Keeping the Sabbath Holy

Guidelines for Hola Senbet Selam (holy Sabbath peace)

The first post I made on Senbet was about what the Sabbath day is as a covenant and feast. Here are the Scriptures that deal what the rules are for Sabbath. I am not going into detail on actual practices, but more dealing with the general basic guidelines of the 6pm to 6 pm rest in JAH from the ancient Hebrew and Jewish traditions.

Rastafari in seeing ourselves as the distant yet genuine descendants of Isra’el, have been specially birthed by JAH through prophecy and history to become His cherished, peculiar treasure throughout the earth. As Jubilees interprets, we have been summoned by the Word of JAH to abide eternally in the same realms as HIM through the Sabbath seventh day rest from works.

“And I have chosen the seed of Jacob from amongst all that I have seen, and have written him down as My first-born son, and have sanctified him unto Myself for ever and ever; and I will teach them the Sabbath day, that they may keep Sabbath thereon from all work.” (Book of Jubilees 2:20).


As written in Exodus 20, the Sabbath Commandment is the only Law which begins with the word remember. What must we remember? To keep the Sabbath Holy. That is, to be mindful of our very own acts and words when we enter into the day of rest in the Lord. It is therefore necessary to not only read the Scriptures and overstand the importance of Sabbath, but to be mindful of how ones must prepare to keep Senbet a holy day of rest on earth as it is in Zion.

Therefore, Rastafari practises are twofold, based not only on the Hebrew Scripture commandments, but also on the concept of principled separation from that which defiles our Temples in Babylon/the world - that is, products, projects, languages, services, pleasures. Sabbath is a great partner to the Nazirite vow, which when considering its tenets, aims to separate the body from defilement with dead flesh, intoxication, and vanity. Such principled separation allows one to purge sin and bad habits, to be more I-Conscious and in tune with the heavenly and earthly JAH/Zion.

In order to conduct Sabbath in the correct Order, our driving force must be commitment to the purpose of such a day in the fullness that is expected of Ras Tafari’s exceptional children.

“And behold the commandment regarding the Sabbaths -I have written (them) down for thee- and all the judgements of its laws.
Six days shalt thou labour, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it ye shall do no manner of work, ye and your sons, and your men- servants and your maid-servants, and all your cattle and the sojourner also who is with you.
And the man that does any work on it shall die: whoever desecrates that day, whoever lies with (his) wife, or whoever says he will do something on it, that he will set out on a journey thereon in regard to any buying or selling: and whoever draws water thereon which he had not prepared for himself on the sixth day, and whoever takes up any burden to carry it out of his tent or out of his house shall die.
Ye shall do no work whatever on the Sabbath day save what ye have prepared for yourselves on the sixth day, so as to eat, and drink, and rest, and keep Sabbath from all work on that day, and to bless the Lord your God, who has given you a day of festival and a holy day: and a day of the holy kingdom for all Israel is this day among their days for ever.
For great is the honour which the Lord has given to Israel that they should eat and drink and be satisfied on this festival day, and rest thereon from all labour which belongs to the labour of the children of men save burning frankincense and bringing oblations and sacrifices before the Lord for days and for Sabbaths.
This work alone shall be done on the Sabbath-days in the sanctuary of the Lord your God; that they may atone for Israel with sacrifice continually from day to day for a memorial well-pleasing before the Lord, and that He may receive them always from day to day according as thou hast been commanded.
And every man who does any work thereon, or goes a journey, or tills (his) farm, whether in his house or any other place, and whoever lights a fire, or rides on any beast, or travels by ship on the sea, and whoever strikes or kills anything, or slaughters a beast or a bird, or whoever catches an animal or a bird or a fish, or whoever fasts or makes war on the Sabbaths:
The man who does any of these things on the Sabbath shall die, so that the children of Israel shall observe the Sabbaths according to the commandments regarding the Sabbaths of the land, as it is written in the tablets…”(Jubilees 50:6-13)

“Declare and say to the children of Israel the law of this day both that they should keep Sabbath thereon, and that they should not forsake it in the error of their hearts; (and) that it is not lawful to do any work thereon which is unseemly, to do thereon their own pleasure, and that they should not prepare thereon anything to be eaten or drunk, and (that it is not lawful) to draw water, or bring in or take out thereon through their gates any burden, which they had not prepared for themselves on the sixth day in their dwellings.
And they shall not bring in nor take out from house to house on that day; for that day is more holy and blessed than any jubilee day of the jubilees; on this we kept Sabbath in the heavens before it was made known to any flesh to keep Sabbath thereon on the earth” (Jubilees 2:29-30).

