Honouring Shabbat: A Commitment to Adonai Elohim’s Eternal Instruction
Dear Valued Customers and Partners,
At Touching His Hem, accessible via our website at https://www.touchinghishem.net, we are committed to conducting our business in alignment with the timeless principles set forth by Adonai Elohim. As a corporate entity dedicated to integrity and faithfulness, we wish to inform you of an important operational adjustment: the temporary closure of our online shopping functionality during Shabbat. This decision reflects our deep respect for Adonai Elohim’s commandments, ensuring that our practices honour His instructions for all generations. Below, we provide a detailed explanation of Shabbat, its biblical foundations, and the rationale behind this policy, drawing exclusively from the Torah, the Talmud, the Rabbinic Midrash, the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, and the New Testament, with scriptural quotations from the Complete Jewish Bible.
Understanding Shabbat: The Seventh Day of Rest
Shabbat, observed from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, is the seventh day of the week designated by Adonai Elohim as a day of rest, reflection, and holiness. It commemorates Adonai Elohim’s creation of the heavens and the earth, culminating in His own rest on the seventh day. This observance is not merely a cultural tradition but a divine mandate intended to foster spiritual renewal and communal harmony.
In the Torah, the foundational command for Shabbat is articulated in the Ten Commandments. As recorded in Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. You have six days to labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work—not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. For in six days, Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself.”
This passage underscores the universal application of Shabbat, extending to all within one’s domain, including servants, animals, and sojourners. It echoes the creation narrative in Genesis 2:2-3: “On the seventh day God was finished with his work which he had made, so he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy, because on that day God rested from all his work which he had created, so that it itself could produce.”
The Book of Jubilees, an ancient text expanding on Torah narratives, reinforces this eternal ordinance. In Jubilees 2:17-24, it describes how Adonai Elohim sanctified the seventh day at creation, commanding its observance as a perpetual covenant: “And He gave us a great sign, the Sabbath day, that we should work six days, but keep Sabbath on the seventh day from all work. And all the angels of the presence, and all the angels of sanctification, these two great classes. He has bidden us to keep the Sabbath with Him in heaven and on earth.”
Similarly, the Book of Enoch, in its astronomical sections Enoch 72-82, aligns the Sabbath with the divine order of time, portraying it as a reflection of heavenly rhythms established by Adonai Elohim.
The Perpetual Nature of Shabbat for All Generations
Adonai Elohim’s instruction regarding Shabbat is explicitly eternal, binding across generations. Deuteronomy 5:12-15 reiterates: “Observe the day of Shabbat, to set it apart as holy, as Adonai your God ordered you to do. You have six days to labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Adonai your God brought you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, Adonai your God has ordered you to keep the day of Shabbat.”
This command is framed as a remembrance of deliverance, emphasising gratitude and rest as acts of obedience. Rabbinic Midrash, such as in Midrash Rabbah on Exodus, expounds on this by interpreting Shabbat as a “sign” between Adonai Elohim and His people, a covenantal marker that distinguishes the faithful. The Talmud, in tractate Shabbat, e.g., Shabbat 118b, elaborates on the prohibitions and preparations for Shabbat, stressing that honouring it brings blessings and elevates daily life.
In the New Testament, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach affirms the sanctity of Shabbat while clarifying its purpose. In Mark 2:27 Yeshua declares: “Shabbat was made for mankind, not mankind for Shabbat.” This teaching, rooted in Torah compassion, underscores that Shabbat is a gift for human flourishing, not a burdensome legalism. Yeshua’s observance of Shabbat, as seen in Luke 4:16 where He customarily entered the synagogue on Shabbat, models its continued relevance.
The Talmud further discusses the extension of Shabbat observance to commercial activities. In Shabbat 150a, it warns against engaging in business calculations or transactions on Shabbat, interpreting this as a form of “work” that desecrates the day. Rabbinic Midrash, such as in Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael on Exodus, emphasises that ceasing from labour includes refraining from buying and selling, drawing from verses like Nehemiah 10:31: “If the peoples of the lands bring merchandise or food to sell on Shabbat, we will not buy from them on Shabbat or on a holy day.”
Our Corporate Decision: Closing the Shopping Function on Shabbat
As a business, Touching His Hem recognises that our online platform operates within the modern digital economy, where transactions can occur ceaselessly. However, to faithfully adhere to Adonai Elohim’s instructions, we will disable the shopping and purchasing features of our website from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday (adjusted for local time zones where applicable). This closure ensures that no commercial activity, such as processing orders, payments, or sales, takes place during Shabbat, honouring the divine prohibition against work and trade.
This policy is not driven by convenience or market trends but by a corporate commitment to scriptural obedience. By doing so, we align our operations with the eternal covenant described in the Book of Jubilees 2:29-30, which warns of the consequences of profaning Shabbat and promises blessings for its sanctification. It also reflects the New Testament’s call in Hebrews 4:9-10: “So there remains a Shabbat-keeping for God’s people. For the one who has entered God’s rest has also rested from his own works, just as God did from his.”
During this period, our website will remain accessible for informational purposes, such as browsing content, reading inspirational materials. Shopping functionality will resume automatically after Shabbat concludes. We appreciate your understanding and invite you to plan your purchases accordingly.
Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please contact our team via the website. We remain dedicated to serving you with excellence, guided by Adonai Elohim’s wisdom.
Sincerely, The Team at Touching His Hem
