Every Torah-following person – Jew or goyim – will recognize the three main rituals regarding sabbath observance:
- Lighting the Sabbath candles
- Saying Kiddush over wine
- Reciting HaMotzi over challah bread
There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.
Leviticus 23:3 NIV
See Exodus 20:8 (and Deut 5:12 among many more places) where keeping the Sabbath (Hebrew ‘Shabbat’) is listed as the Fourth Commandment.
Growing up in the secular public schools of my generation I often wondered why we count off seven days, rather than ten days to a week. So one question led to many more questions about traditions, expectations, values, even philosophy (but I’ll defer those to another place).