To cook or not to cook
Do all of God’s appointed rests days require the same ceasing’s from labors, or do the Holy Scriptures distinguish between the Appointed Times as to what certain type of labor may be allowable depending upon the Appointed Time in question? Let us overview the Scriptures regarding these days of rest, and thereby search these things out.
The Bible contains several different phrases concerning the appointed Moedim and weekly Sabbath regarding the word “work” which can or cannot be done. For the weekly Sabbath it simply states “you must not do any work” or “rest completely”. In other passages it states “you are not to do any regular or servile work”. What is the difference? First let us define the word servile; according to the Biblical meaning: Servile means Laborious. It most often refers to working for someone else or working in your profession to earn pay for ones benefit.
Some work needs to be done every day. In biblical times the Priests needed to work daily in the Tabernacle. When we prepare food on the sixth day we still have to serve it, and pick up after eating on the Sabbath. That also is work. If you have a baby or elderly person to attend to, you perform work on the Sabbath. Tending to livestock and pets is a daily chore that cannot be ignored on the Sabbath. We have been entrusted with their welfare and they are our responsibility. Medical professionals, fire fighters, and police need to be on call for emergencies even on the Sabbath.
As one can see there is work to be done even on the Sabbath as well as on the Moedim. Lets take a closer look at what the Scripture tells us about work.
Sabbath Laws
“Six days you are to do your work (H4399), and on the seventh day you rest (H7673), in order that your ox and your donkey might rest (H5117), and the son of your female servant and the sojourner be refreshed”. (Exodus 23:12, ISR 98)
“Six days work (H4399) is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest (H7677), a set-apart gathering. You do no (H3808, H3695) work (H4399), it is a Sabbath to יהוה in all your dwellings” (Leviticus 23:3, ISR 98).
Three Feasts of Pilgrimage
“Three times in the year you are to observe a festival to Me:
“Guard the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Aḇiḇ – for in it you came out of Mitsrayim – and do not appear before Me empty-handed;
and the Festival of the Harvest, the first-fruits of your labours which you have sown in the field; and the Festival of the Ingathering, Sukkot, at the outgoing of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labours from the field. (Exodus 23:14-16, ISR 98)
‘These are the appointed times of יהוה, set-apart gatherings which you are to proclaim at their appointed times.
‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, is the Passover to יהוה.
‘And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to יהוה – seven days you eat unleavened bread.
‘On the first day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile (H5656) work (H4399).
‘And you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה for seven days. On the seventh day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.’
And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
“Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and you shall say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest.
‘And he shall wave the sheaf before יהוה, for your acceptance. On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it.
‘And on that day when you wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering to יהוה,
and its grain offering: two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to יהוה, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine.
‘And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
‘And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths.
‘Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to יהוה.
‘Bring from your dwellings for a wave offering two loaves of bread, of two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour they are, baked with leaven, first-fruits to יהוה.
‘And besides the bread, you shall bring seven lambs a year old, perfect ones, and one young bull and two rams. They are a burnt offering to יהוה, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet fragrance to יהוה.
‘And you shall offer one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old, as a peace offering.
‘And the priest shall wave them, besides the bread of the first-fruits, as a wave offering before יהוה, besides the two lambs. They are set-apart to יהוה for the priest.
‘And on this same day you shall proclaim a set-apart gathering for yourselves, you do no servile (H5656) work (H4399) on it – a law forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
‘And when you reap the harvest of your land do not completely reap the corners of your field when you reap, and do not gather any gleaning from your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am יהוה your Elohim.’ ”
And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
“Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a rest, a remembrance of blowing of trumpets, a set-apart gathering.
‘You do no servile (H5656) work (H4399), and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה.’ ”
And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
“On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a set-apart gathering for you. And you shall afflict (H6031) your beings, and shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה.
“And you do no (H3808, H3605) work (H4399) on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before יהוה your Elohim.
“For any being who is not afflicted on that same day, he shall be cut off from his people.
“And any being who does any (H3605) work (H4399) on that same day, that being I shall destroy from the midst of his people.
“You do no (H3605) work (H4399) – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
‘It is a Sabbath of rest (H7677) to you, and you shall afflict (H6031) your beings. On the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you observe your Sabbath.”
And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
“Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Booths, Sukkot, for seven days to יהוה.
‘On the first day is a set-apart (H6944) gathering (H4744), you do no servile (H5656) work (H4399).
‘For seven days you bring an offering made by fire to יהוה. On the eighth day there shall be a set-apart gathering for you, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה. It is a closing festival, you do no servile (H5656) work (H4399).
‘These are the appointed times of יהוה which you proclaim as set-apart gatherings, to bring an offering made by fire to יהוה, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a slaughtering and drink offerings, as commanded for every day –
besides the Sabbaths of יהוה, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your voluntary offerings which you give to יהוה.
