Shabbos is generally translated and defined as [a day of] rest. It would appear, however, that Shabbos is more accurately rendered as [a day of] cessation. Thus the Torah employs the root shabbos in the causative construct to denote the destruction of chametz on the eve of Pesach. "ach bayom harishon tashbisu se'or mibatechem" (Shemos 12:15). Similarly the navi describes the cessation of the manna as "vayishbos haman" (Yehoshua 5:12). In light of these examples, the term cessation rather than rest accurately captures the meaning of Shabbos. And thus Shabbos should be understood as [a day of] cessation, not rest.
I do not mean to be pedantic about semantics. There is a crucial, substantive issue at stake. The English word rest conjures in our minds relaxation and vacation. Shabbos is thus seen as a vacation day from work, to relax and socialize. In a word, Shabbos is the Jewish weekend.
Cessation, on the other hand, does not trigger such associations. Shabbos as a day of cessation denotes not rest, but respite. Shabbos is a day of respite from mundane burdens and worries. "Six days you shall work and accomplish all your labor -"when Shabbos arrives it should be in your eyes as though all labors were completed that you should not think about labor" (Rashi Shemos 20:9, quoting Mechilta). Shabbos is a time when we are relieved of the yoke of earning a livelihood (ol haparnossoh) to focus on Torah
"Shabbosos and yomim tovim were given just for the study of Torah" (Yerushalmi Shabbos 15:3, quoted by Rav Kehati). Shabbos is a day of redemption[1] from the mundane in order to focus on kedusha. "As the verse says, 'six days you shall work and the seventh day is Shabbos that you should desist from your work and your preoccupation should be entirely for Hashem your God'" (Seforno Vayikra 23:2).
Too often we shortchange ourselves and view Shabbos as a day of rest and relaxation rather than respite and redemption. This erroneous mindset is reflected in our Shabbos attire. Dressing in casual attire on Shabbos is altogether too common. Such informality is totally consistent with rest and vacation (after all, a sweater and open collar are more comfortable than a suit and tie), but entirely inconsistent with kedushas Shabbos. The dignity of a wedding and bar mitzvah celebration demands dress attire. The importance of a business meeting often warrants the same. Do the dignity and importance of Shabbos demand any less?
Do we use or lose our time on Shabbos? Do we sanctify ourselves on this day of respite by singing zemiros and saying divrei Torah at the Shabbos table or do we amuse ourselves on a day of rest with hours of idle table talk? Is Shabbos for us truly a day of mikra kodesh (convocation of kedushah) when we come to shul thrice to daven (see Ramban Vayikra 23:2) and devote time to Talmud Torah or is it a day of relaxation when we engage in a slumberous marathon?
haRachaman hu yanchileinu yom shekulo Shabbos umenucha lechayey olamim.
[1] According to Chassidic custom, tefilas Mincha on erev Shabbos begins with chapter 107 in Tehillim which features the verse "yomru go-alei Hashem asher ge-alam miyad tzar" ("Those redeemed by Hashem, whom he has redeemed from the hands of an adversary ought to say..."). The reason for saying this chapter is because when Shabbos arrives we are all go-alei Hashem, redeemed by Hashem.