This companion for the Sabbath table is intended for novices as well as those well-versed in Shabbat law and observance.  It is a tribute to Steinsaltz—rabbi, scholar, author and teacher—that he navigates both audiences successfully, balancing a step-by-step guidebook with a treasury of information about the history, development and significance of prayers and traditions.  The Sabbath, Steinsaltz explains, is not just a day of passivity based on a set of laws that prohibit work, but an opportunity to transform inactivity to joy and inner peace.  He reveals the reasons for many customs and laws, from the number of loaves of bread (two, to match the double batch of manna that fell on the Sabbath) to the practice of standing during kiddush, the blessing over the day with a cup of wine.  (This, he says, is like bearing testimony, which Jewish law stipulates must be done standing up.)  His illuminating commentaries, replete with mystical allusions, are not for those who want a quick or abridged version of Sabbath ritual.  Instead, Steinsaltz provides the text for a lengthy celebration meant to extend the job of Shabbat, complete with zemirot (traditional Shabbat songs).  All texts appear in Hebrew, with the transliteration and English translation.  A few quibbles include the non-grammatical line breaks in the Hebrew text; traditional gendered translation; and lack of music for the songs.   These considerations, however, should not deter readers from absorbing Steinsaltz’s scholarship and carefully crafted wisdom. Apr.) (Publishers Weekly, March 31, 2003)

"In this modest but powerful book the great teacher and scholar Adin Steinsaltz brings the gift of Shabbat's rest and joy to all readers, whether or not they are Jewish or, for that matter, whether or not they call themselves religious at all." — Robert Pollack, professor of biological sciences and director of the Center for the Study of Science and Religion, Columbia University

"Adin Steinsaltz's insights into the Sabbath could not be more timely. The light he casts on Judaism's reflective, receptive surrender to the holy day of rest will open both Jewish and Christian readers' eyes to long-lost dimensions of their own spiritual traditions." — Stephen J. Dubner, author, Turbulent Souls and Confessions of a Hero Worshiper

"For decades, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz has come to be relied upon by countless Jews throughout the world as our teacher and spiritual guide. With The Miracle of the Seventh Day, Rabbi Steinsaltz once again reveals both the basic information we need to know as well as a doorway to the beauty, inner depths, a nd profound nature of his subject. This is an essentia l book for every Jewish home where the Sabbath is remembered and observed." — Arthur Kurzweil, author and teacher