“You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the lord.” (Leviticus 19:30)

“Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:3)

The main statutes of Sabbath therefore include:


1. No buying or selling, no work

“Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.” (Leviticus 23:3)

"Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work" (Exodus 20)

“Thus says the Lord: “Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.” (Jeremiah 17:21-22).

2. No gathering food, making food. Be prepared from Friday morning/afternoon

“Then he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’”

(Exodus 16:23)

3. No kindling of fire for any reason

“You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” (Exodus 35:3)

No lighting of flame after Sabbath starts. Candles that have a long burning power can be used.

4. No travelling, be where you need to go before Sabbath.

“See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 

(Exodus 16:29)

“And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:20-21).

5. No pleasures or daily routines

“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honourable,
And shall honour Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure,Nor speaking your own words,”
(Isaiah 58:13)

No pleasures includes all recreational activities, as well as sexual relations on the marriage bed. Sabbath is a day of no work which means no creation, and includes procreation. Sabbath is a holy feast so it is a day when ones are to observe ritual purity.

It is interesting to note that The State of Israel in Palestine shuts down totally on Sabbath, not even electricity runs.


Blessed Love, give thanks for the reasoning and the works in the Name of the King JAH Rastafari and Queen JAH Rastafari!

Ila

Defining True Worship

Blessed Uprising to all Dawtas of Holy King Selah and Mama Omega!

I went to bed early and got up super early, so I decided to get a headstart on my post for today as I want to be finishing up an order, sewing, crocheting and whatever else later on,JAH willing.Sunrise is truly meolodic with the sounds of the birds and neighbourhood dogs. Even the blue and gold colours of the sky were just as beautiful as the full moon sky first night (meaning last night).

Today's topic is about the importance of goodwill, righteousness and the Krist-Life, which ultimately define worshipping JAH in "The Way" most preferred. I chose this topic because I wanted to make the point that it is important for Rastafari Sistren to remember the footsteps and character of Queen Omega, and to come together in this effort. The post I made on Queen Omega Livity Principles ideally is a collection of principles the Queen lived by which were expressions of Her Faith and Possession of the Hola Irit of the Goddess. Many posts that are made on RasTa WifeLine, will relate back to Her principles and how best Sistren can endeavour to achieve the same blessings.

   

I belong to the Roots Dawta Connection Trinidad and Tobago Chapter, and I and I get together to reason, strengthen one another and also perform charity services as well as tutoring services. All members and supporters love and strive to honour Empress Menen in all things, all the time. I also feel inspired by my fellow Roots Dawtas and coincidentally this post is for them.  

Defining True Worship: A Reasoning on Isaiah 58

 The show of Brotherly love and Sisterly love is the substance of harmony, peace, joy, enlightenment, healing and goodness; it defines the civility of any nation, the Godliness of any religion and the humanity of any race. One of the most important things to notice and recall about the last reigning Monarchs of Ethiopia - Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen - is Their devotion to JAH and all members of society: the children, elderly, poor, the military and other service industries and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church with its congregation. Such service and holy submission started long before Negus Tafari Makonnen was crowned Negusa Negast Qedamawi Haile Selassie - being an embedded part of Their Personalities. And what is the definition of God or Godliness if not the Provider of the poor and oppressed, Champion of Truth and Justice, Speaker of Wisdom and King of Righteousness?

 To walk as JAH RasTafari walked is therefore to honour Them, obey the Commandments, to find the true connection to JAH and the meaning of life. To walk as the Black Krist walked also defines True Worship and the ultimate realization of human destiny or perfection. The following essay is a reasoning on Isaiah 58 which is about defining true worship by Jahovah's standards, not man's. It is taken from an Ises guide and Iditation book called the Rastafari Book of Ises which I also wrote and which will soon be available, JAH willing. 

            Prophet Isaiah, during his sojourn in Judah, observed how the children of Judah conducted themselves during the holy times of fasting, prayer, feasts and Sabbath. What was made abundantly clear was that vanity tarnished the spirituality of Isra’el, because their own pleasures decided how they conducted themselves rather than JAH's will and word through His righteous Commandments. There was little consideration for morality and goodwill, Isra’el did wrong, and didn't care. Carnal satisfaction was higher than thanksgiving and all else.

                According to Isaiah Chapter 58, Isra’el was guilty of finding their own pleasure, speaking their own words (gossip, complaints, goals), doing their own will (instead of the requirements of the holy period and goodwill), exploiting others, bowing to idols, arguing and fighting. During the Sabbath or times of fasting, there was no rest from their ways and means, and no time was truly ever fully reserved for the Living God of their Covenant. They forgot that the Sabbath was instituted so that man would not forget to rest from his daily creations, and just reflect on and abide with himself, his I-Self.

