Fundamentals of the Laws of Yom Tov - Rabbi Eyal Peled shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast from Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 Hello and welcome to everyone watching and listening. Today we’re going to discuss the laws of Yom Tov. Before we get into the whole system of Yom Tov laws—which are fairly complex, and where it isn’t always easy to understand why a particular type of work was permitted or prohibited—there are some principles that can help us understand what happens on Yom Tov, how it differs from Shabbos, and what was permitted or prohibited and why. We need to lay out several foundations before we can move through these laws. First, broadly speaking, Yom Tov is like Shabbos when it comes to the prohibition against doing work. The Torah prohibited work on Yom Tov, but it also opened a limited door, allowing certain types of work under certain conditions. The basic distinction is that we divide the types of work into two categories. There is what the verse calls “laborious work”—“You shall do no laborious work”—and there is work for food preparation. When we want to define these categories, the Alter Rebbe does it very clearly at the very beginning of the laws of Yom Tov. I’ll read his wording: “What is laborious work? Any work that is not performed on food or drink, and that is not needed for eating or drinking.” In simple terms, the Alter Rebbe is telling us that any work we do that is not connected with food—

02:29 Speaker 2 or, more precisely, does not involve the food itself—any work that does not deal with food, where I’m dealing with something else rather than preparing food, is called laborious work. For example, a person extinguishes a lamp or turns off a light. That has nothing to do with food. Extinguishing is called laborious work in the context of Yom Tov, and it is prohibited: “You shall do no laborious work.” There are more examples. If a person plows or digs a hole in the ground, that has nothing to do with food. The same goes for writing, drawing, building, and the like. Types of work that do not directly involve making or preparing food are called laborious work, and doing them on Yom Tov is prohibited just as it is on Shabbos. There is, of course, a difference in the severity of the prohibition: on Shabbos the liability is stoning, while on Yom Tov it is a negative commandment carrying liability for lashes. But for our purposes, that does not change anything; it is prohibited just as on Shabbos. On the other hand, work for food preparation means work that deals directly with the food and is performed on the food itself. The Alter Rebbe gives examples: reaping, threshing, gathering, winnowing, sorting, grinding and sifting, of course, as well as kneading, baking, cooking, slaughtering, and the like. All these types of work are performed on the food itself. So whenever I can say that the work is done on the food itself—that it acts on the food in some way, whether I reap the wheat, thresh

04:42 Speaker 2 the wheat, grind it, bake it, or cook it—all these types of work that deal directly with food are called work for food preparation. Why is this distinction helpful? It is fundamental, because it leads us to understand which types of work the Torah permitted us to do on Yom Tov. As the Alter Rebbe explains, the basis for this is in the Gemara, in Tractate Beitzah. The Gemara says that work performed on food—what I call work for food preparation—is permitted provided I do it for the purpose of eating. So while this type of work has the advantage of being classified as work for food preparation, I still cannot do it for just any reason. I cannot simply cook or bake for a weekday, for example. But if I cook or bake in order to eat on Yom Tov, the Torah permits it. The verse from which we learn this permission says: “Only that which is to be eaten by every person—that alone may be prepared for you.” This verse is in the book of Shemos. It tells us quite plainly that any work that prepares food and makes it fit to eat, and that I do so in order to eat on Yom Tov, is permitted. The Torah permitted that. So we now have an important basic definition. Laborious work is prohibited, and even if I want to do it so that I can eat, I have a problem. We will see later that this is called preparatory work for food preparation, but it is not itself called work for food preparation. Therefore, all laborious

06:41 Speaker 2 work, such as building, digging, writing, and the like, is prohibited on Yom Tov. It cannot be done even for the purpose of eating. Conversely, work for food preparation—work that deals with the food—is permitted on Yom Tov, provided I do it in order to eat on Yom Tov itself. Doing it for some other reason remains prohibited, and prohibited by the Torah. That is the first foundation. Now we come to another very important, central principle in the laws of Yom Tov. The Alter Rebbe tells us that the Sages established a rule for all these types of work classified as work for food preparation: “Since they were permitted for a need, they were permitted even when not for that need.” This means that all the types of work we call work for food preparation—such as baking, cooking, and slaughtering, as well as carrying, which the Alter Rebbe also calls work for food preparation because it is performed on the food itself, and kindling, which the Alter Rebbe likewise calls work for food preparation because the fire prepares the food—are subject to this rule: since the Torah permitted them for eating, it also permitted them for other forms of benefit and other needs, not necessarily needs related to eating. Take kindling, for example. We said that I am allowed to kindle a fire in order to cook or bake. This rule tells me that since the Torah permitted kindling a fire for eating—for cooking and baking—it also permitted kindling a fire for warmth. You want to warm your home because you are cold and uncomfortable, and you want to kindle a fire to heat the house? That is

08:55 Speaker 2 It is permitted. Even though you are not kindling a fire in order to eat, the principle is that since it was permitted for a need, it was also permitted for a purpose other than that need. But there is still a condition here—a very important one. Its basis is in Tosafos and in the Gemara and its commentaries, and the Alter Rebbe rules accordingly. There may be some dispute about whether this condition is Biblical or rabbinic, but in any case, it is fundamental. Even when we say that an activity permitted for a need is also permitted for another purpose, if we are using a food-preparation melachah for a particular benefit, it must be a benefit that everyone appreciates. Remember this rule well. It has to be the kind of benefit that anyone could reasonably enjoy, not one particular to people who are especially pampered or unusually sensitive. That does not qualify. It has to be a benefit that everyone appreciates. For example, we said that I may kindle a fire for warmth. Warmth is a benefit everyone appreciates: anyone feels cold in cold weather and wants to warm up. So I may kindle a fire to heat the house or the place where I am. Similarly, I may kindle a fire for washing. But washing is where we see how this rule limits the permission. We say that I may kindle a fire for washing because washing, too, is a bodily benefit. But what kind of washing did the Sages permit? Washing that everyone appreciates. What does that mean in practical terms? The Sages permitted specifically the washing of

