The Sabbath

by Abraham Joshua Heschel, Ilya Schor (Illustrator), Susannah Heschel (Introduction)

Genres: Nonfiction

125 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 17, 2005

About the author

Heschel was a descendant of preeminent rabbinic families of Europe, both on his father's (Moshe Mordechai Heschel, who died of influenza in 1916) and mother's (Reizel Perlow Heschel) side, and a descendant of Rebbe Avrohom Yehoshua Heshl of Apt and other dynasties. He was the youngest of six children including his siblings: Sarah, Dvora Miriam, Esther Sima, Gittel, and Jacob. In his teens he received a traditional yeshiva education, and obtained traditional semicha, rabbinical ordination. He then studied at the University of Berlin, where he obtained his doctorate, and at the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums, where he earned a second liberal rabbinic ordination.

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the most beautiful portrayal of a Christian Sabbath that I have ever read - without even any mention or acknowledgment of Jesus. Heschel explains Sabbath as sanctified time, contrasted with the world of “space” or material things. Sabbath is then an entrance into eternity, a way to “experience the taste of eternity or eternal life within time”, something that is not primarily outward or after death, but is “planted within us.”

He notes that, paraphrasing, just as poverty brings out oppression, so does abundance - doubtlessly true in 21st century America. More than by any Christian treatment on Sabbath, I am convinced that Sabbath is a crucial part of living within the kingdom of God that is at hand, brought about by the reign of Jesus as anointed king, filled with a deep longing for a foretaste of what is to come.

[Hannah Brigmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

brooks & I read this together and it is the most beautiful portrayal of Sabbath I’ve read outside of scripture— and written in the authors second language! Color me impressed !!

Rest is what our soul longs for- but hurry is society’s melody. I hope I learn to rest in a manner similar to that depicted throughout this novel.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written if a bit esoteric. The kind of book you need to read at least twice to really grasp.

[rian arellano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading The Sabbath felt like stepping into a sacred conversation about time and its meaning. Heschel reframes the way we think about holiness—not as something tied to places or things, but to time itself. His argument that the Sabbath is not a break from the world but a way of transcending it resonated deeply. It’s not about rejecting modern life but rising above its chaos to embrace what is eternal.

One of the ideas that stuck with me is his distinction between the world of space and the sanctity of time. Heschel writes that six days a week, we wrestle with the world and its demands, but on the seventh, we nurture the “seed of eternity” planted in our souls. The Sabbath becomes a reminder that we are more than our work, more than what we produce or consume.

I was struck by his view of Sabbath as “a day of being, not having,” and as a reflection of God’s creation. Heschel challenges us to see time not as something to conquer but to sanctify. His words are poetic, almost liturgical, and reading them felt like being gently called into a deeper awareness of life’s sacred rhythms.

For anyone seeking a profound perspective on rest, holiness, and what it means to live meaningfully, The Sabbath offers wisdom that feels timeless.

[Anna Read-Cressman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heschel exudes a joy for the Sabbath throughout this book, writing in an almost poetic manner. I think to fully appreciate it, I would need to read it again. His space/time argument was partially lost on me.

[Laine]

Beautiful writing but this totally went over my head

[Pierre Lourens]

Fascinating approach to how to conceive of time. The metaphor of “a cathedral of time” sticks. You don’t need to be religious to appreciate this as a counterweight to our modern society.