Halakhah sur L’Exode 12:16
וּבַיּ֤וֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ מִקְרָא־קֹ֔דֶשׁ וּבַיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִקְרָא־קֹ֖דֶשׁ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם כָּל־מְלָאכָה֙ לֹא־יֵעָשֶׂ֣ה בָהֶ֔ם אַ֚ךְ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֵאָכֵ֣ל לְכָל־נֶ֔פֶשׁ ה֥וּא לְבַדּ֖וֹ יֵעָשֶׂ֥ה לָכֶֽם׃
Le premier jour vous aurez une convocation sainte et le septième jour encore une sainte convocation. Aucun travail ne pourra être fait ces jours-là; toutefois, ce qui sert à la nourriture de chacun, cela seul vous pourrez le faire.
Gray Matter IV
As is well known, the Torah (Shemot 12:16) permits us to cook on Yom Tov. The Torah presents this exception as follows: “However, that which is done for eating purposes may be done for you (lachem).” Chazal (Beitzah 20b) interpret the word “lachem” to teach that we are permitted to cook “lachem,” for Jews, but not for nochrim. The Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 512:1) codifies this rule as normative Halachah with no dissenting opinions voiced by the Shulchan Aruch or any of its commentaries. The Aruch Hashulchan (O.C. 512:1) and Bei’ur Halachah (ad. loc. s.v. Ein Mevashlim) agree that cooking for a nochri constitutes a Torah-level prohibition.
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Gray Matter IV
Three basic concepts must be clarified in order to understand this issue. The first is the debate between Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel regarding the law of “mitoch.” The Torah (Shemot 12:16) permits certain melachot on Yom Tov, including cooking, transferring fire, and carrying in a public domain, for the sake of ochel nefesh (food preparation). Beit Shamai limits this permission to food preparation while Beit Hillel expands it to any Yom Tov need.
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Gray Matter III
The Torah (Shemot 12:16) permits hav’arah (kindling a fire) on Yom Tov, but Chazal (see Bei’ur Halachah 502:1 s.v. Ein) forbade creating a new flame. Hence, when we light any fire on Yom Tov, we light it from a preexisting flame. Even on a Torah level, however, it is forbidden to burn incense on Yom Tov (Beitzah 22b and Shulchan Aruch O.C. 511:4), because Halachah does not permit any melachah (creative activity) that is not shaveh l’chol nefesh (customarily enjoyed by all). Burning incense is regarded as an exotic luxury and therefore is not a permissible form of hav’arah on Yom Tov.
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