Shabbat 71 articles

A new series based on The Sabbath by Dayan I. Grunfeld

After tanning, the hides had to be scraped to remove any stray hair. Scraping a surface to make it smooth is the melacha of m’macheik. This melacha is not limited to...

The hides that were removed from the animals had to be preserved and transformed into leather. This entailed salting the skins to remove all moisture, stretching the skins to flatten them,...

After the animal was slaughtered, its hide was removed. This is the melacha of mafshit, skinning. The melacha of mafshit can apply to any animal – mammal, fish or bird –...

After capturing the animal, the next step in preparing the hides was to slaughter it. This is the melacha of shocheit. Practically speaking, shocheit includes killing a creature, even without causing...

The next seven melachos involve the hides that were used in the coverings of the Mishkan. The first step in getting these hides was trapping the animal. This is the melacha...

As mentioned in the previous melacha, the Mishkan was draped with coverings composed of several panels sewn together. Repairing these coverings required tearing the damaged area so that it might be...

The Mishkan was draped with a series of coverings. The coverings were made of individual panels that were sewn together into two large tapestries that were then joined by clasps. Connecting...

The nets that were tied, as described in the previous melacha, sometimes had to be untied. This is matir (untying), the reciprocal melacha of kosheir (tying). When a melacha has a...

Taking two threads – or two ends of the same thread –- and tying them together in a knot is the melacha of kosheir. The Talmud in tractate Shabbos (74b) discusses...