No Eating Out or Cooking on the Sabbath

 

A strict prohibition against eating out (i.e., buying prepared food from others) and against cooking on the Sabbath is derived from the Bible

1. Cooking / Kindling Fire Is Forbidden Work

Exodus 35:3 (given specifically in the context of the Sabbath immediately after instructions for building the Tabernacle)

“You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”

• Traditional understanding: Lighting a fire or causing something to be cooked (which normally involves fire/heat) is one of the 39 categories of forbidden melacha (creative work) on Shabbat.  
• Even today, turning on an electric stove, microwave, or any heating element is seen as a violation of this verse.

Exodus 16:23 (the manna instructions – the first Shabbat commandment in Scripture)

“Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.”

• This is understood as the positive command to do all cooking before the Sabbath begins. Whatever you are going to eat on Shabbat must be fully cooked before sundown Friday.

2. Buying and Selling (Commercial Transactions) Are Forbidden

Nehemiah 10:31

“And if the peoples of the land bring ware or any food on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day…”

Nehemiah 13:15–18 (Nehemiah rebukes Judah for Sabbath violations)

“In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day… And I warned them not to sell food… Men of Tyre who lived in the city brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah… I confronted them and cursed them…”

• Direct biblical prohibition of buying food on the Sabbath, even from Gentiles.  
• This is the verse most often cited to forbid eating at restaurants, take-out, or any place where money changes hands on Shabbat.

3. Food Must Be Prepared Before the Sabbath

Exodus 16:5 (the double portion of manna on the sixth day)

“On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”

• Combined with verse 23 (“bake what you will bake today”), this establishes the principle that all food preparation (including cooking) must be completed before the Sabbath begins.

4. Carrying and Commerce in the Gates

Jeremiah 17:21–22, 24–27

“Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not carry a burden on the Sabbath day… nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem… But if you do not listen to me… then I will kindle a fire in its gates…”

• While this includes literal carrying, the rabbis (and many strict observers today) extend it to any form of commerce or burden, including money or ordering food.

Summary of the Traditional Scriptural Conclusion

• Cooking (or causing food to be cooked with fire/heat) is forbidden → Exodus 35:3, 16:23.  
• Buying food or engaging in commerce is forbidden → Nehemiah 10:31, 13:15–18.  
• All food for Shabbat must be fully prepared before sundown Friday → Exodus 16:5, 23.

Therefore, from a strict traditional Torah-observant perspective:  

• You may not cook on the Sabbath.  
• You may not buy prepared food (eating out, take-out, restaurant, coffee shop, etc.) on the Sabbath.  
• All meals eaten on the Sabbath must come from food cooked and set aside before the Sabbath began.

This is why Orthodox Jews will not turn on ovens, order food, pay at a restaurant, or use money on Shabbat, and why they prepare all meals (often in crockpots, on warming trays, or with timers set before Shabbat) on Friday afternoon.

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Here are the key Scriptures that are used to prove that a we may not cause or allow a anyone to cook for us or serve them on the Sabbath — in other words, you may not hire people (waiters, chefs, restaurant staff, etc.) to work for you on Shabbat.

1. You May Not Cause Any Person (or Even an Animal) to Do Forbidden Work on Your Behalf

Exodus 20:10 (the Fourth Commandment itself)

“But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work —

you, or your son, or your daughter,

your male servant, or your female servant,

your livestock,

or the stranger who is within your gates.”

• The phrase “or the stranger (ger) who is within your gates” is understood to include Gentiles living among Israel or even temporary residents/visitors.  
• Traditional understanding: If a Gentile is doing work for your benefit on the Sabbath (cooking your food, serving you, taking your money), you are causing the “stranger within your gates” to violate the Sabbath rest that God commanded for all who dwell in the land.

Deuteronomy 5:14 repeats the exact same wording.

2. You May Not Tell a anyone to Do Work That you are Forbidden to Do

Exodus 23:12

“Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman and the resident alien may be refreshed.”

• This shows that the Sabbath rest extends even to animals and resident foreigners.  
• Causing a Gentile employee or restaurant worker to cook, carry, or do business for you on Shabbat violates the spirit and letter of the rest commanded for everyone in the community.

3. Direct Prohibition of Hiring People to Work on the Sabbath

Nehemiah 13:16–17

“Men of Tyre who lived in Jerusalem brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah… Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, ‘What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?’”

• Gentiles were selling food and doing commerce on the Sabbath for the benefit of Jews, and Nehemiah rebuked the Jewish leaders for allowing it.  
• This is the verse most often cited to forbid Jews from patronizing Gentile-owned restaurants or businesses on the Sabbath.

