Parshat Vayakhel - Pekudei - Hachodesh - The Sabbath
by Rabbi Lobel

“For a period of six days, work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy to you, a day of complete rest for G-d... You shall not light a fire in any of your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.” (Exodus 35:2-3)

The commandment to observe the Sabbath is mentioned by the Torah immediately preceding the commandment to build a tabernacle. Rashi states that the conjunction and order of the two mitzvoth demonstrate that even though building the Tabernacle is a holy act, it does not override the Sabbath; the Children of Israel had to cease construction on the Sabbath.

Many commentaries continue to question the above verse. Why specifically was the prohibition of lighting a fire singled out? The Mishna in Tractate Shobbos (73A) categorizes thirty nine different prohibitions on the Sabbath including sifting, grinding, and kneading, to name a few, that are just as prohibited as lighting a fire.

The Daas Zekainim suggests that since lighting or transferring a fire doesn’t involve “hard labor”, one could reason (incorrectly) that lighting a fire does not constitute a violation of the Sabbath.

According to the Daas Zekeinim, the Torah needed to specifically forbid lighting a fire on the Sabbath because even the most knowledgeable Halakhic (Jewish Law) scholars could mistakenly believe that lighting a fire on the Sabbath is permissible.

From here we learn that as important as logic is to determine the law, logic alone is insufficient. Had the Torah not specifically prohibited lighting a fire on the Sabbath, we could have reasoned otherwise because of the minimal labor involved.

The specific warning of lighting or transferring a fire on the Sabbath teaches us the importance of understanding the guidelines for the prohibitions of the Sabbath. It is very easily mistakable to assume, based on our own logic, what is right and wrong.