Parshat Emor famously includes the full list of festivals for the Jewish calendar (Lev. 23). Curiously, the list begins with Shabbat, which is not actually a festival.

The commentaries struggle to find the common theme between Shabbat and festivals, and offer a number of observations that themselves demand explanation.

Rabbi Dunner examines a range of approaches to this jarring biblical anomaly, offering a range of eye-opening ideas which cast light on the ancient secrets of time and timing in the Jewish faith.