4. “You Shall Not Do Any Work” Includes Indirect Work (Amira le’akum / Amirah le’nochri)

Isaiah 58:13

“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,

from doing your pleasure on My holy day,

and call the Sabbath a delight…

and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,

nor finding your own pleasure,

nor speaking your own words…”

• The phrase “not doing your own ways” is understood to prohibit arranging for others (especially Gentiles) to perform forbidden labor that you yourself may not do.  
• Hiring, paying, or even indirectly causing a Gentile to cook, serve, or take your order on Shabbat is seen as “doing your own ways” through an agent.

5. The Example of the Manna: No One (Israelite or Gentile) Gathered or Cooked on the Seventh Day

Exodus 16:29–30

“See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath… Let no one go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day.”

• The entire camp — including “the mixed multitude” of non-Israelites who left Egypt with them (Exodus 12:38) — was commanded to rest and not gather or cook.  
• This sets the precedent that the Sabbath rest applies universally in the community of Israel.

Practical Conclusion from These Verses (Traditional Understanding)

• You may not pay (or cause to be paid) a waiter, chef, delivery driver, or cashier to work for you on the Sabbath.  
• You may not eat in a restaurant, order take-out, or buy coffee if it causes Gentiles (or any workers) to cook, serve, or handle money on your behalf.  
• Doing so violates Exodus 20:10, Deuteronomy 5:14, Nehemiah 13:15–18, and Isaiah 58:13.

THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMAS

 

Below is a clear Scripture-based case for (1) why Christians should not celebrate Christmas, and (2) why Jesus was not born on December 25.
I’ll base everything on the Bible itself, not on tradition or history except where it supports Scripture.

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1. Why Christians Should NOT Celebrate Christmas (From Scripture)

A. God forbids adopting pagan customs in worship

Deuteronomy 12:29–32
God directly commands Israel not to adopt pagan religious customs and then try to use them to worship Him:

“Learn not the way of the heathen…
What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” (vv. 30–32)

Christmas traditions (tree, yule log, evergreen wreaths, sun-birth festivals) trace to ancient pagan solstice worship.
God says do not adopt their customs — even if your intention is to honor Him.

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B. Worship must be according to God’s command, not human tradition

Jesus rebuked those who replaced God’s commands with their own religious customs:

Mark 7:6–9

“In vain do they worship me… holding the traditions of men…
Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

Christmas is not commanded anywhere in Scripture — it is a man-made tradition.

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C. Christmas trees are directly associated with pagan worship

Jeremiah 10:2–4 describes a pagan custom shockingly similar to the decorated evergreen:

“Learn not the way of the heathen…
For the customs of the people are vain:
One cutteth a tree out of the forest…
They deck it with silver and with gold…”

This passage is not about “Christmas trees” per se, but it is about a pagan religious custom involving a decorated tree, and God says:

“Do NOT learn or practice it.”

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D. True worship requires truth — not myths

John 4:23–24

“They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

We cannot worship God “in truth” using a holiday built on false dates, false traditions, and pagan symbolism.

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E. Paul warns believers not to mix Christ with paganism

2 Corinthians 6:14–17

“What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?…
What agreement hath the temple of God with idols?…
Come out from among them, and be ye separate…”

Christmas is precisely a mixing of Christ’s name with ancient pagan festivals.

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2. Jesus Was NOT Born on December 25 (From Scripture)

There is no verse that gives a date — but Scripture makes December 25 impossible.

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A. Shepherds were living in the fields — not in winter

Luke 2:8

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

In Judea, shepherds do not stay in open fields during December.
Cold rains begin in late October; flocks are brought into shelters.

So Christ’s birth could not have been in late December.

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B. The Roman census would not be held in winter

Luke 2:1–5 — Joseph and Mary traveled for the census.

Rome did not require people to travel long distances in the cold, rainy winter when roads were dangerous and impassable.
Censuses were scheduled in milder seasons.

Thus, December is highly improbable.

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C. Zechariah’s priestly course proves a different season

Luke gives us a time marker:

Luke 1:5 — Zechariah served in the course of Abijah.
The courses are listed in 1 Chronicles 24:7–19.

From this, you can trace:

• John the Baptist conceived after Zechariah’s service (Luke 1:23–24).

• Jesus conceived about six months after John (Luke 1:26, 36).

• Using the priestly rotation, the birth of Christ falls in the early autumn (around September/October), not winter.

This is why many who study the priestly courses conclude:

➡️ Christ was born during the fall Holy Day season, not December.