10:46 Speaker 2 one’s face, hands and feet. In other words, the Sages understood that everyone needs to wash their hands over the course of a day. Hands get dirty, so of course people wash their hands and their faces. In the morning, they get up and wash their hands and face. That is something everyone appreciates. But washing the entire body is considered in halachah a special luxury for people who are very pampered or fastidious, and so it is prohibited. So if I want to kindle a fire to heat water for washing my hands and face, fine. But if I want to kindle a fire to heat water to wash my entire body, we say: No, that is not a benefit everyone appreciates, and it is prohibited. And that really is the case. In fact, bathing itself is also prohibited under the laws of bathing, quite apart from kindling a fire. Even if I have dealt with the fire issue—say the water was already hot before Yom Tov—washing the entire body on Yom Tov is still prohibited, as it is on Shabbos. There is almost no difference. When we study the laws of bathing later, we will discuss this in detail. But that is the practical halachah. The Alter Rebbe also rules in accordance with the stricter opinions: one may not wash the entire body in hot water on Yom Tov, even if the water was heated permissibly or before Yom Tov. What is more, even for babies, the Alter Rebbe holds that this is not considered a benefit everyone appreciates. Young children do not have to be bathed every day either. The reason we bathe every day now is that we have such good facilities: you can turn on the tap at any moment and immediately have hot water. So why not shower? But that does not necessarily make it essential or necessary for everyone. That is why it is not considered a benefit

12:42 Speaker 2 that everyone appreciates. So that is the example. I should just point out that this rule we have been discussing—since it was permitted for a need, it was also permitted for a purpose other than that need—apparently underwent a certain development. The Alter Rebbe’s wording is that the Sages received the tradition that all food-preparation melachos, once the Torah permitted them to be performed for eating on Yom Tov, were permitted altogether, even when not needed for eating on Yom Tov, provided they serve some Yom Tov need. This need not be eating; it can be a bodily benefit or a mitzvah whose opportunity will pass—this too is part of the permission—a mitzvah that must be performed that day, and so on. Now, since the wording says “all food-preparation melachos,” we apply this rule to them: since they were permitted for a need, they were also permitted for a purpose other than that need. Still, in the Kuntres Acharon, the Alter Rebbe—and this also seems to be the view of the halachic authorities—indicates that we do not apply this rule to every food-preparation melachah. Rather, it applies only to melachos primarily performed for food. The Alter Rebbe gives the examples of carrying, kindling a fire, slaughtering, baking and cooking. These are melachos primarily performed for food preparation, and in their case the Sages permitted them altogether, saying that since they were permitted for a need, they were also permitted for another purpose. In other words, you should know that we do not use this rule for every food-preparation melachah. But with melachos whose primary purpose is food preparation, we do apply the rule fully, without that problem. Another very important point: there is a category called machshirei ochel nefesh, preparatory acts for food preparation. Until now, we have discussed food-preparation melachos, which are performed on the food itself, as in the examples we gave: trapping, harvesting, squeezing, grinding, selecting, cooking and baking. Melachos performed on the food itself are food-preparation

15:00 Speaker 2 melachos. But there are melachos called machshirei ochel nefesh. How are they defined? There are somewhat different explanations, and the Rishonim have differing approaches. The Alter Rebbe discusses this in the Kuntres Acharon, but we will not go into it now. We will have a somewhat more in-depth class on this principle, because it is a very important one from which the Alter Rebbe draws various conclusions. In any case, here is what machshirei ochel nefesh means according to the Alter Rebbe’s approach. If a food-preparation melachah is one performed on the food itself, that means that when I enjoy the food, I benefit directly from the melachah. Cooking made the rice ready to eat, so when I enjoy the rice, I benefit directly from that cooking. That is called a food-preparation melachah. But with other melachos, even when I enjoy the food, I do not benefit directly from the melachah. I will read the Alter Rebbe’s wording: “Since the melachah is not performed on the food itself, but on something that makes it fit for eating.” In other words, the melachah is not performed on the food; it is performed on something that serves as a preliminary step toward preparing the food. It sets the stage so that I can prepare food, but it is not performed directly on the food. Here is a simple example that will explain the whole idea. One example concerns repairing a skewer. The Alter Rebbe holds that repairing a skewer is considered machshirei ochel nefesh. What does that mean? I want to roast meat, and the way to roast it is to take a skewer, put the meat on it and roast it. Let us assume I have no other way to roast this meat except by putting it on a skewer. All right, fine. Now what happens if this skewer

17:05 Speaker 2 It got damaged? It bent or broke, or something like that. So I want to fix it so I can eat. After all, without the skewer I can’t eat the meat. I need the skewer for the meal, so I want to fix it so I can eat. But is fixing the skewer itself connected to food? It isn’t. It only prepares the means for me to make food. Fixing the skewer itself doesn’t involve the food. It isn’t a melachah performed on food. It’s called the melachah of repairing a utensil. It’s a derivative of building or the finishing blow, or whatever the case may be, but it isn’t a melachah that deals with the food itself. And even when I finally eat that meat, I don’t benefit directly from the repair of the skewer. I benefit from the fire that roasted it, not from the repair of the skewer. So a melachah like that is called food-preparation needs, and this issue comes up very often on Yom Tov. We don’t always encounter a need to perform melachos that deal with the food. Often we need something that will enable us to eat the food, and there are plenty of examples. Extinguishing a fire often fits this category too, because sometimes, in order to eat, I need to extinguish or rake away some of the coals. That was the reality in the past: there were coals, and you had to rake them away so you could heat the oven again. That raking extinguished the coals. So that too is called a food-preparation need. Extinguishing the coals doesn’t prepare the food, but it creates the conditions that make it possible to prepare food. Along

