A Gentile’s Delight in the Jewish Sabbath

As I write from the US, our congregation in Israel is finishing its weekly Erev Shabbat service. Shabbat in Israel is quite beautiful. When I lived in the US, we would observe, but the society around us continued moving. In Israel, the entire country shuts down. I love waking up on Saturday morning, knowing that I don’t have to do anything. I can take a walk with Elana on the Mediterranean boardwalk, spend time in God’s Word, or go for a bike ride (normally all three!). But what does Shabbat mean for someone who’s not Jewish?

Beloved, the Sabbath is a gift—first entrusted to Israel, yet overflowing with blessing for all who draw near to the God of Israel. Though Gentiles are not commanded to keep the Sabbath as Israel is, Scripture reveals that God’s rest is spacious enough to welcome anyone who desires to taste its goodness.

The prophet Isaiah envisioned a day when “the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord” would be invited to delight in His Sabbath (Isa. 56:6–7). This was not a call to take on Israel’s covenantal obligations, but an open door—an invitation into God’s joy. I believe these foreigners are Yeshua-lovers who stand with Israel. The Sabbath, at its heart, is not merely a rule but a rhythm; not a burden but a blessing. Yeshua says that the Sabbath is a gift to man.

For the Jewish people, Shabbat is a sign of the covenant—holy, eternal, and unique (Exod. 31:16–17). Yet nothing in God’s heart forbids a Gentile from stepping into the peace of that day, as a guest at a table already set and richly furnished. In fact, it is an act of humility: to savor what God has given Israel, without claiming it or reshaping it.

So how does a Gentile enjoy the Jewish Sabbath? Gently. Gratefully. Respectfully.

You can welcome Shabbat by ceasing from striving, by lighting the Sabbath candles, and remembering that God Himself rested. You can bless the Lord for choosing Israel and for revealing His Messiah to the world through them. You can read Torah, sing a psalm, or share a meal with friends. You can breathe deeply and say, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, who gives rest to His people Israel—and refreshment to all who seek Your face.”

If you really want to observe the Sabbath like Israelis as winter approaches, learn how to make Hamim, or, as it is known by European Jews, such as my family, Cholent: a slow-cooked Jewish Sabbath stew. Both exist because Jewish law prohibits cooking on Shabbat—so Jewish communities developed a beautiful solution: a hearty dish prepared before sunset on Friday and left to cook slowly overnight, ready for the Sabbath day meal. It is made with beans, meat, rice, eggs, potatoes, and all kinds of spices. 

Hamim or Cholent, photo credit screenshot of https://youtu.be/ZLbLn_cMCGo

And as you rest, you stand as a living testimony to the God who sanctified this day—not by becoming Jewish, but by honoring the story into which you have been graciously grafted.

May your Sabbath rest be a small foretaste of the world to come, when all flesh will worship before the Lord, and peace will cover the earth like the glow of a candle on a Friday evening.

Shabbat shalom.