Shabbat Observance and Its Rewards: 'Oneg Shabbat', Forgiveness, Protection from Exile, and Redemption (Shabbat 118a-b)

This sugya presents a chain of rabbinic teachings about the reward and protective power of Shabbat observance, especially the practices of eating the Shabbat meals, “delighting” in Shabbat,¹ and keeping Shabbat “according to its halakhot.”

It opens with a tradition transmitted through multiple authorities: R. Shimon b. Pazi reports that R. Yehoshua ben Levi said in the name of Bar-Kappara: “Anyone who fulfills three meals on Shabbat is rescued from three calamities.” The three are listed: the pangs of the Messiah (ḥevlo shel Mashiaḥ), the judgment of Gehenna, and the war of Gog and Magog. Each rescue is derived through a gezerah shavah-style linkage based on the word “day” (יום). The Shabbat side of the linkage is the verse about manna: “Eat it today” (Exodus 16:25), where “today/day” is associated with Shabbat.

A second cluster of teachings shifts from “three meals” to the broader concept of oneg Shabbat—delighting in Shabbat. R. Yoḥanan, citing R. Yosei, states: “Anyone who delights in Shabbat is given an inheritance without bounds.” The prooftext is Isaiah 58:13–14, which links honoring Shabbat (not pursuing one’s own affairs and calling Shabbat a delight) with the promise: “Then you shall delight in YHWH… and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the world, and to feast on the inheritance of Jacob your father.” The sugya focuses on the phrase “inheritance of Jacob” and contrasts it with inheritances described for the other patriarchs.

Building on Isaiah’s phrase “heights” (במתי / במותימו), Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak adds another consequence of delighting in Shabbat: rescue from the oppression/subjugation of exiles (שעבוד גליות).

A further teaching, again transmitted through Rav via Rav Yehuda, asserts: “Anyone who delights in Shabbat is granted the desires of his heart.” The prooftext is Psalms 37:4: “Delight in YHWH, and He will grant you your heart’s desires.”

The passage then turns from general promises to concrete expressions of Shabbat delight. It asks: “With what does one delight [in Shabbat]?” Rav Yehuda the son of Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat, citing Rav, answers with a specific menu: a dish of beets, large fish, and heads of garlic. Another statement, from Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi citing Rav, broadens the definition: even a small item, if prepared specifically in honor of Shabbat, counts as delight. The Talmud asks what that small item is, and Rav Pappa identifies it as kasa de-harsena, described here as a small fried fish / fish dish.

The final cluster highlights Shabbat’s power in relation to sin, political domination, and redemption. R. Ḥiyya bar Abba, citing R. Yoḥanan, states: “Anyone who keeps Shabbat according to its halakhot—even if he practiced idolatry like the generation of Enosh—is forgiven.”

Next, Rav Yehuda citing Rav asserts: Had Israel kept the first commanded Shabbat properly, no nation or tongue would have ruled over them. Finally, R. Yoḥanan, citing R. Shimon b. Yoḥai, teaches: If Israel would keep two Shabbatot according to their halakhot, they would be immediately redeemed.

Verses in Isaiah 56 and 58, cited in the sugya

Isaiah 56, verse 2:

אשרי אנוש יעשה זאת

ובן אדם יחזיק בה

שמר שבת מחללו

ושמר ידו מעשות כל רע

Happy is the mortal who does this,

The one who holds fast to it:

Who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,

And holds back from doing any evil.

ibid. verse 4:

כי כה אמר יהוה

לסריסים אשר ישמרו את שבתותי

ובחרו באשר חפצתי

ומחזיקים בבריתי

[…]

For thus said YHWH:

“As for the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths,

Who have chosen what I desire

And hold fast to My covenant

[…]

ibid. verse 7:

והביאותים אל הר קדשי

ושמחתים בבית תפלתי

עולתיהם וזבחיהם

לרצון על מזבחי

כי ביתי בית תפלה יקרא לכל העמים

I will bring them to My sacred mount

And let them rejoice in My house of prayer.

