출애굽기 20:10의 Halakhah

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.

"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.

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.