God created heaven and earth and all within them in six days. On the sixth day, He also created the first human and entrusted the world to him, instructing him to take care of it and develop it. As we read, “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and tend it” (Genesis 2:15). Once the six days of creation were over, seemingly there was nothing more to create. Nevertheless, God continued creation with a seventh day, designating it for rest and the cessation of labor. As we read, “The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. On the seventh day God finished the work that He had been doing, and He ceased on the seventh day from all the work that He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done” (Genesis 2:1-3; these verses are recited in the Friday night Kiddush).

This means that on Shabbat, God created the possibility of relaxation, quiet, and tranquility. Imagine if Shabbat didn’t exist. A person would work nonstop, out of a tremendous desire for perfection and a futile attempt to meet an unfillable void. Whatever achieved would always fall short of perfection. Feeling that frantic quest and that all efforts were fruitless, would lead to self-destruction and worldwide catastrophe.

For people to rest, it is not enough for them to stop working. They also need to understand the value of what they do. This allows them to recharge their batteries and continue working. Those who does not see the value of what they do will not have peace of mind even when they stop working. When the seventh day was created for pause and relaxation, the ability to appreciate the holiness inherent in the world was created. This appreciation allows people to truly rest.

It is true that people could take off from work on a day other than Shabbat, and refraining from all labor might not be necessary (as long as they relax and recognize the importance of their work). Nevertheless, this would not be sufficient to absorb the profound and lofty divine values which can advance a person’s efforts (and the world itself) to a higher level. For this purpose, people must rest specifically on Shabbat, and this rest must include refraining from all melakha (creative labor). This is the great gift that God gave to the Jewish people, through which they can appreciate the holiness inherent in the world. From the sanctity of Shabbat, they draw blessing and inspiration to repair the world.

Shabbat demonstrates that grueling labor is not the goal of humanity. If not for the sin of Adam, we would be living in the Garden of Eden. All of our work would be joyful and relaxed, involving neither worry nor effort. Shabbat would just give us an extra inspirational boost. As a result of the sin, we were condemned to work hard in order to survive. This labor is meant to rectify the sin, and therefore it is beneficial to us, but it also puts us at risk of becoming enslaved to our material needs. Ceasing work on Shabbat allows us to alleviate the stress intrinsic to the effort to change and repair the world, and allows us to rise above the mundane pressures of the here and now. Shabbat is a world of freedom and rest, faith and song. It is the world of the soul, a preview of the World to Come.

On Shabbat, even if we didn’t quite get to finish something (because we ran out of time to deal with it before Shabbat), and even if something upsetting happens, we accept it with faith and equanimity. We simply enjoy being with God and appreciate the inherent goodness in being alive. As a result, blessing and sanctity suffuse everything we do during the rest of the week. This is why the prophets and sages said that redemption – of the Jews and of the world – depends upon Shabbat observance.

Just as a person has a body (the external form) and a soul (the inner essence), so too a week has a body (the weekdays) and a soul (Shabbat). Accordingly, the spiritual heights to which we can ascend on Shabbat depend on our conduct during the week. Maharal suggests a further parallel. A physical item can be described as having six dimensions: up, down, front, back, right, and left. The number seven expresses the item’s inner essence. Similarly, the physical world took six days to create, while on the seventh day, Shabbat, the sacred essence of the world, was created.

The most profound opposition in the world is the dichotomy between the spiritual and the physical, between body and soul. When viewed with “weekday eyes,” they appear to be warring and interfering with each other. But Shabbat reveals that the body and the soul complement one another. The soul brings life and blessing to the body, while the body provides the soul with a way to express itself. Therefore, on Shabbat we are commanded to enjoy ourselves both physically and spiritually, through Torah study and prayer, and through festive meals and sleep.

During the week, it seems that everyone competes and fights over wealth and honor, and one person’s gain is another person’s loss. This leads to a contentious society in which success is based on being dishonest. But on Shabbat, we connect with the Source of life and understand that everyone shares that source. Deep down, we all yearn for God. Even the forces that seem divisive can complement and cross-fertilize each other. Even the wicked have a positive purpose (in that they can inspire the righteous), and thus they contain a spark of goodness.

