2 Comments

1. 

   Paul L says

   Could the Tabernacle be setup (01/01/02nd yr) on a Shabbat, or would this be a Holy Day, convocation, 1st day of the year? The next event 01/08/02 would be an Shabbat also if the SONS can be anointed on a Shabbat. What I am asking is can one WORK/Anoint/Setup on a Shabbat?

2. 

   Sophiee Saguy says

   You are asking many questions! No work could be done on the Tabernacle (Mishkahn) on Shabbat. Mechilta, Rashi, ad loc; Shabbos 70a, 97b; Yerushalmi, 7:2. Also see I 13b, Chagiga 10b “Mach’sheves.”

   Chazal learn from this that on Shabbat we don’t do the 39 Melachot (tasks that were part of building the Mishkahn) that were done in order to build the Mishkan.

   People think Jews don’t work on Shabbat, but the prohibitions are to perform no melachot (the 39 activities it took to build the Mishkahn).

   Here is the list of the 39 Melachot (main activities) prohibited on the Shabbat as listed in the Mishna Shabbat 73a:

   1. Zoreah – Sowing (seeding)

   2. Choresh – Plowing

   3. Kotzair – Reaping (cutting)

   4. M’amair – Gathering (bundling sheaves)

   5. Dush – Threshing

   6. Zoreh – Winnowing

   7. Borer – Sorting (selecting, separating)

   8. Tochain – Grinding

   9. Miraked – Sifting

   10. Lush – Kneading

   11. Ofeh / (Bishul) – Baking/cooking

   12. Gozez – Shearing

   13. Melabain – Whitening (bleaching)

   14. Menafetz – Disentangling, Combing

   15. Tzovayah – Dyeing

   16. Toveh – Spinning

   17. Maisach – Mounting the warp (stretching threads onto loom)

   18. Oseh Beit Batai Neirin – Setting two heddles (preparing to weave)

   19. Oraig – Weaving

   20. Potzai’ah – Separating (removing) threads (Unweaving)

   21. Koshair – Tying a knot

   22. Matir – Untying a knot

   23. Tofair – Sewing

   24. Ko’reah – Tearing (unsewing – ripping)

   25. Tzud – Trapping

   26. Shochet – Slaughtering (Killing)

   27. Mafshit – Skinning

   28. M’abaid – Salting/tanning process [1]

   29. Mesharteit – Tracing (scratching) lines

   30. Memacheik – Smoothing / scraping

   31. Mechateich – Cutting (to shape)

   32. Kotaiv – Writing two or more letters

   33. Mochaik – Erasing two or more letters

   34. Boneh – Building

   35. Soiser – Demolishing

   36. Mechabeh – Extinguishing (putting out a flame)

   37. Ma’avir – Kindling (making a fire)

   38. Makeh B’Patish – Striking the final blow (Finishing an object)
   39. Hotza’ah – Transferring (transporting) from domain to domain (carrying)

   [1] The list of Melachot in the Talmud (Tractate Shabbat 7:2) includes salting hides and tanning as separate Melachot. The Talmud (Tractate Shabbat 75b) states that these two are really the same Melacha, and amends the Mishna by inserting tracing lines, as the twenty-ninth Melacha.