To extend my previous post, the part that bothers me is this: if it’s allowable for you to do it on the Sabbath, then you can also require it of “your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your animals, [and] any foreigner residing in your towns” per Exodus 20.
So if it doesn’t violate the Sabbath for you to walk eight miles to get to your destination, then you can ask your servant to deliver a (spoken, since writing is melakha) message on the Sabbath to your cousin living eight miles away.
Hey, it’s only avodah, you’re still getting your Sabbath, Mr. Servant, enjoy your nice walk!
Excellent question. When it comes to rest on Sabbath, there are three verbs in Hebrew that are used:
SH-B-S (Genesis 2:2, Exodus 16:30, 23:12, 31:17)
N-CH (Exodus 20:11, 23:12, Deuteronomy 5:14)
N-F-SH (Exodus 23:12, 31:17)
One major point to note is that only the first is used in regard to what the Israelites themselves must do. The other verbs are applied either to G-d, or to the animals, slaves and/or strangers (it could be argued that he citation in Deuteronomy also applies to Israelites, as it says “your servant and maid-servant like you”, but I think the broader context suggests a different application of that clause, more below). What do we take away from that fact? I’d say SH-B-S is the word that actually means the opposite of Melakha, and is the only type of “rest” that needs to be consistent with the laws of Sabbath, which could include avodah - labor.
N-CH would seem to be the opposite of avodah-labor, as this verb is used in the commandment (23:12) to let the animals rest. Animals (in Jewish theology) do not have souls, but are certainly capable of brute labor.
N-F-SH is the same root as one of the Hebrew words for soul. It implies the positive feeling of relief from exhaustion. This as well as N-CH are used in reference to slaves and strangers, but not necessarily to Israelites. With that in mind, we turn to the passage in Deuteronomy 5:14-15, which is Moses’s re-telling of the giving of the Ten Commandments:
The commandment to let the slaves rest (verb root N-CH) is specifically said to have the purpose of the Israelites remembering their slavery in Egypt, NOT (as the Sabbath commandments in Exodus) to commemorate G-d’s cessation of work in creating the world. To commemorate G-d’s Sabbath, we observe Sabbath which does not necessarily exclude a certain degree of exertion and toil. To remember G-d’s kindness in freeing us from slavery, we allow our slaves to rest, which I believe does mean more than their not doing Melakha, though I have not yet found a definitive description of that law. Perhaps I will update this thread with further research when time allows.
One other point in the above is the use of “rest” and “refreshed” in reference to G-d. How could a being who is omnipotent and therefore never tires need rest or refreshment? The answer given by the commentaries is he does not need it - but to teach us a lesson, he forced himself to take it. If he who does not require rest can take a break, then certainly we who do require rest cannot justify working through and insisting we can’t take one.