Teaching Team
Because of the Nazarenes
As believers, the weekly havdalah celebration holds special significance. It was on the havdalah after Passover that our beloved Master was resurrected from the dead as part of His grand mission as the Chosen One of Hashem. While it was common for the believers and all of Judaism during the first century to celebrate havdalah, for the believers it was a weekly reminder of Messiah.
In the Talmud b.Taanit 27b it states:
"And on the first of the week, why did they not fast? Rabbi Yochanan said, 'For on account of the Notzrim [Nazarenes]."
This section of Gemara is listed among a series of fasts that were not observed by members of the maamad [Israelites who acted as representatives of the people in the Temple at the offering of the tamid]. Members of the maamad would go up to the Temple on rotating shifts of one week per group out of a total of 24 groups. Those who were not on duty so to speak remained in their respective towns and would fast and pray. They observed a series of four fasts and they did not fast on the eve of the Shabbat, on the Shabbat itself, and on the first of the week [from havdalah to sundown the next day].
Rashi says in his commentary that this group did not fast because the Nazarenes would likely be take offense if a fast was observed. However, we must remember that Rashi compiled his commentaries during the era of the Crusades and as a result his remarks often reflect an interpretation that ignores the Messianic context of passages from Tanakh and the like.
Instead, this passage of Gemara should be read in light of the fact that during the Temple times, the believers were still a respected and accepted group within Pharisaic Judaism. Thus, such a significant event as the resurrection of the Master (whose followers numbered in the thousands) was seen as such a great event that fasting was prohibited. Cf. e.g. Luke 24:19 which says "The things about Yeshua the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people" (emphasis mine).
Such a remembrance of the Master's resurrection may be the subject of Paul's havdalah message in Acts 20:7-12. As each Shabbat draws to a close and the havdalah candle is lit (cf. Acts 20:8), we are reminded of the "true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man" (John 1:9), the Light which "shines in the darkness" (John 1:5) which could not be overcome by the darkness.
(Credit: Brian R. Volunteer/ Researcher)
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Visitor Feedback:
I have always wondered about this passage and regarded it as good evidence that the 1st day of the week was indeed being revered by believers from a very early time. That doesn't mean that the Apostles were keeping Sunday instead of Sabbath, but they were honoring it in some way. This also helps explain how the transition from Sabbath to Sunday took place in the 2nd century, when the church was distancing itself from Judaism.
D. Thomas Lancaster | September 19, 2007 11:39 AM