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In the Spirit of Shabbat: Difference between revisions

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The Navi says "If you refrain from trampling the Shabbat from pursuing your affairs on my holy day".<ref> Isaiah 58:13</ref> One should refrain from doing mundane activities on [[Shabbat]],and conduct oneself in a dignified manner, as Shabbat was given as a day of rest to focus on spirituality and not the mundane.<ref>In the introduction to masechet shabbat the Tiferet Yisrael provides three explanations as to why Uvda Dchol is assur
The Navi says "If you refrain from trampling the Shabbat, from pursuing your affairs on my holy day".<ref> Isaiah 58:13</ref> One should refrain from doing mundane activities on [[Shabbat]], and conduct oneself in a manner befitting the Shabbat, which was given as a day of rest to focus on spirituality, and not on the mundane.<ref>In the introduction to masechet shabbat, the Tiferet Yisrael provides three categories of Uvda Dchol:


#Any action which is similar to the 39 melachot is uvda dchol
#Any action which is similar to the 39 melachot
#Something which may lead to a melacha
#Something which may lead to a melacha
#Something which is a tircha yetira.
#Something which is a tircha yetira
Tosfot Shabbat 143a s.v. chavit seems to imply that there is an inherent issur.
Tosfot Shabbat 143a s.v. chavit seems to imply that there is an inherent issur.</ref>
Igrot Moshe OC 4:74 anything which during the week  is done for a long duration of time even if now it is being done temporarily is uvda dchol.</ref>
==Definition of uvdin d'chol==
==Prohibitions==
While there are examples of particular activities being prohibited due to being classified as "uvdin d'chol"<ref>The gemara (Shabbat 147b) says that one may anoint their stomach with oil on shabbat, provided that they do so differently than they typically do during the week (either by rubbing and then anointing, or by rubbing and anointing at the same time). This seems to be the most explicit reference to an inherent prohibition of doing things on shabbat in the same way that they are done during the week.
One must conduct himself in an appropriate manner on Shabbat, therefore, one's speech should be exclusively reserved for the discussion of spiritual topics. As well one's actions must be refined on Shabbat. For example, one shouldn't run bike and do vigorous activity on Shabbat. Even if the action which one is doing is not in direct violation of Shabbat however many times in may not be in the spirit of Shabbat.
 
(1) Mishna Brurah (314:41) says that to chop up wood into big pieces would be uvdin d'chol.
 
(2) Mishnah Berurah in 321:36 he explains that the reason why the Shulchan Aruch (321:10) prohibits using a grinder to grind cheese is because of uvdin dichol.  
 
(3) Mishnah Berurah (321:45) says that using a vegetable grinder to grind up onions would violate uvdin d'chol, besides for potentially violating tochein.
 
(4) Mishnah Berura (303:87) says that you can't use a normal weekday comb to lightly brush your hair to one side (such that there is no concern of removing hairs, which would violate gozeiz), but instead should get a special brush for Shabbat with soft bristles, so as not to violate uvdin dichol.</ref>, there is actually no clear definition of this category:<ref>See Dirshu Mishna Berura (siman 321 footnote 48), in which various opinions are cited</ref>
 
# Some define it as follows:<ref>Rav Shlomo Zalman (Meor Hasshabbat Letter 2:2)</ref> if you do something during the week that would be assur on Shabbat, and then on Shabbat you do the same actions with the same objects but just a modify the action slightly in order to get around the melacha concerns, this would still be prohibited due to uvdin d'chol.
# Others define it as follows:<ref>Rav Moshe (Iggerot Moshe 4:74, tochein 4)</ref> something that is an easily recognizable weekday activity, and it doesn't appear like you are doing it in a more haphazard way.<ref>This is the language of rav moshe: שהמלאכה נעשית על ידי זה טובה כמלאכה קבועה דעושין בחול ולא ניכר עניין עשיית עראי שנעשית בלא קפידא כל כך על המלאכה שתעשה יפה</ref>


==Related Pages==
==Related Pages==
Here are some practical applications of uvda dchol:
Practically speaking, it is very hard to extend uvdin d'chol to things which weren't prohibited by chazal, given the ambiguity in defining the category.
 
However, here are some practical applications of uvdin d'chol:
*[[Taking Measurements]]
*[[Taking Measurements]]
*[[Brushing Teeth on Shabbat]]
*[[Brushing Teeth on Shabbat]]
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