                Embodying both the holy ways of Sabbath and True Worship or Ises is like a petition for blessings. Through Isaiah, Jahovah imparted what was right/ideal to consider True Worship. Man would:

•  loose the bands of the wicked/wickedness
• release heavy burdens and bonds of yolk or free the oppressed
• feed the hungry
• house the poor
• cover the naked
• gather with family
• put away finger pointing
• refrain from speaking vanities
• satisfy the afflicted soul
• call Senbet a delight, honourable, holy of the Lord
• honour JAH by not doing his own ways, or finding pleasure or speaking his own words. (The ego is silenced)

               

Summarising Isaiah's key points of true worship, it is clear that the greatest form of Ises, the truest form to be exact – has nothing to do with personal desires! JAH's definition of worship is that man think of others and God, before himself.

                True Worship or the powers of Ises, are wrapped up in a mixture of love, humility, selflessness, goodwill and righteousness. True Worship is about not talking the talk,  and making empty vows to JAH with the sweetest prayers -  it is about walking the walk that Kristos laid out and doing all the above selfless deeds - which for the benefit of your receiver - are Angels of JAH; or deliverance, salvation and comfort. We each bless Isra’el through goodwill on one hand, and as a result, on the other hand we worship and positively communicate to JAH at the same time, because of this willingness to serve others as JAH serves us by providing life and sustenance.

                True worship, through the power of such love for JAH with humility, selflessness and righteousness; takes The Creator's power to the bosoms of those who need it and creates the glory of Zion because the Name of JAH is praised in our actions. When we act in Isaiah's way, as Hebrews, we act in the name Jahovah, the Living God.  Worship is therefore something not to be solely confined to silent prayer or church gathering as it can and must be performed outside of allotted Ises times through community service and other good deeds.

Consequently, True Worship can also be summarised as the exhortation to be Righteous by being willing to: give, be good, obedient and praise the Lord with our “whole hearts”. Worship entails the healing of souls by the Irit and Word of JAH, and so when I and I pray, we are preparing and starting the healing process for others, and as a reward, or because we put blessed vibrations into the world, the healing returns for us also.

Not only is it important to do, but to keep Ises undefiled. This means that the thoughts and deeds behind our worship or prayers and goodwill, are of JAH RasTafari also; the attitude is correct. True worship in this perfection of Word and Act thus only knows and renders true blessings.

                Isaiah lists the blessings upon Isra’el when Jahovah is praised in the Highest manner:

• our healing shall spring forth speedily (regeneration)
• our righteousness shall go before us (protection)
• the glory of JAH shall be our reward (salvation)
• JAH shall answer our call (comfort)
• JAH shall always guide I and I (guidance)
•  He shall satisfy our souls in drought (satisfaction)
•  He shall strengthen our bones (endurance)
• He shall cause us to ride upon the high places of the earth (prosperity)
• He will feed us with the heritage of Father Jakob (anointing)
• We shall delight ourselves in the Lord (zeal and faithfulness)
• Our seed shall rebuild the places of desolation (repatriation)
• We shall raise up the foundations of many generations (continuation)

               

In other words, seeing that True Worship is rooted in the community and our relationships with one another as expressions and testaments to the presence of JAH among us, Rastafari are made whole; one body, one nation under JAH’s circle throne. It is clear to see that the purpose of the Nazirene is therefore quite similar to the requests of Isaiah, in that Yesus kristos asked over and over for ones to love JAH and one another whole heartedly whereby they’d become sinless in the Law and made whole by the Hola Irit of the Creator.

                The kingdom of JAH and Zion opens its gates and appears to us when we worship and live righteously and selflessly do the works of healing, or works which kill the presence of wickedness within us. True worship is the only path to Resurrection and Salvation on a personal level, and knowing the I-Self or Inner Goddess/God.

               

Serving JAH

               

                The ultimate service unto JAH, apart from the free will offering of Ises, is to be at one with, or in harmony with JAH’s terrestrial and cosmic worlds and energies; and ultimately to be at one with the way in which the human body was created to perform. Today man and womankind are very “into” their world of vices which are not of a spiritual nature. These things are obsessions that bring little good to the mind or society and environment. They are there for pleasure, vanity and riches instead.

                 Because little time is spent on reflection and seeking the True Wise Mind of JAH, little time is spent in service of God, or the I-Self.