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D. December 25 was a pagan solstice festival

While not Scripture, the Bible warns against exactly this type of thing: taking pagan festivals and slapping God’s name on them (Deut 12:29–32).

December 25 was the ancient birthday of the sun god (“Natalis Solis Invicti”).
This aligns with God’s warning in:

Jeremiah 10
Deut 12
2 Kings 17:15 — “They followed vanity, and became vain.”

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Summary

❌ Should Christians celebrate Christmas?

No — Scripture warns against adopting pagan religious customs, following human traditions, and worshiping God with practices He did not command.

❌ Was Jesus born on December 25?

No — shepherds were in the fields, Rome avoided winter censuses, and the priestly-course timeline places His birth in the fall.

THE CROSS, a pagan symbol

 

THE CROSS, a pagan symbol

Please take the time to learn more about it. 

Christ was not crucified on a traditional cross, but on an upright stake or tree.  The cross has pre-Christian pagan roots. The explanation is based on historical records, biblical language, Roman practices, and archaeological insights.

1. Biblical Language Shows it was a Stake (Upright Pole)

Key Greek Word: Stauros (σταυρός)

• The New Testament was written in Greek, and the word used for the instrument of Christ’s death is σταυρός (stauros).
• Meaning of stauros in early Greek:
• Originally meant an upright stake or pole.
• It wasn’t until later Roman periods that it could refer to a cross-shaped device (T-shaped or †-shaped).

Lexical Sources:

• Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words:
  "Stauros denotes an upright pole or stake. To it the Romans nailed those who were thus to be executed… The shape of the two-beamed cross had its origin in ancient pagan religions."
  
• The Companion Bible (Appendix 162, by E.W. Bullinger):
  “The word stauros means an upright stake, and not a cross. There is nothing in the Greek of the New Testament even to imply two pieces of timber.”
  

Scripture Example:

• Acts 5:30 –
  “The Elohim of our fathers raised up Yeshua, whom you slew and hanged on a tree (xulon).”
• The Greek word xulon (ξύλον) means timber, wood, or a tree, not a cross.

2. Pagan Origin of the Cross Symbol

The cross symbol predates Christianity and is found in many pagan religions.

Examples:

• Tammuz (Babylonian deity): Worshippers used the T-shaped cross (Tau) to honor him.
• Egypt: The Ankh (☥), a cross with a loop, symbolized life and was associated with sun worship and deities like Osiris.
• Rome and Greece: Crosses and similar shapes were used in mystery religions and fertility cults.

Church Historian Evidence:

• The Catholic Encyclopedia:
  “The cross was used as a religious symbol long before the Christian era and among non-Christian peoples.”
  
• John Denham Parsons, The Non-Christian Cross (1896):
  “The evidence is thus complete, that the cross was originally no Christian emblem, but a pagan symbol of life and fertility.”

3. Why the Cross Was Adopted Later

• After Christianity began spreading into the Roman Empire, it became more syncretic, blending with local pagan customs.
• The Emperor Constantine in the 4th century adopted the cross as a military and religious symbol after his claimed vision ("In this sign, conquer").
• Cross veneration developed gradually and officially became part of Christian symbolism centuries after Christ’s death.

Conclusion

The evidence shows that:

• Christ was crucified on a simple upright stake or tree, not a two-beamed cross.
• The Greek stauros and xulon used in Scripture describe a pole or tree, not a cross.
• The Romans commonly used upright stakes for crucifixion.
• The cross was a pagan symbol adopted into Christianity long after Christ’s death.

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Some point out this MISTRANSLATION In First Epistle to the Corinthians 1:18,

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of Yahweh."

 the Greek word translated “cross” is:

σταυρός (staurós)

The word originally referred to:

• an upright stake,
• pole,
• or pale used for executions.

The related verb:

σταυρόω (stauroō)
means “to fasten to a stake” or “impale.”

Other scriptures also use terms such as:

• “tree” (xylon in Greek)
  — Acts of the Apostles Acts 5:30
  — Epistle to the Galatians Galatians 3:13
  — First Epistle of Peter 1 Peter 2:24

The Greek word there is:

ξύλον (xylon)
meaning:

• wood,
• timber,
• tree,
• wooden beam,
• or stake.

Regarding the cross as a symbol:

• The cross symbol existed in various pagan cultures long before Christianity.
• Historically, the widespread use of the cross as a Christian symbol developed gradually centuries after Yeshua’s death, especially after the time of Constantine the Great in the 4th century.

A literal rendering of First Epistle to the Corinthians 1:18 should therefore be understood as:

“For the message of the stake/pole is foolishness to those who are perishing...”