Chapter 5 of massekhet Beitzah deals with rabbinic prohibitions on the Festival. The Mishna on TB 36b delineates three categories the rabbis prohibited both on the Festival and on Shabbat with the notable exception of the preparation of food. The three categories are: 1, shevut (שְׁבוּת), activities that are not explicitly forbidden by the Torah and have no mitzvah component; 2, reshut (רְשׁוּת), activities that could have a mitzvah component; and 3, mitzvah.
“MISHNA: Any
act for which one is liable due to a rabbinic decree made to enhance the
character of Shabbat as a day of rest [shevut]; or if it is
notable because it is optional, i.e., it involves an aspect of a mitzva
but is not a complete mitzva; or if it is notable because it is a
full-fledged mitzva, if it is prohibited on Shabbat, one is liable
for it on a Festival as well.
“And these are the acts prohibited by
the Sages as shevut: One may not climb a tree on Shabbat, nor
ride on an animal, nor swim in the water, nor clap his hands together, nor
clap his hand on the thigh, nor dance.[1]
“And the following are acts that are
prohibited on Shabbat and are notable because they are optional, i.e.,
which involve an aspect of a mitzva but are not complete mitzvot: One may
not judge, nor betroth a woman, nor perform ḥalitza, which is
done in lieu of levirate marriage, nor perform levirate marriage.
“And the following are prohibited on
Shabbat despite the fact that they are notable because of the
full-fledged mitzva involved in them: One may not consecrate, nor
take a valuation vow (see Leviticus 27), nor consecrate objects for
use by the priests or the Temple, nor separate teruma and tithes
from produce.
“The Sages spoke of all these acts being
prohibited even with regard to a Festival; all the more so are they
prohibited on Shabbat. The general principle is: There is no
difference between a Festival and Shabbat, except for work involving
preparation of food alone, which is permitted on a Festival but
prohibited on Shabbat.” (Sefaria.org
translation) The Gemara provides the reasons why the rabbis forbade each one of
these activities to prevent the person from violating a Torah law.
At the very end of this sugiyah, the Gemara explains why we need
three different categories since the all fall under the rubric of a rabbinic
enactment (גזירה דרבנן).
“The Gemara asks a question. When the mishna describes those
cases as notable because they are optional, is this to say that their
prohibition is not because of a rabbinic decree to enhance the
character of Shabbat as a day of rest [shevut]? Likewise, with
regard to those cases described as notable because they are mitzvot,
is this to say that their prohibition is not because of shevut? The
mishna, by referring only to the first of its three categories as shevut,
implies that the acts listed in the following categories do not involve shevut.
But this is not so; as the Gemara stated above, all these acts are prohibited
by rabbinic decree to enhance the character of Shabbat and the Festival as days
of rest.
“Rabbi Yitzḥak said: They are indeed all
prohibited as shevut. The mishna lists three types of shevut:
Those that involve no mitzva whatsoever, those that have a mitzva aspect to
them, and those that constitute a full-fledged mitzva. And the tanna is
speaking and arranges his list employing the style of: There is no need,
i.e., he arranges the cases in order of increasing notability. First, there
is no need to state, i.e., it is most obvious, that plain shevut,
which involves no mitzva at all, is prohibited, but even shevut of an
optional act, i.e., an act that is a minor mitzva, is also prohibited.
And there is no need to state, i.e., it is obvious, that shevut
of an optional act is prohibited, but even shevut of a full-fledged mitzva
is also prohibited.”
(Sefaria.org translation)
[1] See
my blog entry for TB Beitzah 30 where I wrote why Tosefot holds that dancing and clapping are now permitted both on
Shabbat and on Yom Tov.
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