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices

Shall be welcome on My altar;

For My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

Isaiah 58:13–14:

אם תשיב משבת רגלך

עשות חפצך ביום קדשי

וקראת לשבת ענג

לקדוש יהוה מכבד

וכבדתו מעשות דרכיך

ממצוא חפצך

ודבר דבר

If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath,

From pursuing your affairs on My holy day;

If you call the Sabbath “delight,”

YHWH’s holy day “honored”;

And if you honor it and go not your ways

Nor look to your affairs,

nor strike bargains—

אז תתענג על יהוה

והרכבתיך על [במתי] (במותי) ארץ

והאכלתיך נחלת יעקב אביך

כי פי יהוה דבר

Then you can seek YHWH’s favor.

I will set you astride the heights of the earth,

And let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob—

For YHWH’s mouth has spoken.

Outline

Intro

Verses in Isaiah 56 and 58, cited in the sugya

The Passage - Shabbat Observance and Its Rewards: Oneg Shabbat, Forgiveness, Protection from Exile, and Redemption (Shabbat 118a-b)

1. R’ Shimon b. Pazi citing R’ Yehoshua ben Levi citing bar Kappara - One who fulfills 3 Shabbat meals is saved from 3 calamities: pangs of Messiah, judgment of Gehenna, war of Gog and Magog

   1. Prooftext for “ from the pangs of Messiah” - Malachi 3:23

   2. Prooftext for “ from the judgment of Gehenna” - Zephaniah 1:15

   3. Prooftext for “ from the war of Gog and Magog” - Ezekiel 38:18

2. R’ Yoḥanan citing R’ Yosei - One who delights in Shabbat receives an unbounded inheritance

   1. Prooftext - Isa 58:13–14

   2. Specifically “the inheritance of Jacob,” not the bounded inheritances framed for Abraham or Isaac - Gen 13:17; 26:3; 28:14

3. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak - One who delights in Shabbat is saved from subjugation/oppression of exile

   1. Prooftext - verbal analogy “heights” (bamotei / bamoteimo) - Isa 58:14; Deut 33:29

4. Rav Yehuda citing Rav - One who delights in Shabbat is granted the desires of his heart

   1. Prooftext - the “delight” in Ps 37:4 is identified as Shabbat delight via Isa 58:13 - Ps 37:4; Isa 58:13

5. Rav Yehuda b. Shmuel b. Sheilat citing Rav - Concrete menu for Shabbat “delight”: beet dish, large fish, and heads of garlic

6. Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi citing Rav - Even a small item prepared specifically for Shabbat counts as “delight”

   1. Rav Pappa - Identifies the “small item” as kasa de-harsena (small fried fish / fish dish)

7. R’ Ḥiyya bar Abba citing R’ Yoḥanan - One who keeps Shabbat according to its halakhot is forgiven even if he practiced idolatry like the generation of Enosh

   1. Prooftext - midrashic rereading “from desecrating it” as “forgiven” - Isa 56:2 ; Gen 4:26

8. Rav Yehuda citing Rav - If Israel had kept the first commanded Shabbat, no nation would have ruled them

   1. Prooftext - links manna-collection violation to Amalek’s attack - Exod 16:27; 17:8

9. R’ Yoḥanan citing R’ Shimon ben Yoḥai - If Israel keeps 2 Shabbatot according to halakha, they are immediately redeemed

   1. Prooftext - from Isaiah’s promise sequence - Isa 56:4; Isa 56:7

The Passage

Shabbat.118a.7-118b.4

R’ Shimon b. Pazi citing R’ Yehoshua ben Levi citing bar Kappara - One who fulfills 3 Shabbat meals is saved from 3 calamities: pangs of Messiah, judgment of Gehenna, war of Gog and Magog

1. אמר רבי שמעון בן פזי,

2. אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי,

3. משום בר קפרא:

כל המקיים שלש סעודות בשבת --

ניצול משלש פורעניות:

1. מחבלו של משיח,

2. ומדינה של גיהנם,

3. וממלחמת גוג ומגוג.

