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Working on Shabbat is not any of the following, which needs to be addressed in order to understand what working on Shabbat is:
- Playing on the computer or any other device.
- Driving or walking to Shabbat services at your local synagogue or church (To the brats--and I address you later as well--, you ought to get some fresh air and realize that there are Jews and Israelophilic gentiles who observe Shabbat services in churches.).
- Preparing your food (which is specifically in Tanakh).
- Kindling fire for non-work purposes (which is implied in Tanakh).
- Bathing (unless you're bathing after you've engaged in certain activities; which, under the Old Covenant, you're arguably not supposed to be doing on Shabbat).
- Anything else that isn't intended as work (e.g., flushing a toilet).
Firstly, "[I]t is not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." If it is not intended as work, it is not work. Secondly, "no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you." The first day of Pesach is like Shabbat--you cannot work except for what you need to eat. Some will ask, "Well, what about as gathering the manna was or the Jubilee Year is? Shouldn't you prepare your food the day [or year] before, and double what you would prepare on every other day?" That may not work for everybody. For example, the composition of a food can change even in an hour depending on that which the food is exposed to; and that may not work for someone whose system is intolerant of even the slightest--v.g.--fermentation or temperature change in food, and they may need to eat only fresh foods. So, leaving out that challah for an hour or refrigerating that wine may be breaking piku'ach nefesh--saving a life (e.g., choosing life in the first place)--anyway, and piku'ach nefesh comes first.
Besides (though this is another discussion), making Shabbat the Queen, the challah, the candle lighting, and the wine were all practices to Sikkut and Kiy'un (like the Star of David was a pagan symbol)--and Messianics can redeem those practices; Non Messianics (arguably) can not. That's part of why at least some Karaites don't follow those practices, and they look for "Rabbi"nical ways to be cleansed from Israel.
As for the man who was gathering wood on Shabbat--since he needs to be addressed and was going to be brought up, anyway--was intending to work. Again, God looks at intent. As one woman stated (with my emphasis put on her words), "But what constitutes "for real" [Shabbatnikery]? Not using electricity? Not using money? Not watering the crops? Going to synagogue? I think it's clear that one can choose to observe a sabbath in many ways - from spending time with friends and family to not doing job-related work to having people over for a Friday night meal - any statistics will be self-reported and most likely not well-defined here." (Also, to be fair and for example, watering your gluten-free crops for your gluten-intolerant family member or your beloved flowers in your gadren is not work.).
Also, if you can't figure out why I'm linking to certain books in the JPS Tanakh, then you go look up the specific verses on BibleGateway yourself--I don't want to use the New King James Version and get accused of proselytizing by certain brats (and you know who you are; and that's the nicest way that I can describe you, since you are--and I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt by stating that you are--acting like petulant children).