                 The Ible altogether tells the True Hebrew to serve the Lord God Jahova JAH Rastafari, and by serving JAH we are guided, protected, forgiven, provided for, loved, rescued and blessed. Serving JAH requires every one of I and I to: love, be loyal, honour, emulate, raspect, trust and praise JAH the Living God.

The other Books of the Ible apart from Isaiah that speak on rendering such service to Jahovah, or the qualifications of true worship, are as follows:

You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. (Deuteronomy 13:4)

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?

(Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’

(Deuteronomy 11:13-15)

Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.  For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. (1 Samuel 12:2-22)

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing

(Psalm 100: 1-2)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 

(Romans 12: 1-2, 10-11, 13)

Selah!

Blessed Sabbath reading!

Ila Addis

The Meaning of Sabbath: Hola Senbet Selam

Greetings and Blessings for the coming Sabbath,


There are many Rastafari who keep the Sabbath or Senbet Day of Rest, holy and sacred because it is a part of the Ten Commandments which His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I personally requested that all man and wombman read and abide by. His Majesty is noted in the film Man of the Millenium, to stay home on Senbet, and watch educational documentaries with His Family.

Richard Pankurst in Aethiopica quotes Ras Tafari Makonnen saying in the province of Harar, in 1913:

Before this there have been many proclamations about work being carried out on the Sabbath and other holy days which were established with excommunication. But now we realise that the wrath of God has not abated, due to your indulgence in working on holy days and especially on the Sabbath, despite proclamation and excommunication. Henceforward, observe the Sabbath and the other already specified holy days! Do not labour on these days! Any person found working on these days, forbidden both by proclamation and excommunication, shall be punished! (Pankhurst, 2004)

Because Prince Emmanuel was very staunch with Mosaic Law, Sabbath is a major part of the Bobo Shanty mansionl and was one of the biggest sacrifices I've personally ever made as RasTafari. Dreadlocks and Ital are sacrifices in their own right, as are sobriety and separation from Babylonian society, but Sabbath is a sacrifice of all daily customs, for worship and Iditation on the JAH and one's Ivine Connection to the I-the Most High Selah Alpha and Omega I.

In order to remember to keep the Sabbath day holy, every Ras must be educated in the Way of Sabbath, and overstand what it truly means as a feast, a fast, a hallowed day of rest and a solemn assembly. The following Sabbath reasoning is part of an entire written work I did on the topic based on my research in different texts, namely the Book of Jasher, the Book of Jubilees and the Books of Moses (first five Books of the Torah), National Sunday Law and the Cathechism.

This excerpt is not really to delve into or explain the creation and institution of Sabbath, just to briefly outline what it is, and what it signifies as a day of rest.

The meaning of Sabbath, or Senbet in Amharic, or Shabbat in Hebrew is most commonly derived from its recorded place as the Fourth Commandment on the tablets of stone housed in the Ark of the Covenant, and re-written in the Book of Exodus Chapter 20 (and 31:12-18); which reads: 

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 

 (Exodus 20:8-11)

The Sabbath is a weekly holy day held on the seventh day. The seventh day was actually called Shabbat, not Saturday, by Isra’el. Senbet is a time for remembering God collectively as a Nation, after every six days of labour.
The Sabbath is the sign and seal of the Covenant between Abraham’s Seed the Twelve Tribes of Isra’el, and the Living God and Creator Elohim. It was a day the entire Nation had to submit to:

Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgements, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’ Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. (Ezekiel 20:10-12)

And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:15)

The Sabbath was given only to Isra’el to be the sign and seal of the Nation (like circumcision). It became their identification, a holy seventh-day law for all tribes no matter if they were in the wilderness or in Kanaan. The Sabbath as part of the Ten Commandments of Zion, and as the seal of the Covenant, was a strict law that could not be broken: "Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death" (Exodus 35:2). It is not surprising that the Commandment starts with “Remember the Sabbath Day.” There are a few points to overstand on Sabbath from the Commandment:


First, the Sabbath day is specifically the seventh day of the week; and not simply one day out of seven; or at the end of any randomly chosen six days. It is the holy rest day after the marked six day period of the working week. It is not a holiday intermittently during the Sunday to Friday week.

"Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (Genesis Chapter 2:1-3)

Second, this Commandment instructs us that on the Sabbath day each family as a unit is to do NO WORK. Leviticus 23:8 and Numbers 29:35 state that during Sabbath, no laborious work or anything that is customary work to a man, woman, child, animal or employee shall be carried out. It is a time for assembly and rest. “… you shall have a sacred assembly. You shall do no customary work.” It is not a time to carry, to work, to collect, to create, or to mould or fashion. Therefore the home and body must become quiet sanctuaries of Jahovah.


