And guess who is doing much of the searching? Well.. I'll tell you. It is largely the House of Joseph, you know that multitude of nations that Genesis 48:19 mentions! You can bet your bottom dollar the House of Jew-dah isn't the originating source. This is really astounding me, that so many don't know what it means. However, I'm grateful for the sign, because I do see this as just another signal that the House of Joseph is waking up to their Israelite identity, even though it is unbeknownst to most of them yet.
So what does "Shabbat Shalom" mean?
Shabbat - שבת (sha-bat) "This is the Hebrew word שבת shabbat literally meaning a “ceasing” or “stopping.” This word is always used in the Hebrew Bible for the seventh day, the Shabbat, the day work ceases for the purpose of rest" - Jeff A. Benner
Shalom - שלום (sha-lome) "When we hear the word peace we usually associate this to mean an absence of war or strife but, the Hebrew meaning of the word shalom has a very different meaning. The verb form of the root word is shalam and is usually used in the context of making restitution. When a person has caused another to become deficient in some way, such as a loss of livestock, it is the responsibility of the person who created the deficiency to restore what has been taken, lost or stolen. The verb shalam literally means to make whole or complete. The noun shalom has the more literal meaning of being in a state of wholeness or with no deficiency. The common phrase shalu shalom yerushalayim (pray for the peace of Jerusalem) is not speaking about an abcense of war (though that is part of it) but that Jerusalem (and by extension all of Israel) is complete and whole and goes far beyond the idea of "peace"." - Jeff A. Benner
So when "Shabbat Shalom" is put together, it is generally intended to mean "may your day of no work be peaceful", but it could have similar variants such as "may you become whole during your ceasing of labor".
The House of Joseph will learn in the near future that it isn't a matter of "them keeping the Shabbat", but more a matter of "the Shabbat keeping them".
Shabbat Shalom Ephraim, son of Joseph! Come home to Shabbat!! It won't be long before יהוה brings you home to your former home in the Land of your Fathers where you'll learn more than just the definition of Shabbat Shalom. We will truly experience shalom and shabbat once more!!
