315. In Shul Pretty Much All Day Anyway: The prohibition against performing labor on Yom Kippur

As with other holidays, we have both an obligation to refrain from acts of creative labor on Yom Kippur and a prohibition against performing such acts. The positive command appears in verse 23:32 (Mitzvah #317), while the negative injunction is here.

The reason for this mitzvah is simple enough: God didn’t give us the day off so that we could go bowling or shop at the mall. Yom Kippur is a precious gift, given to us in order to make amends and to square things with God. We would be foolish to squander this opportunity on our usual activities!

This mitzvah applies to both men and women in all times and places. It is discussed in the Talmud in the tractate of Shabbos on pages 114a-115a. It is codified in the Shulchan Aruch in Orach Chaim 611. This mitzvah is #329 of the 365 negative mitzvos in the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos and #151 of the 194 negative mitzvos that can be observed today in the Chofetz Chaim’s Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar.