We know the importance of taking breaks. "You've got to stop and smell the roses." "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy — and Jill a rich widow." Even the Bible affirms the premise — one of the Ten Commandments: "Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy ... Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work ..." (Deuteronomy 5:12-14). And it is not a suggestion; it is a command!

To be sure, many, through the years, have gone to absurd lengths in its interpretation. Ancient scribes set up all sorts of "fences" around the sabbath to assure that no one could violate the divine rule prohibiting work.

For example, they said bearing a burden was work. Then as a corollary of that general rule, they said tha…