Mitzvah —
99
Not to do prohibited labor on the seventh day of Passover
This page is incomplete.
Help complete the
Mitzvah Minute website.
Do a Mitzvah — Join us in building a living digital Beit Midrash — your partnership makes it possible.
-
וּבַיּ֤וֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ מִקְרָא־קֹ֔דֶשׁ וּבַיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִקְרָא־קֹ֖דֶשׁ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם כׇּל־מְלָאכָה֙ לֹא־יֵעָשֶׂ֣ה בָהֶ֔ם אַ֚ךְ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֵאָכֵ֣ל לְכׇל־נֶ֔פֶשׁ ה֥וּא לְבַדּ֖וֹ יֵעָשֶׂ֥ה לָכֶֽם׃ - פָּרָשַׁת בֹּא
-
Exodus 12:16 - "And on the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation; no work may be performed on them, but what is eaten by any soul that alone may be performed for you."
This Mitzvah's Summary
מִצְוָה עֲשֵׂה - Positive Commandment
מִצְוָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה - Negative Commandment
Holidays – חֲגִים
It is forbidden to engage in creative work — with the exception of work needed for food purposes — on the 21st of Nissan, the Seventh Day of Passover.
Full Description:
This mitzvah forbids performing laborious work (melachet avodah) on the seventh day of Passover. The restriction ensures that the day remains holy and devoted to remembering the miracles of the Exodus, especially the splitting of the Red Sea. As with all Yamim Tovim, labors connected to preparing food are permitted, but all other weekday work is forbidden.
Commentary & Classical Explanation:
- Rambam (Hilchot Yom Tov 6:1): Establishes that the seventh day of Passover has the same prohibitions as the first, apart from labors needed for food preparation.
- Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 325): The root is to sanctify this day as a remembrance of the Red Sea miracle and Hashem’s ultimate salvation.
- Talmud (Pesachim 95b): Highlights the festival’s sanctity, while differentiating between Shabbat prohibitions and Yom Tov allowances.
Commentaries
(Source: Chabad.org)
