Shomer Shabbat

A shomer Shabbat or shomer Shabbos (plural shomré Shabbat or shomrei Shabbos; Hebrew: שומר שבת‎) is a person who observes the mitzvot (commandments) associated with Judaism's Shabbat ("Sabbath", dusk on Friday until sunset, Saturday.)

In particular, under Jewish law (halakhah), the person who is Shomer Shabbat is expected to conform to the prohibitions against certain forms of melacha - creative acts. The observant Jew does not cook, spend money, write, operate electrical devices, or do other activities prohibited on Shabbat. In addition, a variety of positive Sabbath commandments are expected to be fulfilled, such as Sabbath meals, rituals, prayers, kindness, benignity and rest.

In contemporary Orthodox Judaism, the shomer Shabbat would typically strive to follow all the rules associated with the Sabbath. Within the liberal movements of Judaism, the phrase may signify a person who takes seriously the observance of the core mitzvot.

The shomer Shabbat is an archetype mentioned in Jewish songs (e.g., Baruch El Elyon) and the intended audience for various treatises on Jewish law and practice for the Sabbath day (e.g., Shmirat Shabbat ke-Hilkhata). In 2000, the media took note that the candidate for U.S. Vice President, Senator Joseph Lieberman, is a shomer shabbat.