18:46 Speaker 2 those lines, for example, we’ve been talking about melachos prohibited by Torah law, but we can also turn to prohibitions instituted by the Sages. Take immersing utensils—or washing utensils. That too is a kind of preparatory need. The utensil is dirty and I need to wash it, sometimes with hot water, which means I need to heat water for that purpose. Washing the utensil enables me to cook with it, if it’s a pot and so on, but it still doesn’t involve the food itself. That’s why I call all these things food-preparation needs. The same applies to immersing utensils and kashering utensils with boiling water. It’s the same point: immersing a utensil enables me to use it to eat, but it doesn’t deal directly with the food. All these things are called food-preparation needs. What is the law regarding them? In general, in the underlying sources, there is a dispute between the Sages and Rabbi Yehudah, but the halachah was decided as follows: it follows the Sages. Food-preparation needs that could have been taken care of before Yom Tov—for example, immersing utensils, washing utensils, repairing the skewer, or raking out the oven—cannot be taken care of on Yom Tov. I could have done them before Yom Tov. If I could have done them before Yom Tov, I cannot do them on Yom Tov. Any food-preparation need that could have been taken care of before Yom Tov cannot be taken care of on Yom Tov. I cannot do it. What does “I could have done it before Yom Tov” mean? The standard here is very strict, especially according to the Alter Rebbe. The Alter Rebbe holds that even

20:40 Speaker 2 if, say, I was very busy before Yom Tov and didn’t have time—I didn’t get around to it. I was busy preparing everything for the start of Yom Tov and so on, and I didn’t have time to repair the skewer, immerse the utensils, kasher them, and so forth. So you might ask: is that considered something I could have done before Yom Tov? I was completely occupied. The Alter Rebbe does not take that into account. The Alter Rebbe requires circumstances entirely beyond my control for me to be permitted to take care of a food-preparation need on Yom Tov. I have to be in a situation where I had absolutely no possibility of doing it before Yom Tov. A simple example is the skewer: it got damaged on Yom Tov itself; it bent on Yom Tov. Clearly I couldn’t have fixed it before Yom Tov, because the problem didn’t exist then. So in cases like that, where I could not have done it before Yom Tov, I may do it on Yom Tov. But if I could have done it before Yom Tov, I may not do it, even if I forgot, was busy, or wasn’t free. And the Alter Rebbe goes further: even if circumstances beyond your control prevented you from dealing with these preparatory needs on the day before Yom Tov, but you could have done it a few days earlier, that still does not allow you to do it on Yom Tov. So, to sum up the rule regarding food-preparation needs: if they could have been taken care of before Yom Tov, they may not be taken care of on Yom Tov. But food-preparation needs that I could not have taken care of before Yom Tov,

22:20 Speaker 2 because the situation did not yet exist, or because circumstances were completely beyond my control, I may take care of on Yom Tov as well. But it’s very important to know this: now that we’re studying the subject, I can tell you this. In practice, though, this halachah places a significant restriction on us. It’s one of the things that sometimes make people feel they don’t quite understand the rabbis. And someone who doesn’t study the halachos and doesn’t know them really misses out in a way. Because with this permission concerning food-preparation needs, the rule is that it is a halachah that we do not instruct people to follow. That is how we treat food-preparation needs: it is a halachah that we do not instruct people to follow. In other words, if you know the law, fine—you may make use of this permission. But suppose someone else asks you, “Tell me, may I immerse these utensils now?” He couldn’t immerse them before Yom Tov, or they’re utensils he received as a gift from a neighbor or something like that, and he asks whether he can immerse them. I cannot tell him yes, even though the halachah permits it. If I couldn’t take care of these preparatory needs before Yom Tov, I may take care of them on Yom Tov. But that applies only to someone who already knows the halachah. Telling it to someone who doesn’t know the halachos is forbidden. That is what it means when we say it is a halachah that we do not instruct people to follow. And more than that, it follows that there is another restriction here: not only can I not tell him, I also cannot do it in front of him. If I now want to immerse a utensil and people are watching

24:08 Speaker 2 me who don’t know the halachos, then in effect I’m teaching them that immersing utensils is permitted. So with these preparatory needs, I have to be careful not to do them even in front of members of my household, including my wife and children, if they don’t know the halachah. When I want to perform a melachah that falls into the category of food-preparation needs, I have to make sure there isn’t a group of people watching me who don’t know the halachos. That’s a problem—unless I can give them another explanation and say, “I’m doing this because…” For example, the Alter Rebbe gives the case of someone who wants to sharpen a knife. He says, “I’m just cleaning the grease off it.” So if I can offer them some other explanation for what I’m doing, that’s fine. Otherwise, it has to be done privately, not in front of people. That’s the rule for food-preparation needs. So we see that it isn’t simple. The halachah says this: it’s true that melachah needed to prepare food is permitted—whether cooking, baking, kindling a fire, carrying, and so on, as we detailed. But the Sages saw the mitzvah of rejoicing on Yom Tov as something very central and important, and they saw fit to protect it in various ways. They wanted to make sure a person wouldn’t have reasons to miss out on the joy of Yom Tov. So the Sages said: it’s true that melachah needed to prepare food is permitted on Yom Tov, but let’s think for a moment about what would happen if we gave you completely free rein. Do all the

