787. Shvus

Rabbi Jack Abramowitz

Shabbos 20:14

Just as one is commanded to have his animals rest on Shabbos, one is commanded to have his servants rest. Even though they are sentient individuals with their own power of choice, their master is required to see to it that they refrain from acts of creative labor on Shabbos, as per Exodus 23:12, “So your ox and donkey may rest, and the son of your handmaiden and the stranger (ger) may find rest.” The servants whom we must ensure rest on Shabbos are those who have been circumcised and who have immersed in a mikvah. These are servants who have accepted the mitzvos that servants must observe. Those who have not been circumcised and who have not immersed in a mikvah, but who simply accept the seven universal (Noachide) laws, are considered the same as resident aliens and they may perform acts of labor for themselves in public on Shabbos just as Jews may do during the week. Resident alien status is only granted at a time when the Jubilee is observed. Since a resident alien may perform acts of labor for himself on Shabbos, and a convert is the same as one born Jewish in all regards, who is meant by the word “ger” in Exodus 23:12, quoted above? This refers to a resident alien employed by a Jew, comparable to “the son of your hand maiden” in the same verse. Such a person may not perform acts of labor for his Jewish employer on Shabbos but he may perform such acts for himself. Furthermore, even if this person is a servant, he may perform acts of labor for himself.

Shabbos 21:1

Exodus 23:12 says, “On the seventh day, you shall refrain.” This means that we are to refrain even from certain activities that are not actually acts of labor. It was left to the Sages to determine the parameters of these activities. Accordingly, they prohibited a number of activities as “shvus” (to encourage rest). Some of these are prohibited because they resemble a forbidden type of labor, while other activities are prohibited out of the concern that they may lead a person to perform a forbidden labor. These are described in the following halachos.