Halakhah for Exodus 20:10
וְי֙וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔֜י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹֽ֣א־תַעֲשֶׂ֣֨ה כָל־מְלָאכָ֡֜ה אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבִנְךָֽ֣־וּ֠בִתֶּ֗ךָ עַבְדְּךָ֤֨ וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֜֙ וּבְהֶמְתֶּ֔֗ךָ וְגֵרְךָ֖֙ אֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽ֔יךָ
but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;
Gray Matter IV
Avid sports fans often ask their Rabbanim if it is permitted to program devices before Shabbat that will record sporting events that are played on Shabbat. Shemot 20:10 seems to imply that Hashem requires us to ensure that only our animals, not our utensils, refrain from melachah on Shabbat. Thus, it would appear that Halachah permits us to record sports events on Shabbat, since we do not perform any labor on Shabbat, as only our utensils work.
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Contemporary Halakhic Problems, Vol V
"You shall not perform any labor" (Exodus 20:10): I [know] only that acts of labor and [their] derivatives are prohibited. Whence [do I know] to prohibit rabbinic forms of labor? The verse states "any labor." I would think that one is liable for a sin-offering for transgressing a rabbinic prohibition; [therefore] the verse states "labor"—there is liability [for a sin-offering] for designated labor but there is no liability [for transgression of] a rabbinic prohibition.
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Gray Matter IV
The Mishnayot (Shabbat 1:5-6) record a debate between Beit Hillel and Beit Shamai regarding the scope of the prohibition of melachah on Shabbat. The Torah (Shemot 20:10) commands that our children, our slaves, and even our animals must rest on Shabbat. Beit Shamai argue that this prohibition extends even to one’s utensils. Thus, according to Beit Shamai, one cannot, for example, set a trap before Shabbat in order that an animal be caught on Shabbat, as this constitutes his utensil performing melachah on Shabbat.
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