It is of note that the (strict) observance of Shabbat is often seen as a benchmark for orthodoxy and indeed has legal bearing on the way a Jew is seen by an Orthodox religious court regarding their affiliation to Judaism.
The traditional analysis and explanation of the term, as well as the logic for identifying the activities prohibited to be done on the Sabbath, is recorded in tractate Shabbat (70a; 49b).
God blessed the seventh day, and he declared it to be holy, for it was on this day that God ceased from all the work [melakha] that he had been creating to function.From the common wording (in the Hebrew original), and the juxtaposition of subject matter, the rabbis of the Mishnah derive a basis, as well as a listing, as to which activities are prohibited on the Sabbath.
All the categories of work prohibited on the Sabbath are derived from activities which were required in the setting up, and maintenance of, the Tabernacle known as the "Mishkan".
For example, "threshing" usually refers exclusively to the loosening of the edible part of grain attached to its chaff.
From this heading the Talmudic legal discussion applies this to any separation of intermixed materials where a desirable inner portion is extracted from an undesirable exterior element.
Many rabbinical scholars have, as above, pointed out that these regulations of labor have something in common – they prohibit any activity that is externally creative, or that exercises control or dominion over one's environment.
This includes dragging chair legs in soft soil thereby unintentionally making furrows, or pouring water on arable land that is not saturated.
The Gemara asks why this order occurs and answers that the author of this Mishna was a Tanna living in the Land of Israel, where the ground is hard.
See further: Mishneh Torah Shabbat 8:7–10, 21:12–16; Shulḥan Arukh Oraḥ Ḥayim 319–321; Ḥayei Adam Shabbat 14 Hebrew: זוֹרֶה (Zoreh) Definition: Sorting undesirable from desirable via the force of air (Babylonian Talmud), or dispersal via the force of air like an aerosol can for example (Jerusalem Talmud).
According to the Babylonian Talmud's definition, neither of the above spraying methods is involved in sorting undesirable from desirable and therefore not part of this heading.
This prohibition has led to the popularity of gefilte fish as a culinary dish on the Sabbath, since it is deboned prior to being cooked or sold.
In contrast, threshing/extraction does not entail sorting or purification, just extraction of the inner from the unwanted housing or outer component, such as squeezing a grape for its juice.
General Introduction: Borer with mixed foods: The three conditions of sorting/purification: Examples of Permissible and Prohibited Types of sorting/purification: See further: Mishneh Torah Shabbat 8:11–13, 21:17; Shulḥan Arukh Oraḥ Ḥayim 319; Ḥayei Adam Shabbat 16[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Hebrew: טוֹחֵן (Ṭoḥen) Definition: Reducing an earth-borne thing's size for a productive purpose.
The laws of medicine use on the Sabbath are complex; they are based around the kind of illness the patient is suffering from and the type of medication or procedure that is required.
The list of definitions, from least to most severe, is as follows: For most practical applications the use of medicines on the Sabbath, there are primarily two categories of non-life-threatening (Pikuaḥ Nefesh) illnesses and maladies.
The undesirable grinds are segregated, leaving clear coffee solution that can be decanted to another vessel, e.g., a cup or mug.
More precisely, the prohibited activity is amalgamation or combining solid and liquid together to form a paste or dough-like substance.
Firing a brick in a kiln or tempering a piece of metal in a furnace would also be included in desirably changing the properties of an item via heat.
See further: Ḥayei Adam Shabbat 25 Hebrew: עוֹשֶׂה שְׁתֵּי בָּתֵּי נִירִין (Oseh Sh'tei Botei Nirin) Definition: Forming loops for the purpose of weaving.
Or, according to the Rambam בּוֹצֵעַ (Botze'ah) unweaving Definition: Removing, cutting or tearing fibres from their frame, loom or place.
See further: Ḥayei Adam Shabbat 25 Hebrew: קוֹשֵׁר (Koshair) Definition: Binding two pliant objects skillfully or permanently via twisting.
Animals which are considered too slow-moving to be 'free' are not included in this category, as trapping them does not change their legal status of being able to grab them in 'one hand swoop' (a term used by the Rambam to define this law).
The Jerusalem Talmud (Shabbat 7:2)[12] describes the forbidden labor as being learnt from the act of rubbing animal skins against the surface of a stone pillar or column in order to render the hide soft and pliable.
Each hair's removal partially demolishes the wig (for these legal purposes) and is considered constructive when viewed in context of the desired goal.
This complex, and possibly most abstract section of Sabbath law, refers to activities completing an object and/or bringing it into its final useful form.
[15] Adding hot water to a pre-made 'noodle-soup-pot' type cup (a dehydrated mixture of freeze-dried seasoning and noodles) would be the final act of completion for such a food as the manufacturer desired to make the product incomplete, awaiting the consumer to finish the cooking process at their convenience.
The definition of an area as public thoroughfare or private domain is related to its degree of enclosure, not solely based on ownership.
When human life is endangered, a Jew is not only allowed, but required, to violate any Sabbath law that stands in the way of saving that person.
[19][20] The concept of life being in danger is interpreted broadly; for example, it is mandated that one violate the Sabbath to take a woman in active labor to a hospital.