Third, JAH the Creator God and Goddess rested on the seventh day after fashioning the Iniverse, thereby giving Creation the first truest ensample of the Sabbath’s requirements and meaning. Thus, the conception and specified observance of the Sabbath ordained by JAH was from the beginning a symbolic gift of that which JAH did for humanity during Creation. This gift would continue always, because of God’s promise to Abraham, even though man is sinful. Immanuel said that “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). The Sabbath is for man’s rest and rejuvenation in JAH, it is for his own well-being. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28).


Fourth, the Lord “blessed and sanctified/hallowed” the Sabbath day, making the Sabbath a separate day of holiness for Isra’el. Sabbath is a day of blessing and sanctification; not of burden, sorrow or planning. The Sabbath is a day of service not to the world, through work and money-spending, lust and greed. It is a day to become one with JAH by separating ourselves from activities and mind-sets that serve to defile Creation rather than embrace it.




Scriptural references to the Sabbath Day such as “Sabbath of solemn rest”, “holy convocation,” “sacred assembly” and “solemn assembly” also give some indication as to what is ritual for that day: Communal Rest in the Lord God Jahovah. Used in these terms however, the Sabbath Day specifies also the honorary commencement and closing of the Appointed Times or Feasts of the Lord Ha Moyadim in Hebrew (Leviticus 23). Whenever Ha Moyadim began the Israelites refrained from work on that day. 

"These are the feasts [Ha Moyadim]of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day—besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord. "(Leviticus 23: 37-38)

Sabbath is the first and most reoccurring Appointed Time Feast day for Isra’el in Leviticus 23 (aside from New Moon feasts): "Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings" (Leviticus 23:3). The others Feasts include: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First fruits, Pentecost, the Day of Atonement the Great Sabbath of Sabbaths, Tabernacles and Trumpets. The Feasts are more or less defined by Leviticus 23. It is important to take note of the Great Shabbat or Feast of Atonement:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.” (Leviticus 23:26-32)

The Feast of Atonement is the only day the High Priest can enter the Holy of Holies to atone for Israel’s sins. It is a feast for acknowledging sin, and specifically to facilitate a mass gathering for the repentance for sin. It is considered also to be the forerunner of Judgment Day after the Great Tribulation (Zechariah 13:1; Revelation). The law of the feast specifies no work to be done, that all souls must be afflicted. Affliction of the soul means that the Israelites would be greatly troubled and grieved for their iniquity, for their vanities, their outright sins before JAH. They would have to take a break from works, pause and reflect on the Word (SELAH) they would have to face themselves. By tradition, this greatest of all Sabbath Days is marked by fasting ten days before the date. No eating, drinking, bathing, marital relations or work should be attempted, for this feast day to result in complete and faithful repentance. White, according to the Hebrew Identity, is also the main colour worn as for the weekly Sabbath, in order to remind ones of the goal of the feast: purity.


As mentioned, the sacred assembly of Sabbath can fall at the start or end of a feast season. This is ideally a Sabbath with a special “Covenantal” significance. ‘No work’ during a feast is specific to a Sabbatical Feast that does not fall on a Friday, but on the day of the feast. This Sabbath was a “holy convocation”, “sacred assembly” meaning a holy day set apart for worship under the theme of the feast. Leviticus 23:6-8 describes the Feast of Unleavened Bread which is an ensample of such a “High Sabbath” or feast-determined solemn assembly. "On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it."


The Feast of Tabernacles also gives an ensample: 


"On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it." (Leviticus 23: 35-36).

By observing the Sabbath day and keeping it holy, Rastafari are blessed with spiritual, physical and heartical rejuvenation; making time to praise Rastafari and grow closer to HIM. Babylonian obligations often take up too much time away from reasoning and educating the mind with knowledge on Afrika, Ethiopia, Isra’el and Ras Tafari Selah. The Sabbath is the time I and I take every strong-end, to bring our children closer to JAH and to spend quiet time as a family.

The Bobo Shanty priesthood sees ritual celibacy and Sabbath as sure guides to ever-living life, as shown in Isaiah:
"Thus says the Lord: “ Keep justice, and do righteousness, or My salvation is about to come,
And My righteousness to be revealed.
Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it;
Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the Lord
Speak, saying, “ The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;
Nor let the eunuch say, “ Here I am, a dry tree.”
For thus says the Lord: “ To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off.
“ Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants - Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant - Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
(Isaiah Chapter 56:1-7)


Blessed Heart of Sabbath, Senbet Selam Selah!

Ila