Mishneh Torah, Rest on the Tenth of Tishrei 1

Sugya Map

• Issue: The legal status of Yom Kippur vis-à-vis Shabbat regarding prohibitions, liability, and the nature of the issur.
• Nafka Mina: Whether the prohibitions on Yom Kippur (specifically melacha) are conceptually identical to Shabbat or a distinct category of "holiness" requiring separate derivation.
• Primary Sources: Leviticus 23:32 (Shabbat Shabbaton); Mishneh Torah, Rest on the Tenth of Tishrei 1:1; Shabbat 24b; Yoma 74b.

Text Snapshot

Rambam opens: "It is a positive commandment to refrain from all work on the tenth day of the seventh month, as it states: 'It shall be a Sabbath of Sabbaths for you' (Leviticus 23:32)."

• Leshon Nuance: Rambam identifies the mitzvah to refrain as a positive commandment (aseh) derived from the word Shabbaton. He distinguishes this from the negative commandment (lo ta'aseh) of "You shall not perform any labor" (Numbers 29:7).

Readings

1. Ramban (Commentary on Torah, Leviticus 23:24): Argues that the mitzvot of all festivals are linked via the Shabbaton derivation. He posits that the Torah intentionally equates them to establish a uniform structure of holiness, even where the text does not explicitly repeat the term.
2. Rambam (Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive 165): Insists that Shabbaton functions as a separate positive command. He maintains that while Yom Kippur shares the mechanics of Shabbat prohibitions, its specific gravity is derived from the unique command to "afflict the soul," making it a chiyuv gavra (personal obligation) rather than merely a cheftza (status of the day).

Friction

• Kushya: If the halachot of Shabbat and Yom Kippur are identical, why does the Torah specify "Sabbath of Sabbaths"? If it merely means "Shabbat," the repetition is redundant; if it implies something different, how can Rambam treat them as structurally identical in Mishneh Torah, Rest on the Tenth of Tishrei 1:2?
• Terutz: Rambam resolves this by arguing that the term serves two functions: establishing the aseh of cessation and extending the definition of prohibited labor to include Rabbinic sh'vut (decrees) that distinguish the day from the mundane.

Intertext

• Yoma 74a explores the interpretation of Shabbat Shabbaton as the source for the five prohibitions (washing, anointing, etc.).
• Sha'agat Aryeh 70 debates the principle of chiluk melachot (dividing labors), arguing that unlike Shabbat, one might only be liable for a single chatat on Yom Kippur for multiple labors.

Psak/Practice

The Rambam’s heuristic is strict: Ein bein Shabbat l'Yom Kippur ela zeh b'karet v'zeh b'sekila (There is no difference between them except for the penalty). In practice, this means all muktzeh and sh'vut rules of Shabbat apply to Yom Kippur with total stringency.

Takeaway

Yom Kippur’s holiness is not a deviation from Shabbat but the apex of it; we refrain from labor not merely to rest, but to create the internal space necessary for the soul to be "afflicted" and thus purified.