On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the fruit of the land, observe the festival of יהוה for seven days. On the first day is a rest (H7677), and on the eighth day a rest (H7677).
‘And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of good trees, branches of palm trees, twigs of leafy trees, and willows of the stream, and shall rejoice before יהוה your Elohim for seven days.
‘And you shall observe it as a festival to יהוה for seven days in the year – a law forever in your generations. Observe it in the seventh month.
‘Dwell in booths for seven days; all who are native Yisra’ĕlites dwell in booths,
so that your generations know that I made the children of Yisra’ĕl dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim. I am יהוה your Elohim.’ ”
Thus did Mosheh speak of the appointed times of יהוה to the children of Yisra’ĕl (Leviticus 3:9-44, ISR 98).
What are the Difference Between “No Work” and “No Servile Work”?
Weekly Sabbath – no manner of work, no food prep
Unleavened bread – 1 & 7 days no servile work, food prep allowed
Wave Omer – normal day Shavuot – no servile work, food prep allowed
Yom Teruah – no servile work, food prep allowed
Yom Kippur – no manner of work, no food prep
Sukkot – 1 day no servile work, food prep allowed
Shemini Atzeret – no servile work, food prep allowed
Distinguishing Between the “Rests” of the Various Appointed Times
Seventh Day Sabbath “…the seventh day is the Sabbath of יהוה your Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work…” (Exodus 20:10) “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein…” (Leviticus 23:3) According to Holy Scripture, no manner of work is to be performed upon the seventh day Sabbath.
Feast of Unleavened Bread (1st and 7th days) “In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein….in the seventh day is a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” (Leviticus 23:7, 8)
Does this commanded form of rest differ from the one we read above concerning the seventh day Sabbath? What is the difference of “no work” and “no servile work”? What does the term “servile work” mean? Let us examine another reference to this commanded rest of the first and last days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread: “…in the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.” (Exodus 12:16)
Appointed Times which have no “servile work allowed” upon them differ from the seventh day Sabbath in that food preparation is allowable upon these days. Contrast this allowance with the example of Exodus 16 concerning preparing food in advance of the Sabbath:
4 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “See, I am raining bread from the heavens for you. And the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, in order to try them, whether they walk in My Torah or not.
5 “And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”
22 And it came to be, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Mosheh.
23 And he said to them, “This is what יהוה has said, ‘Tomorrow is a rest, a Sabbath set-apart to יהוה. That which you bake, bake; and that which you cook, cook. And lay up for yourselves all that is left over, to keep it until morning.’ ” (Exodus 16:4,5,22,23)
As seen above, food preparation is to be done previous to the beginning of Sabbath; while on the other hand, food preparation is allowable directly upon the “no servile work” days. Therein then is the difference between “no work” and “no servile work.”
With this in mind, let us continue the overview of the Appointed Times to see which days fit into each category:
1 Feast of Firstfruits/Pentecost ‘And on this same day you shall proclaim a set-apart gathering for yourselves, you do no servile work on it – a law forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations….” (Leviticus 23:21) No manner of work should be done upon this day of Pentecost, with the exception of food preparation.
2 Day of Shouting/”Trumpets” “In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath shabbaton (The term shabbaton is used to describe the weekly Sabbath and each of the 7th month moadim. It also describes the 7th year. The terms Shabbat and Shabbaton are not interchangeable) a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein…” (Leviticus 23:24,25) No manner of work should be done upon this Day of Shouting, with the exception of food preparation.
3 Day of Atonement “…on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement…And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a Day of Atonement…And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work…” (Leviticus 23:27,28,30,31) Like unto the seventh day Sabbath, no manner of work should be done upon this Day of Atonement at all.
4 Feast of Tabernacles (1st and 8 * days) [Sukkot is 7 days; *8 day is a separate day Shemini Atzeret] “On the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein…on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you…and ye shall do no servile work therein. … Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto יהוה seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath [shabbaton], and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath [shabbaton]. “(Leviticus 23:35, 36) No manner of work should be done upon either of these two days, with the exception of food preparation.
This fact is noted by the Jews themselves in their Talmud: “Mishnah. There is no difference between festivals and Sabbath save only in the matter of [preparing] food.11” footnote: “(11) Lit., ‘food of the person’. I.e., that food for the day may be cooked on festivals but not on Sabbath.” [Babylonian Talmud (Soncino edition)- Mas. Megilah 7b]
The fact that the seventh day Sabbath and the Day of Atonement are different in their nature of rest is further bore out by the fact that in the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures, only the 7th day Sabbath and the Day of Atonement are ever referred to as Shabbat (Strong’s #7676), while other Appointed Times of the Eternal (i.e., Day of Shouting/Trumpets, the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day) are referred to as shabbaton (Strong’s #7677). (The first and seventh days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as well as Pentecost, are not directly referred to in Scripture by either of these designations, but by implication of their designated rest they fall into the category of shabbaton).
Search the Scriptures to see if these things are so.