1. R’ Shimon ben Pazi said that

2. R’ Yehoshua ben Levi said

3. in the name of bar Kappara:

Anyone who fulfills the obligation to eat three meals on Shabbat --

is rescued from three punishments:

1. From the pangs of the Messiah, i.e., the suffering that precedes the advent of Messiah,²

2. and from the judgment of Gehenna,

3. and from the war of Gog and Magog.

Prooftext for “ from the pangs of Messiah” - Malachi 3:23

מחבלו של משיח —

• כתיב הכא

  • ״יום״,

• וכתיב התם:

  • ״הנה אנכי שולח לכם את אליה הנביא לפני בוא יום וגו׳״.

The Talmud derives that one is rescued from the pangs of Messiah by means of a verbal analogy --

• It is written here, with regard to Shabbat,

  • “Day”: “Eat it today” (Exodus 16:25).

• And it is written there, with regard to Messiah, day:

  • “Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of God” (Malachi 3:23).

Prooftext for “ from the judgment of Gehenna” - Zephaniah 1:15

מדינה של גיהנם —

• כתיב הכא

  • ״יום״,

• וכתיב התם:

  • ״יום עברה היום ההוא״.

The Talmud derives that one is rescued from the judgment of Gehenna by means of a verbal analogy --

• It is written here,

  • with regard to Shabbat: “Day,” as cited above.

• And it is written there, “day”:

  • “That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and blackness, a day of cloud and thick fog” (Zephaniah 1:15),

which is interpreted as referring to the punishment of Gehenna.

Prooftext for “ from the war of Gog and Magog” - Ezekiel 38:18

ממלחמת גוג ומגוג —

• כתיב הכא

  • ״יום״,

• וכתיב התם:

  • ״ביום בא גוג״.

The Talmud derives that one is rescued from the war of Gog and Magog by means of a verbal analogy --

• It is written here, with regard to Shabbat,

  • “day”

• And it is written there, with regard to the War of Gog and Magog, “day”:

  • “And it shall be on that day, on the day that Gog arrives on the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 38:18).

R’ Yoḥanan citing R’ Yosei - One who delights in Shabbat receives an unbounded inheritance

אמר רבי יוחנן, משום רבי יוסי:

כל המענג את השבת --

נותנין לו נחלה בלי מצרים,

R’ Yoḥanan said in the name of R’ Yosei:

With regard to anyone who delights in the Shabbat --

God gives him a boundless portion, i.e., a very large reward,

Prooftext - Isa 58:13–14

שנאמר:

״אז תתענג על ה׳

והרכבתיך על במתי ארץ

והאכלתיך נחלת יעקב אביך וגו׳״.

as it is stated:

“If you keep your feet from violating Shabbat, from pursuing your affairs on My holy day, and you call Shabbat a delight, YHWH’s holy day honored, and you honor it by not going your own way, or attending to your own matters or speaking idle words.

Then you shall delight in YHWH

and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the world,

and to feast on the inheritance of Jacob your father,

as the mouth of God has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13–14).

Specifically “the inheritance of Jacob,” not the bounded inheritances framed for Abraham or Isaac - Gen 13:17; 26:3; 28:14

1. לא כאברהם,

   1. שכתוב בו ״קום התהלך בארץ לארכה וגו׳״.

2. ולא כיצחק,

   1. שכתוב בו ״כי לך ולזרעך אתן את כל הארצות האל״.

3. אלא כיעקב,

   1. שכתוב בו ״ופרצת ימה וקדמה וצפונה ונגבה״.

The reward for delighting in Shabbat is specifically the portion of Jacob:

1. Not that of Abraham,

   1. about whom it is written, “Rise, walk through the land through its length and its width because I have given it to you” (Genesis 13:17), i.e., only this land alone in its borders.

2. And not that of Isaac,

   1. about whom it is written, “Dwell in this land and I will be with you and I will bless you because I will give all of these lands to you and your offspring” (Genesis 26:3), meaning these lands and no others.

