The Torah instructs us to work during the week for our livelihoods, but prohibits the performance of labor on Shabbat, as it is stated, “Six days you shall work and perform all your labor. The seventh day is the Sabbath for the Lord your God; you shall not perform any labor” (Exodus 20:8–9; Deuteronomy 5:12–13). The definition of labor that is prohibited on Shabbat cannot be open to personal interpretation, as one person might define labor as toiling in the field, while another will also include slicing vegetables for salad. It is thus necessary to establish fixed and clear definitions of the activities prohibited on Shabbat.

Although the Torah explicitly mentions a few of these prohibited labors, including kindling a fire, plowing, and harvesting, most of them are merely alluded to by the Torah’s mentioning the prohibition of labor on Shabbat alongside the commandment for the Israelites to construct the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The Torah provides detailed instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle, and in that context also warns against performing labor on Shabbat. From this juxtaposition, it is derived that those tasks which were required for the construction of the Tabernacle are the same labors that are prohibited on Shabbat.

Based on this, the Sages of the Mishna and Talmud detailed the prohibited labors, on the basis of two fundamental principles:

(1) It must be a planned, thoughtful act, performed intentionally.

(2) The labor must have been required for making the Tabernacle.

This chapter lists the labors prohibited on Shabbat, as well as the principles behind the prohibitions.