Sabbath: Day set aside for rest and worship

The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat (שַׁבָּת). This word is built from the Hebrew root Sh-B-T, meaning rest.

In the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, the root Sh-B-T is used to describe God resting on the seventh day. This is the day after He finished creating the universe. In the Bible, the idea of Shabbat, or Sabbath, as a holy day of rest starts there.

Remembering and keeping Sabbath is also one of the Ten Commandments. From that, the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) all have a tradition of a holy day of rest or prayer set aside every week. These days are now very different from each other, including which day of the week they fall on.

• Jews observe Shabbat or Shabbath on Saturday.
• The Sabbath in Christianity is usually observed on Sunday but a few Christian denominations observe it on Saturday (e.g. Seventh-day Adventist Church).
• In Islam, Muslims hold a communal prayer, known as Jumu'ah, every Friday just after noon.

In addition:

• Different rituals of people called witches have been called Witches' Sabbath.
• A sabbatical is a paid break or rest from work.

• Sabbath in Christianity
• Gregorian calendar (Christian)
• Hebrew calendar (Jewish)
• Islamic calendar (Muslim)