3. Rather, that of Jacob,

   1. about whom it is written, “And your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and all of the families of the land will be blessed through you and your offspring” (Genesis 28:14).

There are no boundaries for Jacob’s portion.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak - One who delights in Shabbat is saved from subjugation/oppression of exile

רב נחמן בר יצחק אמר:

ניצול משעבוד גליות.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said:

One who delights in Shabbat is rescued from the oppression of exile.

Prooftext - verbal analogy “heights” (bamotei / bamoteimo) - Isa 58:14; Deut 33:29

• כתיב הכא:

  • ״והרכבתיך על במתי ארץ״,

• וכתיב התם:

  • ״ואתה על במותימו תדרוך״.

He derives it by means of a verbal analogy:

• It is written here, with regard to Shabbat:

  • “And I will cause you to ride on the heights [bamotei] of the world” (Isaiah 58:14),

• and it is written there:

  • “You are fortunate Israel, who is like you? A nation redeemed by God, the shield that aids you and the sword of your triumph. Your enemies will try to defeat you and you will trample their high places [bamoteimo]” (Deuteronomy 33:29).

Rav Yehuda citing Rav - One who delights in Shabbat is granted the desires of his heart

אמר רב יהודה, אמר רב:

כל המענג את השבת --

נותנין לו משאלות לבו,

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said:

With regard to anyone who delights in the Shabbat --

God grants him his heart’s desires,

Prooftext - the “delight” in Ps 37:4 is identified as Shabbat delight via Isa 58:13 - Ps 37:4; Isa 58:13

שנאמר:

״והתענג על ה׳

ויתן לך משאלות לבך״.

עונג זה איני יודע מהו.

כשהוא אומר ״וקראת לשבת עונג״ —

הוי אומר זה עונג שבת.

as it is stated:

“And you shall delight in YHWH

and He will grant you your heart’s desires” (Psalms 37:4).

This “delight in God”, which is mentioned in the verse, I do not know what it is.

When it says: “And you shall call the Shabbat delight,”

one must say: It is the delight of Shabbat.

Rav Yehuda b. Shmuel b. Sheilat citing Rav - Concrete menu for Shabbat “delight”: beet dish, large fish, and heads of garlic

במה מענגו?

רב יהודה בריה דרב שמואל בר שילת, משמיה דרב אמר:

1. בתבשיל של תרדין

2. ודגים גדולים

3. וראשי שומין.

The Talmud asks: With what does one delight in the day of Shabbat?

Rav Yehuda, son of Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat, said in the name of Rav:

1. With a dish of beets,

2. and large fish,

3. and heads of garlic.

Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi citing Rav - Even a small item prepared specifically for Shabbat counts as “delight”

רב חייא בר אשי, אמר רב:

אפילו דבר מועט,

ולכבוד שבת עשאו —

הרי זה עונג.

Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi said that Rav said:

Even with regard to a small item

and one prepared it in deference to Shabbat --

it is “delight”³

Rav Pappa - Identifies the “small item” as kasa de-harsena (small fried fish / fish dish)

מאי היא?

אמר רב פפא:

כסא דהרסנא.

The Talmud asks: What is the small item mentioned?

Rav Pappa said:

Small fried fish.

R’ Ḥiyya bar Abba citing R’ Yoḥanan - One who keeps Shabbat according to its halakhot is forgiven even if he practiced idolatry like the generation of Enosh

אמר רבי חייא בר אבא, אמר רבי יוחנן:

כל המשמר שבת כהלכתו,

אפילו עובד עבודה זרה [כדור] אנוש —

מוחלין לו,

R’ Ḥiyya bar Abba said that R’ Yoḥanan said:

With regard to anyone who observes Shabbat in accordance with its halakhot,

even if he worships idolatry as in the generation of Enosh⁴ --

God forgives him his sins,

Prooftext - midrashic rereading “from desecrating it” as “forgiven” - Isa 56:2 ; Gen 4:26

שנאמר:

״אשרי אנוש יעשה זאת וגו׳

מחללו״.

