Dear Rabbi,
I would deeply appreciate if you would explain something to me which I fail to grasp.
The Halacha is that it is forbidden to ignite or extend a flame on Shabbos. I was taught that all the laws of Shabbos were derived from the laws pertaining to the Mishkan. It occurred to me last Shabbos that in the Mussaf t'filla on Shabbos it states that karbonos for Shabbos were offered. Surely that involved extending the flame on the alter to the animal parts that were burnt via being sacrificed. So from where is the prohibition of extending a flame derived, please?
Moshe Yess
From your question it seems to me that you have a different understanding than I regarding the derivation of the Melachos (prohibited acts) of Shabbos. You seem to be under the impression that we prohibit on Shabbos any acts that were not done in the Mishkan on Shabbos . It seems to me that this is not consistent with the teaching of the Gemara for a number of reasons:
1. We derive that any act which was done for the Mishkan is prohibited on Shabbos
2. The derivation has nothing to do with what was done on a weekly basis in the Mishkan on the day of Shabbos, or what was done on a daily basis on any other day of the week for that matter. Rather, we prohibit on Shabbos any Melachah that was done during the construction of the Mishkan. Since construction of the Mishkan came to a standstill on Shabbos, these Melachos were performed during the week when the Mishkan was constructed. It is these Melachos that we prohibit on the Shabbos day.
3. It is true that the laws of Shabbos were binding even for the Kohanim who performed Avodah in the Mishkan (as it was for those who built the Miskan). How, then, were sacrifices burned on Shabbos? The answer is that we derive from a number of verses that a certain class of Korbanos was permitted to be burned on Shabbos, i.e. these offerings indeed override the laws of Shabbos. This class includes the daily and Musaf offerings of the Shabbos and Yom Tov days, as the Talmud explains.
I hope this clears things up a bit.
Best wishes,
M. KORNFELD
Dafyomi Advancement Forum
Dear Rabbi,
My deepest thanks for providing me with a clear and precise answer to my question.
Permit me just one more please. Is the halacha forbidding the extending of a flame on Shabbos an issur deoraita or of Rabbinic origin?
Thank you again,
Ksiva vachasimo tova leshono toivo umesuka
Moshe Yess
I am not sure what you mean by "extending a flame." I presume you mean adding fuel to a fire in order to make the fire burn stronger or longer. If this is what you mean, it is prohibited by the Torah. The prohibition applies to any means of burning an object, regardless of whether or not the object is burned ignited by itself, or added to an existing fire. This is clear from numerous sources in the Talmud (cf. Yevamos 33b).
I hope this answers your question.
Wishing you a Kesivah va'Chasimah Tovah,
Mordecai Kornfeld
Dafyomi Advancement Forum
Dear Rabbi Kornfeld,
I was taught (or learned) that taking a candle and lighting it's wick from the existing ignited wick of another candle was classified in Halacha as "extending a flame" as opposed to using a match or lighter to ignite a flame where none was before.
If this distinction is accurate then is extending a flame forbidden from the Torah or is it of Rabbnic origin?
Ksiva vachasimo tova leshono toivo umesuka
Moshe Yess
I see what you mean, thank you for clarifying your intention.
What I wrote before remains valid; igniting an object with either a match or a pre-existing flame is prohibited on Shabbos by the Torah. The distinction you heard was apparently said with regard to Yom Tov, and not with regard to Shabbos.
On Yom Tov, it is permitted to burn an object because "Meleches Ochel Nefesh" is permitted. In a general sense, that means that it is permitted to do those Melachos that are normally used in the process of preparing food to be eaten). Nevertheless, it is prohibited by the Rabanan to ignite a new fire, for another reason. The prohibition is called "Molid Esh", or creating a fire where there was none before. This is prohibited (by the Rabanan) not because of the burning involved, but simply because one is, so to speak, bringing into the world on Yom Tov something that was not there before, which, in this case, is prohibited by the Rabanan. See SHULCHAN ARUCH Orach Chayim #502.
I hope this clears up the matter!
Wishing you a Kesivah va'Chasimah Tovah,
Mordecai Kornfeld
Dafyomi Advancement Forum