Sabbath (Hebrew Shabbat, derived from the verb shavat, “to rest, cease”), a holy day of rest observed by the Jews and some Christian denominations on the seventh day of the week (see Saturday) and by most Christians on Sunday. The origin of the Sabbath is uncertain, but it is apparently connected with the Babylonian shapattu, the 15th day of the month, on which the full moon occurs, and the Babylonian cycle of “evil days” every seventh day.

The Bible describes the Sabbath as a reminder of God's rest after the Creation (see Exodus 20:11) and of the liberation from Egypt (see Deuteronomy 5:15). The prohibition of work (see Deuteronomy 5:12-14) is never fully explained in the Bible. Among the specific kinds of work prohibited are the kindling of fire (see Exodus 35:3), plowing and harvesting (see Exod. 34:21), and cooking (see Exod. 16:23). The rabbis of postbiblical times derived from Scripture 39 categories of prohibited activity. These main categories and their derivative prohibitions form the basis of modern Orthodox and Conservative Jewish observance of the Sabbath. The Reform and Reconstructionist movements view the laws as advisory rather than binding.

See also Blue Laws; Judaism.