אל תקרי ״מחללו״

אלא: ״מחול לו״.

as it is stated:

“Fortunate is the man [enosh] who does this and the person who holds strong to it,

one who guards the Shabbat from desecrating it [meḥallelo], and guards his hand from doing any evil” (Isaiah 56:2).

Do not read it as: From desecrating it [meḥallelo],

but rather: He is forgiven [maḥul lo].

Rav Yehuda citing Rav - If Israel had kept the first commanded Shabbat, no nation would have ruled them

אמר רב יהודה, אמר רב:

אלמלי שמרו ישראל שבת ראשונה --

לא שלטה בהן אומה ולשון,

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said:

Had the Jewish people properly observed the first Shabbat that was commanded them --

no nation or tongue would have ever ruled them,

Prooftext - links manna-collection violation to Amalek’s attack - Exod 16:27; 17:8

• שנאמר:

  • ״ויהי ביום השביעי יצאו מן העם ללקוט״,

• וכתיב בתריה:

  • ״ויבא עמלק״.

• as it is stated:

  • “And it happened on the 7th day, some people went out from the nation to collect and they did not find” (Exodus 16:27).

• And it is written after they went out to collect manna:

  • “And Amalek came and fought with Israel in Refidim” (Exodus 17:8).

R’ Yoḥanan citing R’ Shimon ben Yoḥai - If Israel keeps 2 Shabbatot according to halakha, they are immediately redeemed

אמר רבי יוחנן, משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי:

אלמלי משמרין ישראל שתי שבתות כהלכתן —

מיד נגאלים,

R’ Yoḥanan said in the name of R’ Shimon ben Yoḥai:

If only the Jewish people would keep two Shabbatot in accordance with their halakhot --

they would be immediately redeemed,

Prooftext - from Isaiah’s promise sequence - Isa 56:4; Isa 56:7

• שנאמר:

  • ״כה אמר ה׳ לסריסים אשר ישמרו את שבתותי״,

• וכתיב בתריה:

  • ״והביאותים אל הר קדשי וגו׳״.

• as it is stated:

  • “So said God to the eunuchs who will keep My Shabbatot” (Isaiah 56:4),

• and it is written after that:

  • “And I will bring them to My holy mountain and will let them rejoice in My house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7).

1. עונג שבת - oneg Shabbat.

See also my recent previous series, on another part of this macro-sugya: “The Shabbat Preparations of Babylonian Rabbis (Shabbat 118b-119b)“, final part: Pt2

2. For more on these “Messianic pangs”, see my “Pt4 The Messianic Era in the Talmud: Fear of the “Birthpangs of Messiah”, the Identity of the Messiah, and the Day of the Lord (Sanhedrin 96b-99a)“.

3. Meaning, one fulfills the command in Isaiah to “call the Sabbath ‘delight’, cited in the previous section (“Prooftext - the “delight” in Ps 37:4 is identified as Shabbat delight via Isa 58:13“).

4. Steinsaltz explains (in the next section):

With regard to the generation of Enosh it is written: “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. Then they began [huḥal] to call upon the Name of God” (Genesis 4:26), meaning to desecrate [leḥallel] His name.

See Wikipedia, “Enos (biblical figure)“, section “In Judaism“:

Traditional Jewish interpretation of this verse implies that it marked the beginning of idolatry, i.e. that men start dubbing “Lord” things that were mere creatures.

This is because the previous generations, notably Adam, had already “begun calling upon the name of the Lord”, which forces one to interpret הוחל huchal not as “began” but as the homonym “profanated”.

In this light, Enosh suggests the notion of a humanity (Enoshut) thinking of itself as an absolute rather than in relation to God (Enosh vs. Adam).

Maimonides wrote in Mishneh Torah, Avodat Kochavim, chapter 1:1–2:

“During the times of Enosh, mankind made a great mistake, and the wise men of that generation gave thoughtless counsel. Enosh himself was one of those who erred.”