26:12 Speaker 2 The food-preparation work you want to do on Yom Tov—that’s all fine. So what will a person do? He knows that on ordinary days he has to work and earn a living. He doesn’t have time to start preparing meals and all kinds of things for the holiday. He says to himself, “There isn’t much to do on Yom Tov anyway. Let’s leave the whole business until then. On Yom Tov we’ll start cooking and baking, we’ll start grilling, and we’ll do whatever else we need to prepare good, lavish meals.” What will happen? We’ll find him spending the whole day preparing food, missing out on the joy of Yom Tov. To prevent that, the Sages said: Any food-preparation work that you could have done before Yom Tov—this is somewhat similar to the rule about implements, but a little less stringent, as we’ll see shortly. The Sages said that with actual food-preparation work, which is permitted on Yom Tov—we’re not talking about implements—if you could have done it before Yom Tov without any loss, you may do it on Yom Tov only if you do it in an altered manner. That’s the rule, a very fundamental and important one. So we really need to plan what we’re going to do. As Yom Tov approaches, we have to ask ourselves: Is there work I can do now, before Yom Tov? If so, I need to do it now. If I didn’t, even deliberately, then when I want to do it on Yom Tov I’ll have to do it in an altered manner. Now, what does it mean to say that I could

28:03 Speaker 2 have done it before Yom Tov? As we said, it means work that I can do before Yom Tov without suffering any loss—neither a financial loss nor a loss of flavor or the like. So if I should have done it before Yom Tov, but preparing the food then would make it deteriorate or lose its flavor, even a little—it would no longer be fresh or taste as good as when it’s freshly made—that’s considered something I cannot do before Yom Tov. In that case, the Sages permitted me to do it on Yom Tov itself, from the outset, without an alteration. Let’s give some examples. This comes up a lot in cooking too—perhaps less often in cooking, actually. But take grinding, for example. Generally speaking, it’s permitted to grind vegetables and the like on Yom Tov. We’ll discuss that when we talk about the work of grinding. If, for instance, I grind apples, potatoes, or a banana before Yom Tov, and by Yom Tov they’ll have lost some flavor and won’t taste as good, that’s considered something I cannot do before Yom Tov. So I would seemingly be able to do it on Yom Tov without an alteration. We’ll see about that later. Grinding does have a particular stringency. But take mixing, for example. If I want to make tahini on Yom Tov, I’m told, “Make it before Yom Tov. If you can make it then, do so

29:50 Speaker 2 before Yom Tov.” Okay, but if I make the tahini before Yom Tov, what will it be like by the time Yom Tov arrives? It will lose a little of its flavor. The same could apply to egg salad, tuna salad, and all kinds of foods that require mixing. Often, if I prepare these foods before Yom Tov, they won’t taste as good when Yom Tov arrives. They won’t lose their flavor completely, but that’s still enough. Even if they’ll simply be less tasty, that’s enough to say I’m not required to make them before Yom Tov. There’s another point we need to consider here: What does it mean for a food to lose flavor? In their day, they didn’t have refrigerators, so of course it would lose flavor. But nowadays, with a refrigerator, you can sometimes keep things fresh and good. Perhaps, then, this permission doesn’t apply. In practice, though, the halachic authorities say it makes no difference. We don’t take the refrigerator into account. The Sages didn’t require you to take various steps to preserve the food’s freshness. If the food deteriorates on its own and loses flavor over the course of Yom Tov, it’s considered something you cannot make before Yom Tov. Even if you could use some trick, put it in the refrigerator, and keep it fresh, that isn’t relevant here. If the food itself would deteriorate, it’s considered something you cannot make before Yom Tov, and you’re permitted to prepare it on Yom Tov itself without

31:29 Speaker 2 an alteration. What’s more, it isn’t only a loss of flavor; a loss of appearance counts too. That can happen, for example, with grated apples. The flavor might remain fine, but what happens after a few hours? They turn brown, and that doesn’t look good. We know that a food’s appearance is very important. It’s a significant, central part of our enjoyment of the food. So that matters too. If preparing a food before Yom Tov would spoil its appearance, that also permits me to prepare it on Yom Tov without an alteration. There are a few more rules on this point. Let’s take an example that may come up in practice: cooking. Usually, cooking something before Yom Tov won’t necessarily make it deteriorate. It’s a little hard to find an example. Actually, nowadays it’s a little hard to find examples of foods that won’t deteriorate if prepared before Yom Tov. The Alter Rebbe does give examples. He mentions dried fruit, which is actually better when cooked before Yom Tov. Some also say this is true of pickles, matbucha, and various spicy salads: you can prepare them before Yom Tov without their flavor deteriorating. In that case, I indeed cannot prepare them on Yom Tov unless I do so in an altered manner. If an alteration is possible, fine; if not, I cannot prepare them at all. In any event, when it comes to cooking these foods—if I want to cook a dish—there’s another

33:27 Speaker 2 point here that changes the ruling somewhat. Even if a food won’t deteriorate at all when I cook it before Yom Tov—perhaps rice or something like that—nevertheless, if I’ll need to heat it on Yom Tov, and heating it would involve the work of cooking, that changes things. What have I gained by making it before Yom Tov? True, its flavor won’t deteriorate, but ultimately I can’t eat it cold. I need to heat it, and heating it means cooking it. So preparing it beforehand hasn’t accomplished anything, and I can cook it on Yom Tov from the outset. That’s another rule. Medical needs, for example, are also considered a benefit that applies to everyone. If I want to cook something on Yom Tov to prepare a medicine, or heat honey to feed a child, or prepare cooked food for someone who is ill, that too is considered something that applies to everyone—a benefit that applies to everyone. That’s what the Pri Megadim and the Avnei Nezer write, and it appears from many halachic authorities that medical treatment is also considered something that applies to everyone. So for medical treatment too, I would say: Since the work of kindling a fire or cooking was permitted for the sake of eating, it was also permitted for medical treatment—even treatment that isn’t necessarily eaten, but perhaps applied to the body. If it’s olive oil, for example, there’s some sort of treatment that a person

