labor served Pharaoh. 14 After liberation, they used those same forms of labor to build the Tabernacle — a dwelling place for the Divine. 15 Shabbat recalls that shift: from forced work serving human power to chosen restraint serving divine purpose. By abstaining from creative work, we affirm that all human potential is a divine gift, to be used with mindfulness and meaning.
Shabbat is not only a day of restraint but also one of joy and physical delight. It begins and ends with a cup of wine during Kiddush and Havdalah, features meals richer than weekday fare, 16 encourages fine clothing17, relaxation and peace18, and is an auspicious time for marital intimacy19. As the prophet Isaiah declared, “You shall call the Shabbat a delight.” 20
When directed with awareness, even physical pleasure becomes a vehicle for spiritual elevation.
How does pleasure fit into the spiritual essence of the day? Judaism seeks to integrate every aspect of human life into the service of higher purpose. When directed with awareness, even physical pleasure becomes a vehicle for spiritual elevation.
The Talmud teaches: “Three things expand the mind of a person — a beautiful home, beautiful objects, and a beautiful spouse.” 21 Beauty and enjoyment broaden our inner perspective, clearing space for gratitude and reflection. The Egyptians, by contrast, confined the Israelites in cramped quarters, stifling their capacity for thought and creativity. 22 On Shabbat, by surrounding ourselves with beauty and tranquility, we restore that expansiveness — allowing for deeper connection with family, friends, and God. 23
In this sense, Shabbat transforms pleasure itself into a sacred act. We gather the fruits of our week’s labor — the food, comfort, and stability we have created — and dedicate them to awareness and gratitude. Just as God created for six days and “rested” for the sake of perception, we too work throughout the week and rest with purpose: to experience joy that leads to insight.
To truly grasp the depth of Shabbat, one must experience it. As one rabbi observed:
“The most dramatic thing about Shabbat seems to me the way it presents the paradoxical texture of Judaism in a single cyclical event — the balance of asceticism and luxury, of solemnity and pleasure. People are always trying to label our faith as merely restrictive or merely worldly. Judaism’s harmony between disciplined service of God and comfort in the here-and-now offers a uniquely balanced way of life. We escape pigeonholing, and so does our Shabbat. It is both a rejoicing in the best things of this world and a formal restraint in the use of them. This pattern runs all through Judaism.” 24
The uniqueness of Shabbat is such that no written description can capture its full essence. As God told Moses, “I have a precious gift in My treasure house, and its name is Shabbat.” 25 To understand that gift, one must live it. The peace, delight, and insight that emerge from a genuine Shabbat experience are themselves the greatest testimony to its enduring truth.
The Shabbat Project, launched in 2013 by Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein, is a global movement, uniting Jews worldwide to celebrate the gift of Shabbat. On Nov 7-8, switch off your screens and switch on your life. Shabbat is a time to be present—embrace the peace, joy, and connection it brings. Learn more at www.theshabbosproject.org
