We celebrate it because God commanded it.
The Jewish Sabbath is from Friday sundown until Saturday after twilight. Its origin is in the Torah (Genesis ch.2, Leviticus ch.23, Exodus ch.20 and many other passages).
The Sabbath is considered in the Jewish religion to be a day blessed by God (Genesis ch.2), a day of rest (Exodus ch.20, ch.31), and a day of strengthening ties with the family, the community, and with God.
Here is further background information:
There are two main aspects to Shabbat observance: what we do and what we don't do.
What we don't do: we're not permitted to work on the Shabbat (Exodus ch.20). This includes 39 categories of productive interaction with the world, such as planting, writing, kindling fire, etc. (Talmud, Shabbat 73b).
What we do: candles are lit, customarily by the lady of the household, around 20 minutes before sunset on Friday afternoon. We then attend synagogue for the Friday afternoon prayer (mincha), the kabbalat Shabbat (ushering in of the Shabbat), and the Shabbat evening prayer (maariv).
On Shabbat morning, we again attend synagogue. The services are longer than on weekdays and include prayers as well as reading the weekly Torah-portion. There's often a kiddush (refreshments) afterwards, and congregants have a chance to schmooze (to talk). Towards the late afternoon, there's another (short) service (Shabbat mincha).
After Friday night services and on Shabbat morning after services, we come home, often with guests, make kiddush (blessing over wine), and have a leisurely multi-course Shabbat meal including singing and words of Torah. Customarily, that week's Torah-reading (parsha) will be a topic of conversation; and the children of the family will have a chance to speak of what they've learned in school.
After that, Shabbat is a quiet time: no phones, radio or TV (etc.), just schmoozing, taking walks, visiting friends, reading, learning Torah, playing Board Games, etc. Husband and wife, in particular, finally have a chance to be together after a hectic week.
In the synagogue and in the home
From Friday night to Saturday night.
God created the world in 6 days and he rested on the 7th day. Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest
Shabbat ends in New Jersey on Saturday at sunset. You can check the specific time for today by looking up the sundown time in your location.
Purim is the 14th of Adar. Shushan Purim (Purim celebrated in walled cities from the time of Joshua) is on the 15th day of Adar. This is when Purim is celebrated today in Jerusalem. Note, that depending when these dates fall out with respect to the Shabbat, the observation of the day's mitzvot may be moved up so as not to conflict with the Shabbat.
Yes; and the Hanukkah candles are lit earlier than usual for that reason.
Yes, Shabbat is celebrated every week in Judaism. It begins on Friday evening at sundown and lasts until Saturday evening at sundown. It is a day of rest and spiritual rejuvenation, involving prayer, family meals, and refraining from work and certain activities.
In Hebrew, the days of the week are named "First Day", "Second Day" . . . . "Sixth Day", "Shabbat"."First Day" corresponds to the world-wide Sunday, and "Shabbat" corresponds to the world-wide Saturday.
Whether or not it's celebrated, observed, or even acknowledged, the Shabbat is the seventh day, which, in Judaism, corresponds to Saturday. As in many other ancient cultures, each day in Judaism is considered to begin at sundown and end at the following sundown. Accordingly, the Shabbat begins at sundown on Friday evening and extends until sundown on Saturday evening. Those who observe it, whether in the synagogue, in their homes, or in some part of their private lives, observe it during that period of time.
The sabbath, or shabbat in Hebrew, is celebrated by Jews as a commandment from HaShem. It is the seventh day of the week, the day of rest that goes back to HaShem's creation of the world. Shabbat starts at sundown on Friday and ends Saturday at sundown.
The fourth 'commandment' is to keep Shabbat which Jews most definitely do.
Because God commanded it (Exodus ch.31), in remembrance of the creation (Genesis ch.2) and the Exodus (Exodus ch.20).