35:15 Speaker 2 If someone has stomach trouble, they heat olive oil for him and rub it on his body. So on Yom Tov, I would be allowed to heat that olive oil. Even though I’m kindling a fire and cooking, I can say: “Since these activities were permitted for a necessary purpose, they were also permitted for a purpose that is not strictly necessary.” Medical needs, too, are considered something that applies to everyone, so this would be permitted. But the Maharsham adds a qualification: that is only if the substance is fit for healthy people to eat as well. If you want to prepare medicines from things that are not fit to eat, you cannot do that. You cannot open a pharmacy now and start making all kinds of medicines from inedible ingredients. No. Okay, let’s continue with the rule we mentioned about food-preparation work that could be done before Yom Tov without the result deteriorating, losing any flavor, or causing a financial loss. We said it can be done on Yom Tov without a change, but if I could have done it before Yom Tov without the result deteriorating, then I cannot do it on Yom Tov itself unless I do it differently. The Alter Rebbe says: All this applies to the other kinds of food-preparation work. But when we’re talking about carrying—the melachah of carrying—the Alter Rebbe says this rule does not apply. The Sages did not restrict you by asking whether you could or could not have carried it before Yom Tov. The Alter Rebbe says that the Sages did not impose that restriction on carrying, and the reason is simple: It is for the very same reason we told you to do certain things before Yom Tov, so that the joy of Yom Tov would not be diminished.

37:07 Speaker 2 For that same reason, we permitted carrying without imposing any such conditions or restrictions, so as not to diminish or take away your joy on Yom Tov. Because if a person has to stop and think every moment, “Could I have carried this before Yom Tov, or couldn’t I?”—people often go in and out, and each time he would have to ask himself that question. It would distress him, restrict him, and detract from his joy on Yom Tov. So the Sages excluded carrying from this rule and said: You can carry freely; don’t start making calculations. Of course, the carrying must serve some purpose. Carrying for no reason at all is still a problem. But carrying for some purpose is allowed. We’re continuing with this mitzvah of rejoicing on Yom Tov. We’ve already seen that, to preserve the joy of Yom Tov, the Sages restricted us in certain kinds of work and permitted others. There is another very important point that likewise stems from the need to preserve the joy of Yom Tov. It will also answer many, many questions we might ask. After all, squeezing, for example, or harvesting, is food-preparation work. I can’t harvest, I can’t pick fruit on Shabbos or Yom Tov. I want to eat an apple—why can’t I pick it? It is food-preparation work, done for the sake of eating. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to? The Alter Rebbe answers as follows: The Sages prohibited on Yom Tov kinds of work that are ordinarily done for many days’ worth of use, even though they are food-preparation work. For example, the Alter Rebbe says, grinding grain in a mill. Grinding grain in a mill is ordinarily

39:18 Speaker 2 done in bulk, for many days’ worth of use, and that is forbidden on Yom Tov. The same applies to sifting, detaching, and harvesting. When you harvest, you harvest the whole field, the whole area, in one go, on one day. So harvesting is done in large quantities, not just for Yom Tov but for many days. The same goes for squeezing fruit and the like. We may not do any of these kinds of work on Yom Tov, for the same reason: preserving the joy of Yom Tov. Once you are allowed to do them, you might say, “Well, if I’m harvesting anyway, I might as well pick everything—I’ll harvest the entire orchard.” Then you’ll spend all of Yom Tov occupied with this work. Similarly, the Alter Rebbe says, trapping and milking an animal are also included. Trapping is done for more than one day’s use, and when milking, the usual practice is to milk all the animals. Therefore, all these activities are forbidden on Yom Tov. Later on we’ll see that they were nevertheless permitted in certain circumstances where the usual practice is to do them for that day’s needs. But as a general rule, when a kind of work—even food-preparation work—is done in large quantities, in bulk and so on, the Sages prohibited it. Torah law permits it; the Sages prohibited it. So we understand why we may not squeeze fruit on Yom Tov, why we may not pick fruit on Yom Tov, and why we may not milk an animal on Yom Tov. It is because these things are ordinarily done in large quantities. The Alter Rebbe also mentions sorting here. Sorting grain, too, is forbidden. Likewise, sorting other kinds of produce

41:24 Speaker 2 that are ordinarily sorted in large quantities is forbidden on Yom Tov, even though it is food-preparation work. We need to examine the Alter Rebbe’s approach to work on Yom Tov. A very basic distinction is between food-preparation work and other work; there are also preparatory acts needed for food preparation. We need to clarify the Alter Rebbe’s approach. We’ll see that there are several ways to explain the difference between food-preparation work and preparatory acts. This distinction can be understood in different ways. How do I define preparatory acts, and how do I define food-preparation work? There are practical implications, and we’ll try to see what the Alter Rebbe’s position is. He discusses this at length in Kuntres Acharon, subsection 4, to section 495, where he lays out several fundamental principles. In any case, let’s begin with what we said earlier: On Yom Tov, there are kinds of work called melachas avodah, and there are kinds of work called food-preparation work. Within food preparation itself, there is the actual work of preparing food and there are preparatory acts, as we explained. Now, when we look at the early halachic authorities, we see two approaches to explaining the distinction—first, how to define food-preparation work as opposed to melachas avodah, and consequently, what counts as a preparatory act. The first approach we find is that of the Maggid Mishneh. It seems that this is also implied by Tosafos in tractate Shabbos, in the chapter Hamatznia. His argument is as follows: I divide the kinds of work on Yom Tov into categories. I have two types: melachas avodah and food-preparation work. That is what he calls them. In other words, we

