Chapter 29
Laws Derived from Isaiah: Running, Walking, Commerce, Measuring, Reading, Speaking
SPEAKING ABOUT THINGS ONE IS FORBIDDEN TO DO ON SHABBATH AND YOM TOV
65.a. “And [by not] speaking about [forbidden] matters”- speech is forbidden, whereas thought is permitted.
65.b. As a result, a person may say on Shabbath that he will go to a particular place on the following day, even if he has in mind to travel there by car.
65.c. Thinking about one’s business on Shabbath is not, as such, forbidden, but
1) this does not extend to the perusal of one’s accounts and
2) thoughts of this kind are inhibited by other considerations.
65.d. 1) Thus, if thinking about one’s business will result in a feeling of anxiety or in a sensation of uneasiness, it is forbidden.
2) Worry is inconsistent with the rest for which we pray in the Shabbath afternoon service, “a rest of peace, of calm, of tranquillity and of security, a perfect rest such as You desire.”
3) In the Grace after Meals we also pray “that there should be no trouble, grief or sighing on the day of
our rest”.
65.e. 1) What is more, it is inherent in one’s obligation to enjoy Shabbath that one should not give a thought to one’s business, but should rest as if all one’s work were done.
2) This is how one should understand the verse in Exodus 20:9, “You should labor for six days and do all your work”- a person cannot always complete all of his work in six days, but, when Shabbath arrives, he should have the same peace of mind as if he had completed everything he had to do.
