What Is Shabbat?

Shabbat, or Sabbath, is the day of rest in Judaism. Traditionally, Shabbat was the last day of the week. According to the book of Genesis, in the creation account, God designed the Earth and created everything in it during 6 days. On the final day of the Creation week, God rested. Because of this, God instructed his followers to rest on the final day of the week.
Jews have followed this tradition for millennia, observing the Sabbath by doing no work and resting. In Biblical Times, the Israelites were forbidden from even plowing their fields or, during their exile in the desert, collecting manna. During the New Testament, Christ was chastised by the religious elite for performing a miracle on the Sabbath, at which point he stated that “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” implying that the law of the Sabbath was meant as a benefit, not a restriction, and has since been followed more loosely.