Shabbat as a Reminder of the Exodus Connecting the commandment
to observe the Sabbath with the Israelites' rescue from Egyptian
slavery, the Torah makes Shabbat a symbol of compassion and
humane treatment for those in need of liberation. Reprinted with
permission from The Fourth Commandment, published by Bell Tower.
Exodus or Creation? No mention of creation or God resting or the
blessing the Sabbath received appears in the Shabbat commandment
in the book of Deuteronomy. Instead, Moses states, "Remember
that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Eternal your
God freed you from there... therefore the Eternal your God has
commanded you to observe the Sabbath day." This explanation
appears somewhat removed from the day itself, not as closely
tied to it as the other [which links it to the seventh day of
creation on which God rests]. How does God's freeing Israel from
Egypt lead to sanctifying the Sabbath? The answer unfolds in
layers. To begin with, the image of God in this version of the
commandment matc