44:05 Speaker 2 We give the melachos names; we give each melachah a definition. Every melachah is defined either as a “melachah of work” or as a “melachah for food preparation.” In principle, following this approach, the laws differ as well. A melachah of work has its own laws. A melachah for food preparation is treated differently and has its own laws. By virtue of being defined as a melachah for food preparation, it receives certain privileges, so to speak. So what is called a melachah of work? What is called a melachah for food preparation? And this is based on the verses. In other words, the verses in the Torah that guide us on how to deal with melachos on Yom Tov. There are two verses. One verse in Vayikra says, “You shall not perform any melachah of work.” And a verse in Shemos says, “Only what is eaten by every person—that alone may be prepared for you.” We can already see a certain distinction here. There are melachos that may not be done on Yom Tov, and there are things that are permitted: “Only what is eaten by every person may be prepared.” So the Rishonim, including the Maggid Mishneh, considered what “melachah of work” means. When the Torah tells me, “You shall not perform any melachah of work,” what do I call a melachah of work? And what do I call “what is eaten by every person”? The Maggid Mishneh says—and the Alter Rebbe also brings this definition—that any melachah not performed on food, that does not handle or deal with food, is called a melachah of work. For example, extinguishing: I extinguish a candle; that has nothing to do with food. Digging, plowing—a person plowing is not dealing with food. Building has nothing to do with food. And similarly, writing and the like. These melachos are called melachos of work. About them the Torah says, “You shall not perform any melachah of work.” It would seem that the Torah is telling me that these melachos

46:28 Speaker 2 are out of bounds. I cannot do them on Yom Tov, just as I cannot do them on Shabbos. That is one side. On the other hand, there are melachos defined as melachos for food preparation: melachos that deal with food. That is the Maggid Mishneh’s definition of a melachah for food preparation. A melachah that deals with food—for example, harvesting, sorting, grinding, squeezing, cooking, and baking. These are melachos that deal with food. The Alter Rebbe says this also includes kindling and carrying. These melachos that deal with food are called melachos for food preparation. They receive that designation, and their laws are different. Following this approach, this view, we must say the following: a melachah of work is forbidden. Even if I want to do it for the sake of eating—say, I want to build an oven now so I can bake—even though I am doing it for the sake of eating, since it is defined and described as a melachah of work, I cannot do it. I cannot do it on Yom Tov, unless it falls under the category of preparations; we will discuss that later. But generally, it is called a melachah of work; it is out of bounds, forbidden. Conversely, melachos for food preparation: the clear permission to perform them is, of course, on condition that I do so for the sake of eating. I want to cook in order to eat on Yom Tov, or I want to bake in order to eat on Yom Tov, and so on. Nevertheless, says the Maggid Mishneh, because these melachos are defined as melachos for food preparation, the Torah treats them differently. Even if they are done for a purpose other than food preparation, they are not prohibited by Torah law. The Sages instituted prohibitions, but by Torah law they are not prohibited. So to speak, they have already been permitted

48:53 Speaker 2 outright. It is not only a matter of “since they were permitted” for food preparation. As melachos for food preparation, they are permitted. The Torah, so to speak, gave them a special privilege, and they are permitted on Yom Tov even when they are not done for the sake of eating. There are still restrictions by rabbinic law, but that, at least, is their status under Torah law. That is one approach, one view. The second view is that of the Rosh. According to the Rosh, it works like this: we do not have categories of melachos here. The Torah did not come and start classifying melachos—deciding which melachah is work and which is not. We are not assigning labels to melachos on Yom Tov at all. What matters is the practical purpose. A melachah performed for the sake of eating is permitted. The need to eat is what permits it—not whether it goes by some particular name, “melachah of work,” “melachah for eating,” “melachah for food preparation,” or the like. Rather, it is the need I have to eat on Yom Tov. So when I perform a melachah in order to eat, that is a melachah the Torah permitted: “Only what is eaten by every person—that alone may be prepared for you.” The Torah permitted it. If it does not meet that criterion, I will call it a melachah of work. But what determines the matter and guides me is whether it serves the need to eat. The moment I perform a melachah for the sake of eating, it is a melachah for food preparation, and it is permitted. According to the Rosh, we are not singling out particular melachos. Any melachah—even extinguishing: if I need that extinguishing in order to eat, it is a melachah for food preparation. Building too: if I build an oven now so that I can eat, that will be called a melachah for food preparation. It will be permitted. One practical difference this makes also concerns preparations for food. Yes, according to the Rosh, we would say that any melachah I must perform so that I

51:12 Speaker 2 can eat is a melachah for food preparation, even if it does not deal directly with the food. As we said, take extinguishing. The example he gives is raking out the coals so that I can heat the oven. Raking out the coals causes extinguishing. He permits it because it is impossible to bake without that raking. It is impossible to bake without that extinguishing. The extinguishing is necessary for the sake of eating, so he considers it a melachah for food preparation. Accordingly, “preparations for food” refers to a situation where I do not have to perform this melachah in order to eat. I can manage with other options, even if they are not the best, but I can manage in other ways. So it will not be called a melachah for food preparation. It will be called a preparation for food, because, after all, I am performing this melachah. I am preparing something; through it, I bring about a situation in which I can eat. True, I could have managed differently, but in practice it does help. It does enable me to eat, so at least it will be called a preparation for food. That, at any rate, is how it comes out according to the Rosh’s view. Now, when we look at the Alter Rebbe, let us try to see what the Alter Rebbe holds about this whole matter. First of all, we see a certain apparent contradiction. Why? Because on the one hand, the Alter Rebbe brings the Maggid Mishneh’s definition in section 495, subsection 2. He brings the Maggid Mishneh’s definition and says: “And what is a melachah of work? Any melachah not performed on food or drink, where that melachah serves no need connected with eating or drinking,” and so on. He gives examples: extinguishing a candle, building, digging

53:08 Speaker 2 And all of that. In other words, it sounds as though he, too, follows this approach: some melachos are defined as meleches avodah, while others are defined as meleches ochel nefesh. As he goes on to say: “But any melachah performed on food or drink, such as harvesting and threshing, and so on and so forth... Accordingly, all these melachos and others like them are called meleches ochel nefesh, which the Torah permitted for the sake of eating on Yom Tov.” So up to this point, he seemingly agrees with the Maggid Mishneh. On the other hand, there are two problems with this. First, he does not agree with the Maggid Mishneh that the melachos we have defined as meleches ochel nefesh are permitted even when they are not done for the sake of eating. He says this explicitly regarding preparations for food: they serve to make the food ready, but the melachah itself is still not actually performed for the sake of eating. He says these melachos are prohibited by the Torah. That is his position. He says: “They are called machshirei ochel nefesh, preparations for food, which the Torah prohibits doing on Yom Tov, even in a case where otherwise he would lose his meal entirely and have to fast on Yom Tov.” Nevertheless, if the melachah is not performed on the food itself, even though it is a melachah related to food, it is only a form of preparation, and doing it on Yom Tov is prohibited by the Torah. This also tells us something else. It tells us that he does not agree with the Rosh either. According to the Rosh, as we said, melachos that are essential for eating are not called preparations; they are called actual meleches ochel nefesh. But the Alter Rebbe tells us explicitly: “even in a case where otherwise he would lose his meal entirely.” Even if this is a melachah without which

