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Israel’s Day of Light and Joy: The Origin, Development, and Enduring Meaning of the Jewish Sabbath
This book begins by exploring the mysterious origins of an institution so familiar that most of us never wonder where it came from―the seven-day week. Jon D. Levenson then focuses on the historical development of the Jewish Sabbath and the rich range of theological and ethical meanings it has acquired over the centuries. Levenson evaluates the theory that the Hebrew word šabbāt derives from Akkadian and that the Sabbath may have begun as a day of ill omen, only later to be reinterpreted as the joyous festival that consummates the seven-day week. He explores the quasi-magical character of the number seven in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean compositions and examines the revealing variation of the Sabbath commandment between the two biblical versions of the Decalogue in Exodus and Deuteronomy. He also treats sabbatical law in the Second Temple and rabbinic periods, critiquing contemporary efforts to extract a spirituality from the Sabbath that is divorced from larger questions of communal identity, normative practice, and religious affirmation. Levenson concludes by discussing modern challenges to Sabbath observance and the surprising prospects for its continuation. Written by an eminent scholar in the field, this sophisticated inquiry bridges the gap between studies that explore the spiritual meaning of Jewish Sabbath observance and those that focus strictly on the history of the tradition. It will appeal to a wide audience of academics and lay readers.
278 pages, Paperback
Published June 25, 2024
15 people want to read
About the author
Jon D. Levenson
21 books20 followersJon D. Levenson is the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at the Harvard Divinity School.
He is a scholar of the Bible and of the rabbinic midrash, with an interest in the philosophical and theological issues involved in biblical studies. He studies the relationship between traditional modes of Biblical interpretation and modern historical criticism. He also studies the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
Levenson's foci include: Theological traditions in ancient Israel (biblical and rabbinic periods); Literary Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible; Midrash; History of Jewish biblical interpretation; Modern Jewish theology; Jewish-Christian relations.
He is a scholar of the Bible and of the rabbinic midrash, with an interest in the philosophical and theological issues involved in biblical studies. He studies the relationship between traditional modes of Biblical interpretation and modern historical criticism. He also studies the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
Levenson's foci include: Theological traditions in ancient Israel (biblical and rabbinic periods); Literary Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible; Midrash; History of Jewish biblical interpretation; Modern Jewish theology; Jewish-Christian relations.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 16, 2025
I love Shabbos, and I also like history. Israel’s Day of Light and Joy - the origin, development, and enduring meaning of the Jewish Sabbath sounded like it was right up my alley. This was the first book I found (in English, at least) that attempts to study the history of Shabbos, not just within the Jewish world, but also as compared to the outside secular world. The book is written by Jon D. Levenson, who I’ve never heard of, but is (apparently) a Professor of Jewish Studies at the Harvard Divinity School, and spent an entire Sabbatical (I’m not sure if that’s ironic) researching and writing this book.
I did enjoy many parts of this book. I especially liked the first chapter, which discussed the evolution of the week in ancient and modern times. However, there were many parts of the book that didn’t have much to do with the book’s subtitle. Some of the middle chapters were studying arcane topics that didn’t have much to do with anything else in the book. There were a few series of pages that I just skipped out of boredom.
Overall, while I definitely enjoyed some parts of the book, I cannot necessarily recommend it, even to those who have a strong interest of the topic.
Pages with Bookdarts:
4: The Romans had an 8-day week (nundinae) where the 8th day was especially devoted to conducting business; the Jewish Sabbath has always had a prohibition of doing business
5: “The Sabbath was not the conclusion of the workweek; it was the opposite of the workweek.” Also see the quote of Roman writers who stigmatized the Jewish observance of Sabbath as a “decadent glorification of sheer idleness.”
6: China and Japan only adopted the 7-day week in the second half of the 19th century
7: Experiment in 1929 in the Soviet Union to have a 5-day week where on each day, 20% of workers take off, to maximize efficiency (a day off, but no Sabbath) - it didn’t work.
16: The source of the 7-day week can never be a human convention surviving because of inertia, it always goes back to the transcendent and my
61: The humanitarian purposes of Shabbos, in regard to your slaves and animals resting as well
87: Why slaves are commanded to rest
142: Quote from Heschel about how Judaism concerns itself with sanctification of time and that on Shabbos we “learn the art of surpassing civilization.”
178: Heschel: “The splendor of the day is expressed in terms of abstentions, just as the mystery of God is more adequately conveyed via negations”
184: The story in Gemara Shabbos about the spice named “Shabbos,” which only people who observe Shabbos can taste.
202: Prior to two and a half centuries ago, all Jewish communities in the world were “Shomer Shabbos.”
212: 50 years after the conservative movement permitted driving on Shabbos, what does a professor at JTS have to say about it and the effect it had on the community, when compared to the Orthodox community?
I did enjoy many parts of this book. I especially liked the first chapter, which discussed the evolution of the week in ancient and modern times. However, there were many parts of the book that didn’t have much to do with the book’s subtitle. Some of the middle chapters were studying arcane topics that didn’t have much to do with anything else in the book. There were a few series of pages that I just skipped out of boredom.
Overall, while I definitely enjoyed some parts of the book, I cannot necessarily recommend it, even to those who have a strong interest of the topic.
Pages with Bookdarts:
4: The Romans had an 8-day week (nundinae) where the 8th day was especially devoted to conducting business; the Jewish Sabbath has always had a prohibition of doing business
5: “The Sabbath was not the conclusion of the workweek; it was the opposite of the workweek.” Also see the quote of Roman writers who stigmatized the Jewish observance of Sabbath as a “decadent glorification of sheer idleness.”
6: China and Japan only adopted the 7-day week in the second half of the 19th century
7: Experiment in 1929 in the Soviet Union to have a 5-day week where on each day, 20% of workers take off, to maximize efficiency (a day off, but no Sabbath) - it didn’t work.
16: The source of the 7-day week can never be a human convention surviving because of inertia, it always goes back to the transcendent and my
61: The humanitarian purposes of Shabbos, in regard to your slaves and animals resting as well
87: Why slaves are commanded to rest
142: Quote from Heschel about how Judaism concerns itself with sanctification of time and that on Shabbos we “learn the art of surpassing civilization.”
178: Heschel: “The splendor of the day is expressed in terms of abstentions, just as the mystery of God is more adequately conveyed via negations”
184: The story in Gemara Shabbos about the spice named “Shabbos,” which only people who observe Shabbos can taste.
202: Prior to two and a half centuries ago, all Jewish communities in the world were “Shomer Shabbos.”
212: 50 years after the conservative movement permitted driving on Shabbos, what does a professor at JTS have to say about it and the effect it had on the community, when compared to the Orthodox community?
Displaying 1 of 1 review