„A fi” și „a (nu) face”: acțiune și non-acțiune în Sabat

Abstract

In an initial study, I set the basis of the seventh-day meaning, as it can be drawn from the creation story (Gen 2:1–3), and I concluded that the seventh-day is the day of the divine presence, whose relational purpose is to indwell with the created world. Applied to the human being, the seventh-day is given the name Sabbath, carrying the same relational meanings that involve refraining from work (mǝlāʾkâ) to be available for the divine presence. In this article I will study, on the one hand, those actions that are compatible with the holiness infused into this day and even recommended or necessary to be realized and, on the other hand, by the way of contrast, those that should be avoided. Thus, we will be shown the connection between action and Presence. In other words, which of the actions of the human being are compatible with the divine presence and especially with the relational purpose of the presence? To accomplish this, I searched the Hebrew Bible for all the biblical fragments that include the term šabbat, and I selected for analysis those that express in a way or another a connection with action.

Keywords

• Sabbath
• seventh-day
• action
• non-action
• divine presence