55:14 Speaker 2 you would not be able to eat on Yom Tov and would have to fast, nevertheless, if it does not involve the food itself, it is not permitted. It is not called meleches ochel nefesh; it is called machshirei ochel nefesh. So according to the Rosh, as we said, any melachah essential to enabling me to eat is called meleches ochel nefesh. But the definition given by the Alter Rebbe and by the Maggid Mishneh is that meleches ochel nefesh is a melachah performed on the food itself. If it is not performed on the food itself, then even if I will not be able to eat without doing it, it is not called meleches ochel nefesh. It is only called a preparation. So we see a kind of contradiction in the Alter Rebbe’s words. On the one hand, he does make the Maggid Mishneh’s distinction between melachos that are meleches avodah and melachos that are meleches ochel nefesh. But he does not agree that these melachos of ochel nefesh are permitted even when they are not done for the sake of eating. No—he says they are prohibited by the Torah. Now, on the other hand, we see something else interesting here. When the Alter Rebbe defines meleches avodah, he says: “Any melachah not performed on food or drink, where that melachah is not needed for eating or drinking.” What does he mean by “not needed for eating or drinking”? Which is it? If it is performed on food or drink, it is meleches ochel nefesh. If it is not performed on food or drink, it is meleches avodah. So what difference does it make if it is done for the sake of eating and drinking? We have already explained that when it is done for the sake of eating and drinking, it is called a preparation. In other words, this fits better

57:20 Speaker 2 with the Rosh’s approach. The definition he gives here—that a melachah done for the sake of eating and drinking is called meleches ochel nefesh—plainly fits the Rosh’s approach. That is what the Rosh argues: a melachah I do so that I can eat, such as clearing out an oven so I can bake, building an oven so I can bake, or fixing a spit so I can roast. All these things are for the sake of eating and drinking, but they are not done to the food itself. If they are not done to the food itself, then according to the Maggid Mishneh they are not called meleches ochel nefesh. Only according to the Rosh would I call them meleches ochel nefesh, because they are done for the sake of eating and drinking and are indispensable. So that fits the Rosh’s approach. Why, then, does the Alter Rebbe present this as though it were his own approach, when we see that he gives us the Maggid Mishneh’s definitions? Why does he suddenly give us a definition that belongs more to the Rosh’s approach, rather than to the Maggid Mishneh’s approach, which he seemingly follows? So when we try to understand which approach the Alter Rebbe follows, we encounter a kind of contradiction. On the one hand, he gives us the Maggid Mishneh’s definition, and it appears that each type of melachah has its own definition and name, with its laws following accordingly. On the other hand, he says that melachos defined as ochel nefesh—which should have the advantage that even if I do them for a purpose other than eating, I do not violate a Torah prohibition—do in fact involve a Torah prohibition.

59:14 Speaker 2 That is one side of it. On the other hand, we also see that he agrees with the Rosh regarding a melachah done for the sake of eating and drinking. According to the Maggid Mishneh’s definition, it is not called meleches ochel nefesh, because it is not done to the food itself; it is called a preparation. Only according to the Rosh is it called meleches ochel nefesh. But the Alter Rebbe seemingly does not follow the Rosh’s approach. So what exactly is going on here? We can put it this way, without getting into too much intricate analysis: the Alter Rebbe actually takes a middle path. What does that mean? He says that when we speak of meleches avodah, it really does have its own name and its own designation as meleches avodah. Since the Torah tells me, “You shall not do any meleches avodah,” I must say that there are certain melachos I have to define as meleches avodah. I have to account for that term, and therefore I have to define what meleches avodah is. So I define it as the Maggid Mishneh does: a melachah not performed on food, I call meleches avodah. Fine. But when we speak of the melachos that are permitted, the Alter Rebbe holds that there is no real definition of them as a category. I do not, so to speak, put a spotlight on them and turn them into a distinct class or a specific definition of melachos of ochel nefesh. He really holds that there is no such definition. He really holds that when it comes to the Torah’s permission to perform melachos on Yom Tov, it is true that, automatically, once I have defined meleches avodah in a particular way, I will define meleches ochel nefesh differently, and I

1:01:25 Speaker 2 I would say that a melachah involving food—I still wouldn’t define it as melaches ochel nefesh, food-preparation labor—but it would not be melaches avodah, labor classified as work. It would not be called melaches avodah because it is done with the food itself. But I am still not giving it the designation of melaches ochel nefesh, which would let me do whatever I want with it. I am still saying that the basis for permitting these melachos is not that the Torah has already named them and viewed them differently, but the need to eat that exists here. Since I need to eat, I say: Okay, I want to eat. I cannot do melaches avodah just because I want to eat, but melachos that are not melaches avodah I can do in order to eat. The basis for permitting me to perform them is the need to eat that has arisen here. In fact, when we look closely, we can see that this fits the wording of the verses precisely. The verse that speaks about the prohibited melachos, as we said—the verse in Vayikra—says, “You shall not do any melaches avodah.” It defines the melachah for us; it tells us that these melachos are classified as melaches avodah. On the other hand, the verse that permits melachah does not say, “You may do melaches ochel nefesh.” It says, “Only that which may be eaten by every person, that alone may be done for you.” In other words, eating is at the center here, not the melachah. So we have the following situation: melaches avodah has its own definitions and is called melaches avodah. The permitted melachos have no designation. Once a need to eat arises, I will be permitted to perform all those melachos