Our Sages tell us that the world is sustained through peace. What brings peace to the world? Shabbat, which fosters peace on heaven and earth. Therefore, we must be very careful not to mar the sanctity of Shabbat through quarrels. Someone who feels sad should try to overcome this mood on Shabbat. If spouses or friends are at odds with one another, they should try to reconcile their differences on Shabbat. For Shabbat can bring peace and harmony not only to values that conflict, but to people who clash as well. This is why the traditional greeting on Shabbat is “Shabbat Shalom,” (Shabbat peace).

It is a mitzva to abstain from work on Shabbat, as we read, “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease” (Exodus 23:12). Many nations learned from us to take off one day a week. However, the Jewish Sabbath has additional sanctity and restrictions. Anyone who engages in melakha (creative labor), even something minor, damages Shabbat’s holiness and transgresses biblically. As we read, “The seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; you shall not do any work (melakha)” (Exodus 20:10), and “You shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. He who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does work (melakha) on it shall be cut off from among his people” (ibid. 31:14). The mitzva to rest applies to children, servants, and even animals, as we read, “You shall not do any work – you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or your donkey, any of your cattle, or the stranger in your settlements, so that your male and female slave may rest as you do” (Deuteronomy 5:13).

The Torah commands us not to undertake melakha on Shabbat. However, non-creative activities are permitted. How do we determine what the Torah considers creative? We look at which activities were necessary for the construction and operation of the Tabernacle, the predecessor to the Temple (19:1 above). These are considered creative and may not be done on Shabbat, while everything else may be done.

Linking melakha to the Tabernacle conveys a profound idea. The purpose of humanity, created in the image of God, is to improve and transform the world into a tabernacle to house the Divine Presence. Accomplishing this will require building a physical structure in which the Divine Presence can manifest itself. Faith, Torah, and blessing will spread from there to the whole world, until it is a tabernacle of divine values. All work – whether in the fields or the factories, whether business, scientific research, or the arts – will be undertaken to benefit the world and to bring it closer to kindness, truth, justice, and compassion (19:17 above). This vision can be summarized by saying the melakhot needed for the Tabernacle are the very same ones needed to improve the world. Yet, despite their great value, we are commanded to desist from them on Shabbat, in order to appreciate their inner meaning. God created the world in six days and ceased on the seventh, and His rest infused the six weekdays with inner meaning. So too, the Jews are commanded to cease all melakha on Shabbat, so they will be able to understand and find meaning in every melakha they engage in during the week.

The principle to limit and prohibit on Shabbat are based on two biblical commandments: 1) the 39 melakhot, that create new things. 2) the general commandment to sanctify the day and refrain from ordinary mundane activities even if they are not actually included in the 39 melakhot.

While the Written Torah presents general principles, the Oral Torah expands on the details. The Sages were empowered to establish safeguards and ordinances to reinforce the Torah’s commandments and enable the fullest expression of their spirit (16:12 above). The rabbinic rules pertaining to Shabbat serve one of two purposes, which parallel the two reasons above: they are meant either to ensure that people not come to do a melakha, or to preserve the spirit of Shabbat as a day of sanctity and rest. In cases of great need, the Sages permitted transgressing the rules they established.

What are the criteria to determine whether a Shabbat prohibition is on the Torah (biblical) level or the rabbinic level? As a rule, for a melakha to be biblically prohibited:

It must involve taking an action which has a lasting result. Doing something which only has a temporary effect is rabbinically prohibited. For example, someone who writes with a standard pen or pencil is transgressing biblically, while someone who writes with disappearing ink is transgressing rabbinically.

It must be constructive. Destructive actions, such as tearing clothing or destroying things, are rabbinically prohibited.

It must be done in the usual way. However, the Sages put a safeguard in place and forbade doing a melakha even with a shinui (an irregular way). Why is it allowed on the Torah level? Because Shabbat demands abstaining from work. Someone who does his work with a shinui is in effect taking a break from work, because it is not viable to work this way. For example, if one normally writes, cuts, or hammers with one's right hand, but is forced to use the left instead, one will only be a tenth as productive as normal. Therefore, this is only rabbinically prohibited. Here is another example. If two people grasp a pen together and use it to write, this is a major shinui. Since it is impossible to write efficiently this way, it is prohibited only on the rabbinic level.

