Jankel Adler

Sabbath, 1927–28, Mixed media, oil, sand on canvas, 120 x 110 cm, Jüdisches Museum, Berlin; 2003/207/0, Photo: Roman März

A Sabbath Rest Remains for the People of God

Commentary by Susan Docherty

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The Sabbath has served as a key focus of Jewish life and ritual throughout the centuries. On this day every week, Jews imitate God, who ‘rested on the seventh day from all his works’ (Hebrews 4:4; Genesis 2:2).

The theme of ‘Sabbath rest’ is central to the argument of Hebrews 4, and is beautifully illustrated in this painting by the early twentieth century Polish Jewish artist Jankel Adler. Completed in the mid-1920s, when the artist was working in Germany, and now hanging in the Jüdisches Museum Berlin, it depicts a scene in a family home (Heibel 2016: 231–232, 505).

Many painters and writers focus on the joyful rites with which the beginning of the Sabbath is marked, such as the lighting of the candles and the blessing of the wine. Adler, however, homes in on the second half of the day, when the candles have burned low, the wine has been drunk, and the special challah bread is half eaten (Jüdisches Museum Berlin n.d.). He presents a couple who are quite literally ‘at rest’: the man reclining on a sofa and the woman sitting still in her chair, with no hint even of conversation between them. They seem utterly content and at peace, having ‘ceas(ed) from their labours as God did from his’ (Hebrews 4:10).

The opportunity to concretely enjoy God’s rest is precisely the hope that the author of Hebrews holds out to his audience: ‘a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God’ (Hebrews 4:9).

 

References

Heibel, Annemarie. 2016. Jankel Adler (1895–1949). Band I: Monografie (Münster Verlagshaus Monsenstein und Vannerdat OHG)

Jüdisches Museum Berlin. n.d. ‘From Our Holdings: Parlor Scene on the Day of Rest: The Painting Sabbath by Jankel Adlers’, available at https://www.jmberlin.de/en/parlor-scene-day-rest-painting-sabbath-janke… [accessed 23 December 2024]

See full exhibition for Hebrews 3–4

Hebrews 3–4

Revised Standard Version

Hebrews 3

3Therefore, holy brethren, who share in a heavenly call, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. 2He was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in God’s house. 3Yet Jesus has been counted worthy of as much more glory than Moses as the builder of a house has more honor than the house. 4(For every house is built by some one, but the builder of all things is God.) 5Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6but Christ was faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope.

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, when you hear his voice,

8do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

on the day of testing in the wilderness,

9where your fathers put me to the test

and saw my works for forty years.

10Therefore I was provoked with that generation,

and said, ‘They always go astray in their hearts;

they have not known my ways.’

11As I swore in my wrath,

‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

12Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end, 15while it is said,

16Who were they that heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? 17And with whom was he provoked forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18And to whom did he swear that they should never enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

4 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest remains, let us fear lest any of you be judged to have failed to reach it. 2For good news came to us just as to them; but the message which they heard did not benefit them, because it did not meet with faith in the hearers. 3For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,

For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way, “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” 5And again in this place he said,

6Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7again he sets a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,

8For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later of another day. 9So then, there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God; 10for whoever enters God’s rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, that no one fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

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