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I do not know of any amongst the “people of examination” amongst our companions who does not err in the notion of “work” and this is because they define all motions as “work” and do not exclude anything from this category and subsequently discuss its components and parts. And the matter according to our view is different from their view and this is what we will explain. We say that the Creator, exalted and praised, forbade upon us five things on the Sabbath: the first is “work” and this is the verse (Exodus 20:9) “but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates” meaning in this verse skilled labor and the known professions which are related to them, and this is like a silversmith and carpenter and tailor and weaver and welder and trader and perfumer and what is similar to this since the verse says (Exodus 36:4) “And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying: 'Let neither man nor woman make any more work (melakhah) for the offering of the sanctuary.' So the people were restrained from bringing” meaning of his profession, and the verse (Jonah 1:8) “Then said they unto him: 'Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us: what is thine occupation (melakhtekha)? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?'” meaning what is your profession, and this is one of the five.
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And the second is “doing” (‘asiyah) which are the actions that are not the skilled labors aforementioned, and this is referenced in the verse (Exodus 23:16) “Six days thou shalt do thy work (ma’asekha), but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.” For the verse’s “shalt rest,” (tishbot) which means to stop doing, refers to what is mentioned before which is the actions in the verse’s “thy work.” And all the motions included under this category of “doing” and not the prior category of “work” (melakhah). And this includes walking and standing and sitting and sleeping and eating and drinking, etc… And the opposite of all the skilled labors are “doing” such as unraveling which is the opposite of weaving, and tearing which is the opposite of tailoring and upholstering etc… and breaking which is the opposite of several skilled labors such as construction and carpentry and welding and glasswork and pottery and what is similar to this, and destroying which is the opposite of building.
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And this is because we do not say “Moses the tearer” as we say “Moses the tailor” and we do not say “Moses the unweaver” like we say “Moses the weaver and stitcher” and we do not say “Moses the breaker” like we say “Moses the builder or welder or glassblower.” And similarly we do not say “Moses the eater or drinker” and if someone asks “what is he doing?” we say “he is breaking that or tearing that or destroying that or eating that or drinking that or saying that or looking at something or talking about something.” And similarly if one asks what he completed, we say he stood or sat or walked or ate or tore or slept and what is similar to these activities. And in the same category are also games and entertainment like dice and chess and dance and playing the drum and oud and tambour and everything similar to this, and swimming and riding. And included in this are using makeup and looking in a mirror and combing hair and what is similar to this. And this is an expansive topic and clear enough not to expand upon it.
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And this topic has many disputes and debates and quarrels. And the difference between it and between “skilled labor” (melakha), which is the profession as we noted prior, is that the profession describes a person like a carpenter or welder or tailor and what is similar to this. And these do not refer to his actions independent of him, like a person doing an action may be described as not a profession, like we say “a person playing chess or a person swimming.” We do not mean in these that this is a profession, but rather that he is skilled in this, like we say a person is an orator intending that he is skilled in talking. And we also call a person “an eater or drinker” or the opposite “non-eater or non-drinker” meaning that he eats and drinks a lot. And if one increases in some of these actions and turns it into a profession, we do not need to mention it, since every profession is composed of actions but not all actions are a profession. Our companions conflate the notion of “melakha,” because they include “actions” in this category, and thus there are many differences between them in distinguishing which actions are permitted or forbidden on the Sabbath.
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And the third of the five prohibitions on the Sabbath is the removal of small items from homes and the Sabbath area and the entry into it from the outside. And this is learned from the prophetic verse which says (Jeremiah 17:22) “neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work; but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers” and the verse (Jeremiah 17:21) “ thus saith the LORD: Take heed for the sake of your souls, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem.” And the fourth is leaving the defined Sabbath area and this is in his verse (Exodus 16:29) “See that the LORD hath given you the sabbath; therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.'” And the fifth is leaving fire to allow it to remain lit during the Sabbath, and this is from the verse (Exodus 35:3) “Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.'” And this is a general summary and we will discuss each topic separately.