:Chinscratch: The letter Hebrews, is written to Hebrew believers.. Just before Paul's arrest in Jerusalem, it was said how many of Judaism there in Jerusalem, had come to the faith, and they were all zealous for the law of Moses. (Acts 21:20)
But they had heard by rumor/gossip(?) that Paul was teaching Judean/Israeli converts not to follow the laws of Moses given to Israel. This of course wasn't true. But when Paul was at the temple a mob came about in the street and they pulled Paul out of the temple "and the temple doors were shut".
It's a debate I believe, but I think Hebrews was written by Paul - later during likely his second imprisonment at Rome, as Hebrews is a later letter, like and around the time of his pastoral letters (or is at least what is believed). So these are likely legalists and by the time of this letter, they were "dull of hearing" and so it was hard to communicate with them about deeper things of the gospel - the letter reveals they couldn't progress past the basics (important foundation) of receiving forgiveness of sins/justification.
Paul wrote they were in danger of missing the boat! Of not "entering His rest".. the "real Sabbath" they were so intent upon insisting all follow observe legalistically.
There were disputes going on, it seems for some time.. for in Romans, an earlier letter, he felt the need to point out that they should not judge one another concerning Sabbaths, that "one observes one day as above the others, unto the Lord, and another observes all days alike, also unto the Lord, and to let each one be persuaded in their own minds." (Romans 14) ---It certainly isn't a bad thing to observe God's original Sabbaths! But requiring it - for approval and acceptance by God - is beyond the New Testament/Covenant. Is missing the boat as to what makes us approved and acceptable to God is to rest in the works of Jesus, and receive all the promises by faith, not by self effort - which misses the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.
Some time before the mob in Jerusalem and Paul's arrest, the apostles had met over the question --> Should gentile converts/believers be required to also be Judean and follow the law of Moses? This of course is in Acts 15. What they decided is to require the gentile believers to "abstain from blood (dietary?) and sexual sin". And the phrasing was "it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to require no further things but to abstain from blood and sexual sin".
Nothing about Sabbaths.. whether the regular weekly, or the ones in annual Spring and Fall Holy Days. (Nothing about circumcision the legalists were also zealous for, to which Paul said if you submit to you are fallen from grace. Believers were told to contend for the original gospel.. to preserve what the apostles taught. Not adding to or taking away?)
And indeed in the letter to the Hebrews, Paul calls Jesus the real Sabbath, and all others are a shadow and type of the real Sabbath - Jesus - whom we as believers are to rest in.
Day OF Atonement was/is a high sabbath of strict "no work". Anyone working on that day was to be cut off/separated from the people/nation. Missing the boat of Atonement and reconciliation.
Lev.23-26-32 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+23%3A26-32&version=NKJV
But the legalists unknown to their selves, had by their legalism (imo?) halted their own progress in Jesus and the Holy Ghost. And likely the progress of some they preached to..
:doh: And actually, what Paul said was they should have been teachers by then, but instead they actually had come to need someone to teach them the first things - "the first principles of the gospel". They were back to needing milk, rather than solid food/bread/meat.