Why No Shabbat for Non-Jews?

In the era of the 5-day workweek, taking the weekend off is often celebrated as one of the Jewish people’s gifts to the world. This would lead many people to assume that it would be a good idea for non-Jews to keep Shabbat in the same way that Jews do.

However, upon looking in the Torah sources, it becomes clear that G‑d intends the Shabbat to be something unique between Him and the people He took out of Egypt:

And you, speak to the children of Israel and say: ‘Only keep My Sabbaths! For it is a sign between Me and you for your generations, to know that I, the L-rd, make you holy…’1

So Shabbat, as it is kept by the Jewish people, is a unique bond, “an eternal sign,” marking a special covenant which G‑d made with the Jews.

This principle is taken so seriously that even converts in the process of conversion are instructed to intentionally break at least one aspect of Shabbat—a small but deliberate acknowledgment that they are not yet bound by this commandment.

Why?

The answer is more nuanced than it first appears. Far from being exclusionary, this teaching reflects a respectful view of different spiritual paths and Divine purposes.

Origin of the Day of Rest

G‑d provides two reasons for the Sabbath: It commemorates our Exodus from Egyptian slavery2, and it bears testimony that G‑d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.3

Now, when the Book of Genesis teaches that G‑d created the world in six days and then rested on the seventh, it does not outline any requirement for Adam and Eve (or their descendants) to observe a similar day of rest (Shabbat). This will only happen thousands of years later, after the Exodus. The primary directive to Adam (and by extension, all of humanity) was to “subdue the earth”4—to actively engage, develop, and refine it.

Later, after the Flood, G‑d promises Noah that the natural order of the world will resume permanently: “So long as the earth exists, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not rest (lo yishbotu).”5

The Talmud explains that lo yishbotu (“shall not rest”) is not merely a description of nature, but also a directive to the descendants of Noah: Just as the seasons do not stop, you should not institute a cessation of creative activity in the form of an official day of rest. The Talmud emphasizes that this applies even if the “day of rest” is observed on a weekday, such as Monday.6

In other words, people generally need to be working and productive. In fact, some commentaries explain that one of the reasons life spans were shortened after the Great Flood was that until then, G‑d had given each individual a long time on this earth to fulfill their minimal mission and purpose in life. However, with too much time at their disposal, people became complacent and humanity devolved and became morally degraded. Therefore, G‑d shortened humankind’s expected lifespan, giving us a much more defined and limited time frame to fulfill our purpose in life.7

So Shabbat does not fit into the theme of the post-flood reality of Noah and his descendants.

Now obviously, this does not mean that non-Jews are expected to work incessantly. Rather, it is that there is no divinely ordained day of rest for them.

Perhaps we can describe it as follows: The conventional weekend has an important function. Rest, rejuvenate, and take care of yourself so that you are able to be your best self on Monday morning. For the Shabbat-keeping Jew, the opposite is true. Toil for six days, so that you are equipped to celebrate Shabbat in the best possible way.

Different Roles

The Rebbe attributes the underlying reason for this distinction to a difference in Divine purpose.8 Shabbat represents a level of G‑dly “rest” that is above time and Creation itself. The Jewish people were uniquely empowered and given the responsibility—after the Exodus from Egypt—to draw this transcendent dimension into the world through Shabbat observance.

Non-Jews, by contrast, are meant to serve G‑d from within the natural order of Creation, and to make it a point to desist from all 39 creative acts of Shabbat would be counter to their unique divine mission.

A Broader Jewish View of Spiritual Purpose

This distinction reflects a foundational Jewish principle: Judaism does not require, nor encourage, others to convert in order to merit a share in the World to Come. On the contrary, conversion is discouraged, because the Torah recognizes that non-Jews already have a complete and meaningful path to G‑d.

Non-Jews fulfill their Divine mission—and earn their portion in the World to Come—by observing the Seven Noahide Laws. Jews, by contrast, are bound by a far more demanding covenant, obligated in all 613 mitzvot, including Shabbat.

Each path is whole in itself. Jews sanctify time through Shabbat, while non-Jews sanctify the world through continuous engagement—together fulfilling G‑d’s purpose for Creation.

For more on the seven Noahide laws see The Seven Laws of Noah

What Type of Work?

What does this mean in practice?

A non-Jew is not to avoid relaxing or not working on Shabbat. Rather, he or she should not engage in Shabbat observance, meaning a deliberate abstention from creative activity (such as abstaining from the 39 prohibited creative types of work) in order to establish the day as a “Holy Sabbath.”

Accordingly, a non-Jew should intentionally perform some form of productive activity on Shabbat—any ordinary weekday task suffices—thereby avoiding the creation of a Sabbath-like rest.

At the same time, there is room for a positive connection to the idea of Shabbat. A non-Jew may—and is even encouraged—to acknowledge Shabbat in creative, personal ways: by reflecting on G‑d as Creator, studying appropriate Torah teachings, praying, giving charity, enjoying nature, or enjoying a festive meal, as long as these are not framed as fulfillment of a commanded Sabbath rest.9

In this way, non-Jews can draw inspiration from Shabbat as a testimony to Creation, while remaining fully within the distinct Divine role assigned to the descendants of Noah.