The Sabbath is A Sign Between HaShem and Israel
“HASHEM said to Moses, saying ‘Now you, speak to the Children of Israel, saying: However, you must observe my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you for your generations, to know that I am HASHEM, Who makes you holy. You shall observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you; its desecrators shall receive death upon death, for whoever does work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among its people. For six days work may be done and the seventh day is a day of complete rest, it is sacred to HASHEM; whoever does work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.’” (Exodus 31:12-15)
From this verse (and 11 others in the Torah) we learn that the punishment for violating Shabbat is extremely severe: death upon death, meaning death in this world and being cut off from the World to Come (Olam Haba). However, on the flip side, whoever keeps Shabbat will be blessed in both worlds, as the RAMBAM says:
Shabbat: The Price of Eternity
“Whoever observes the Shabbat and honors it by indulging in pleasures, to the best of his ability, will receive an abundant reward in this world, in addition to the reward set aside for him/her in The World To Come” (RAMBAM Hilchot Shabbat 30:15)
Why is Shabbat such a big deal to HaShem? Watch the short film below to find out!