Which day is the real Sabbath?

Shalom and thank you for your question. You are debating about which day is the real Sabbath. To understand this, some basic premises need to be made clear… if we are talking about Judaism as opposed to a different religion, I will try to the best of my ability to present the case regarding the Jewish Sabbath.

Judaism can not be understood without studying both the Written and the Oral law, both of which were handed down to Moses at Sinai to study and teach to the people. The revelation of the Ten Commandments was a public event. The entire Jewish nation which had just escaped slavery in Egypt were present, and the impressions of that event were handed down through the generations. The Ten Commandments however, were only chapter headings of the many complex laws which the Jewish people received. Further on in Exodus Chap.18, we find that Jethro gives Moses advice, seeing that long lines of people are waiting to consult with Moses all day. The lines of people were extending ‘around the block’ so to speak. What was it that the people were seeking from Moses? It states that Moses sat to ‘judge the people’. This was the practical application of the law in their personal lives. Furthermore it is described elsewhere that Moses would sit in the Tent of Meeting and teach, his brother Aaron would come and learn and sit by his side, then the elders and then the rest of the people. The Pentateuch was written down and  the body of Oral law is so called because it was handed down through the generations by word of mouth from teacher to student, until tragic events like the destruction of the Holy Temples and the concurrent massacres brought about the concern that it would be forgotten. Then began an ongoing process of recording Talmud and commentaries, and the body of law constantly grows because with technology and changes in society new questions constantly arise, which are analyzed according to the age-old principles of the Oral law.

The passages that you quote in your question describe firstly a temporary situation in the desert when the Manna came down from Heaven, and the people were instructed to gather it on weekdays, and that they would receive a double portion on Friday in honor of the Sabbath, this portion would remain fresh for the Sabbath, and they were enjoined not to go out on the Sabbath to collect any food. They were required to trust that G-d would come through for them with the miracles of the manna. From the statement “Nobody should leave his place on the seventh day,” the Oral law derives that Jews must not carry on the Sabbath beyond a specially constructed boundary called an Eiruv. At the point in time when this statement was made the people had hitherto not been taught about this prohibition and not yet become obligated.

Another application of this concept is that indeed within a certain specified distance, the Jewish person should not venture forth even by foot, but this is a distance which definitely leaves room for activities such as attending a synagogue even if it is quite far away, provided that certains limitations are met. There are also methods of extending the Sabbath boundaries in a case such as medical need, or If you need to visit someone who is hospitalized on the Sabbath.

As to what actual day the Sabbath is on, it simply depends when we are counting from. According to the Jewish calendar, the Sabbath IS the seventh day of the week. In the Holy tongue, there are no names for weekdays other than, ‘First in the Sabbath, Second in the Sabbath, Third in the Sabbath, and so forth. ‘Saturday’ is a term stemming from mythology which is not Jewish. Also, according to Jewish law and the Jewish calendar, the Sabbath indeed begins AFTER SUNDOWN of the SIXTH day. This is because the Jewish day begins at sundown of the previous day. Thus, the Jewish Sabbath is kept, after lighting the Sabbath candles just before sunset on Friday, from Friday night through Saturday after sundown. The moment that nightfall has occurred on Saturday night, the Sabbath restrictions no longer apply, Perhaps the confusion here is the matter of the Sabbath actually beginning on the sixth ‘day’ – which according to the Jewish calendar is really the beginning of the seventh;.

What is perhaps the most important, is honoring the Sabbath, according to one’s own religion, by making it a meaningful day, studying topics of G-dly content together with community and family, praying and being close to G-d.