There is an additional principle with regard to a person who causes a melakha to be done in an irregular way and the action is indirect (grama). This transgresses a minor rabbinic prohibition, and therefore in exceptional circumstances, doing so is permitted. (For examples, see sections 20-21 below.)

There is a mitzva to dedicate Shabbat to sanctity and rest. Therefore, in addition to the work prohibition, we are also commanded to take a break from weekday activities and preserve the spirit of Shabbat: “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease” (Exodus 23:12). According to the Sages, this verse includes two directives: to preserve the spirit of Shabbat, and to put safeguards in place so people will not end up doing melakha. For example, courts may not convene, marriages or divorces may not take place, and loans may not be given or paid off on Shabbat. These activities induce tension rather than relaxation and detract from the Shabbat atmosphere. Additionally, there is concern they might lead to writing.

Commerce is prohibited on Shabbat. One who opens a store, buying and selling on Shabbat, as one does on weekdays, is negating a Torah commandment. This prohibition applies even when careful to avoid transgressing any of the 39 melakhot.

A person may not speak about weekday matters, such as business dealings (which affect one's financial situation) or melakhot planned for after Shabbat. However, thinking about them is permissible. It is also permissible to speak about activities prohibited on Shabbat if it is for the sake of a mitzva, such as building and operating a synagogue or religious school.

The Sages prohibited playing musical instruments on Shabbat and Yom Tov, due to the concern that a person might need to tune his or her instrument, or fix it should it break.

Listening to music or watching a film on any electronic device are also prohibited even if the device is turned on before Shabbat, because doing so violates the spirit of Shabbat.

When a person’s life is in danger, Shabbat prohibitions are put aside, as the mitzvot of the Torah were given to us to live by, not to die because of them. Therefore, if fulfilling a mitzva would involve putting a life at risk, even a distant risk, we must not fulfill it (4:8 above). Similarly, we must do whatever it takes to try to save a life, even if the chances are slim. If a rescue attempt does fail, God still rewards all who made an effort.

Any illness doctors consider dangerous, and people drop everything to deal with, is considered dangerous enough to violate Shabbat. For example, a person feels sick while doing an important job, or during his child’s wedding. If the medical guidance would be to drop everything and go directly to the hospital, halakhah considers it enough of a danger to justify rushing the person to the hospital even on Shabbat. For this reason, women in labor are taken to the hospital on Shabbat. In contrast, illnesses for which people do not drop everything do not justify violating Shabbat.

If the people in the vicinity of the sick person do not know whether his life is in danger, they should consult a nearby doctor, nurse, or medic. If none of these are nearby, they should call a doctor. If the situation is still unclear, Shabbat is desecrated on behalf of the sick person as a precaution.

When Adam was created, he did not have to work hard and struggle to make a living. However, this changed when he sinned by eating from the tree of knowledge. God expelled him from the Garden of Eden, and the land was cursed. This meant that people would have to work hard to survive. (See Genesis 3:17-19.) This hard work would gradually rectify the sin. However, subjugation to work puts us at risk of drowning in the material world and forgetting our lofty souls. Therefore, God gave us holy days during which we rise above the sin and its curse. The elevation and illumination of these days can then guide us on the weekdays as well.

The sanctity of Shabbat is permanent and enduring. Ever since God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, this seventh day has been Shabbat. In contrast, the sanctity of the festivals depends upon the Jewish people. This dependency is twofold. First, the unique idea of each festival was revealed through the Jewish people. On Passover, God redeemed the Israelites from Egypt; on Shavuot, God gave them the Torah, and on Sukkot, we remember the special divine providence they experienced. On Rosh Ha-shana, the Jews are representatives of the entire creation, crowning God as ruler of the universe, extending blessing upon all. Second, the timing of the festivals depends upon the Jewish months, which were sanctified by the Jewish people (section 1 above).

Shabbat has greater sanctity than the festivals, and desecrating it is a graver sin. This is because Shabbat is when we ascend to a very high level of faith, submitting ourselves to divine providence by refraining from melakha. In contrast, the festivals reveal the greatness of the Jewish people. For this reason, the mitzva to be happy and enjoy festive meals and fine clothing is greater on the festivals than on Shabbat. Melakha necessary to enable the preparation of the festive meals in the home kitchen is permitted on Yom Tov (section 12 below).