Shabbat 6:4
What may one carry on Shabbat? Are weapons like jewelry or like tools?
诇讗 讬爪讗 讛讗讬砖 诇讗 讘住讬讬祝 讜诇讗 讘拽砖转 讜诇讗 讘转专讬住 讜诇讗 讘讗诇讛 讜诇讗 讘专讜诪讞 讜讗诐 讬爪讗 讞讬讬讘 讞讟讗转 专讘讬 讗诇讬注讝专 讗讜诪专 转讻砖讬讟讬谉 讛谉 诇讜 讜讞讻诪讬诐 讗讜诪专讬诐 讗讬谞谉 讗诇讗 诇讙谞讗讬 砖谞讗诪专 )讬砖注讬讛 讘’ (讜讻转转讜 讞专讘讜转诐 诇讗转讬诐 讜讞谞讬转讜转讬讛诐 诇诪讝诪专讜转 诇讗 讬砖讗 讙讜讬 讗诇 讙讜讬 讞专讘 讜诇讗 讬诇诪讚讜 注讜讚 诪诇讞诪讛 讘讬专讬转 讟讛讜专讛 讜讬讜爪讗讬谉 讘讛 讘砖讘转 讻讘诇讬诐 讟诪讗讬谉 讜讗讬谉 讬讜爪讗讬谉 讘讛诐 讘砖讘转:
A man must not go out [of the house on Shabbat] bearing a sword, nor a bow, nor a shield, nor a lance nor a spear. And if he did go out [with one of these] he is liable for a sin offering [because he has violated the final Shabbat labor, carrying]. Rabbi Eliezer says, 鈥渢hese are his ornaments鈥� [like clothing or jewelry, and therefore he should be allowed to wear them]. But the Sages say [he is liable, because these are not ornaments. Rather,] these [weapons] are shameful; as it says, (Isaiah 2:4), 鈥渢hey shall beat their swords into plough shares and their spears into pruning-hooks, and nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and they will not learn war any more.鈥�
Comments
The Torah is maddeningly vague about the definition of the 鈥渨ork鈥� which is forbidden on Shabbat. It explicitly forbids burning fires (Exodus 35:2), and relates the story of a man executed for gathering firewood on Shabbat (Numbers ). Beyond that, the Rabbis were left to interpret the juxtaposition of verses for hints of what precisely was considered work. By studying the construction of the Tabernacle, they discovered thirty-nine forms of work that were, by comparison, therefore forbidden on Shabbat. These categories are listed in Mishnah Shabbat 7:2. The final of the thirty-nine categories is carrying an object more than four cubits (about seven feet) from one domain to another (e.g., from the house to the street).
One of the many challenges in defining work is that a person鈥檚 intention can determine whether an activity is permitted or forbidden. Our Mishnah seeks to determine whether carrying a weapon is like wearing an ornament, and therefore permitted, or more like carrying a tool, and therefore forbidden. Rabbi Eliezer takes the former position, but the sages reject the notion that weapons can ever be considered ornaments for a Jew.
Questions
- Does the Isaiah verse prove the sages鈥� point? How so?
- Would it help Rabbi Eliezer鈥檚 position if the weapon were non-utilitarian (e.g., a symbolic sword like the Kirpan worn by Sikh men today)? What about a soldier or guard? Is his or her weapon permitted as an ornament, or is it permitted because of pikuah nefesh, the obligation to protect life?
- During the Hasmonean revolt, the pious Maccabees initially refused to fight on Shabbat. After their towns were massacred, they decided that fighting in self-defense was permitted. This same policy is followed today by the Israel Defense Forces. Should soldiers be allowed to carry their weapons into synagogue on Shabbat?
