Jewish trustworthy knowledge?

Question

I emailed a jewish rabbi to ask if he new if the sabbath was first introduced before mt sinai. (As seventh day adventists believe)
He replied "the is no scriptural evidence that adam and eve observed the sabbath... Many religious traditions have developed a method by which they ascribe the practise of their favourite ideals to their religious heroes, who lived before these ideals became the norm."

Would this make the rabbi's e-mail a strong message if shown to an sda?

The rabbi is Samuel M Stahl of Texas

Answer 1

Listen to this mans personal testimony. He is Jewish. It is an awesome testimony. I would get in touch with him and ask ?'s.
http://www.mcleanbible.org/media_player.asp?messageID=961

Answer 2

Of course, most of what is written and taken for eternal facts of creation wasn't actually written except well after David's and Solomon's time: supposedly 3,000 years after creation. I wonder, if we in our modern time cannot establish consensus over some basic facts in the life of Jesus (who was here only 2,000 years ago, with witnesses who almost instantly wrote down large parts of His life and achievements), how did those who wrote the OT, 3,000 years after "Genesis" know for certain exactly what happened all those centuries before them, least to say about God the creator following the same time system as ours?

If this be true or not, who would have known? Who was it that was watching what God was doing during creation to lay down the sequence of events as it is in the OT? And so, who could have known (should we assume the "week" then was the same as our week now) at what exact day of that week God began creating, and at what exact day he finished and "rested"? Oh and Genesis speaks roughly outside the earth sphere, but then what about the rest of God's creation; what about the whole wide universe and the millions of galaxies out there? Genesis doesn't specify if they were made the same time earth was being made, does it?

All this in question, but let's not forget to keep the Sabbath, for "on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work...and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it..."

Well, things had to be put in some orderly fashion, otherwise there would be no plausible scenario to the whole mystery of existence, not to mention a chronological biography that would eventually lead to the climax that was realized in the appearance of our Lord Jesus.

Can't promise our brothers and sisters the Adventists any more credibility on the matter, and how credible even this is...I guess one can only speculate; and indeed, Jesus' word "God made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath" almost implies man's freedom to keep a day to the Lord (certainly not the way Jews do), should that even not be the Sabbath at all!

I'm not sure who scores higher on this; me, or Rabbi Stahl.

Answer 3

read exodus chapter 16 and remember, this was before mt Sinai. also ask the Rabbi to read the Hebrew text of exodus where moses asks the Pharaoh to allow the workers to rest. you will find that the Hebrew word used there for rest is another word in Hebrew for the sabbath. than there is the creation. why did god, after making six days, make another one. it must be very special.

i suggests you talk to more than one Rabbi as Judaism is made up of many different sects and some even worship on Sunday

Answer 4

The Rabbi is correct.

The sabbath observance was introduced only after the Hebrews began wandering in the desert.

You could see the practical aspect of the sabbath for people who walked the desert from dawn to dusk, for 40 straight years.

One day off, after six days walking, would be very welcome, if only to let the blisters heal.

Answer 5

i think shabbat has been always. god created the world in 6 days, rested the seventh. from there comes the shabbat. on the 6 day he crated adam and eve. so their second day in life was already shabbat. Keeping the shabbat as in not working, not creating etc is every rabbi and his rules of exactly what is considered to keep.... doing mitzvot (doing things according to the bible) began only after mt.sinnai (until then we didnt have a bible) so keeping the shabbat which is considered a mitzva began after mt.sinnai

Answer 6

What an interesting and sensible religious leader. But there again I have found most Rabbis are.

They have another plus - I have never had a Rabbi try to convert me to Judaism

Answer 7

in genesis G-d sanctifies the seventh day as being holy, but thats about it. there are no laws given to govern it, and so no observance of it. it mentions that G-d rested on it, but not people. observing it as a day of rest for people and animals doesn't come until the book of exodus, and mt. sinai.

Answer 8

I think he's speaking secularly.