1:03:19 Speaker 2 that are not considered melaches avodah. This helps us understand what appeared to be the small contradiction we presented at the beginning. The Alter Rebbe is saying this: Since melaches ochel nefesh does not have, as we said, a fixed definition as melaches ochel nefesh, I cannot say, as the Maggid Mishneh does, that it is permitted outright. That definition is not there. Regarding melaches avodah, I agree with him; regarding melaches ochel nefesh, he seems to create a kind of combination. For melaches avodah, he follows the Maggid Mishneh; for melaches ochel nefesh, he takes the Rosh’s underlying principle. Therefore, I cannot simply say that melaches ochel nefesh has been permitted, and that settles the matter. No. Melaches ochel nefesh is permitted only when it is needed for eating. Only the need to eat makes the permission apply to it. So if there is no need to eat here, there is no way to permit it. This also helps us understand his wording when he discusses melaches avodah. He says, “And this melachah is not needed for eating and drinking.” If we look a little more closely, we will notice that those melachos performed for the sake of eating and drinking, but not on the food or drink itself—which we said should not be melaches ochel nefesh—indeed are not melaches ochel nefesh. They are only machshirei ochel nefesh, preparations needed for food. They are performed for the sake of eating and drinking, but not on the food or drink itself, so they are called machshirei ochel nefesh. Still, the law regarding machshirei ochel nefesh is that if I could not do them before Yom Tov, I may do them on Yom Tov. Where do we learn that from? Where

1:05:22 Speaker 2 do we learn that if I could not do something before Yom Tov, I may perform machshirei ochel nefesh on Yom Tov itself? From the verse, “Only that which may be eaten by every person, that alone may be done for you.” There is an inclusive wording here: “for you”—for all your needs. Rabbi Yehudah derives from this inclusion that machshirei ochel nefesh are permitted altogether. And our teacher—we make this distinction between whether something could or could not have been done before Yom Tov. But in any event, when I am permitted to perform these machshirei ochel nefesh, from which verse do I learn it? “Only that which may be eaten by every person, that alone may be done for you”—for all your needs. Since I learn this from that verse, this preparation, in this situation, takes on the same classification as actual melaches ochel nefesh. Its permission rests on the words “Only that which may be eaten by every person, that alone may be done for you.” The Torah tells me here that even something that is merely needed for eating—essential for eating, but not directly involving the food—is also permitted by the need to eat. So what is the difference between it and ordinary melaches ochel nefesh? Ordinary melaches ochel nefesh is also permitted on the basis of the need to eat. These preparations, too, are permitted on the basis of the need to eat, so they are just like melaches ochel nefesh. That is why the Alter Rebbe says: What is melaches avodah? Any melachah that is not performed on food or drink and is not needed for eating and drinking. Why? Because if this melachah is needed for eating and drinking, then in the cases where it is permitted, it will not be called melaches avodah; it will be considered actual melaches ochel nefesh. And that is essentially what

1:07:33 Speaker 2 he means to say: When we encounter a melachah that is permitted on Yom Tov, it can be one of two things. Either it is a melachah that directly involves the food, or it is a melachah needed for eating and drinking that could not have been done before Yom Tov. The issue of whether it could have been done before Yom Tov does not simply determine whether it is forbidden. The basis of the permission is that this is a preparation needed for food, and it is permitted because of the need to eat, just like food preparation itself. That is why he counts these, too, as melachos of ochel nefesh. In fact, when we look particularly at extinguishing, we see that he often says extinguishing is a preparation needed for food. He says so explicitly in certain places. In other places, he treats extinguishing as though it is directly needed for eating. I cannot remember those places right now, but when you leaf through, you see certain cases of extinguishing that he says are actually—here, perhaps he says it here. Here, in siman 514, he says, “For this extinguishing is like a preparation needed for food.” This extinguishing is like a preparation needed for food. But on the other hand—let me see if I can find it. In any event, this makes sense in light of what we have said. Indeed, an act of extinguishing that could have been done before Yom Tov is called a preparation, and doing it presents a problem. But an act of extinguishing that is permitted on Yom Tov—he seems not to call that a preparation; he calls it something directly needed for food. What he means is that once it is permitted, it is like any other melaches ochel nefesh. That is how it appears, at any rate. So looking at the Kuntres Acharon helps us understand this line of reasoning in the Kuntres

1:09:45 Speaker 2 Acharon: the difference between the Rosh and the other halachic authorities, including the Alter Rebbe. What practical difference does this make? According to the Alter Rebbe, as we said, the verse “You shall not do any melaches avodah” does define a certain category of melachos called melaches avodah. So when I want to determine what is not called melaches avodah, it should be the opposite. If melaches avodah is a melachah not performed on food, then a melachah that is not melaches avodah is one performed on the food or drink itself. This tells me what counts as machshirei ochel nefesh. The Alter Rebbe indeed says that these are melachos that do not directly work on the food or drink itself. They merely make it possible to eat. That is what is called machshirei ochel nefesh. By contrast, according to the Rosh, the need to eat is what determines the matter, and any melachah performed for the sake of eating is called melaches ochel nefesh. So in his view, even melachos that do not involve the food or drink itself, but are performed for the sake of eating and drinking, are called actual melaches ochel nefesh, not machshirei ochel nefesh. Therefore, in his view, even if they could not have been done before Yom Tov, they can be done on Yom Tov itself. In any event, there is more to discuss here, but this is at least one fundamental point in the subject. May it be Hashem’s will that we merit to delve into and study the teachings of the Alter Rebbe. May his merit stand us in good stead, of course. And may we merit a day that is entirely good, very soon.