Torah · Halacha YomitShabbat & Plowing ChoreshRabbi Uri Nahum · October 7, 2026 · 39 Melachot-15Play+30Position0:00—Save⌄ShareDraft. Add a description before publishing.Transcript0:00Okay, so we started talking about the halachot, or we said we were going to start talking about the 390:06melachot. Yesterday we gave a little background that all the 39 melachot are learned from the Mishkan, the way they built the Mishkan,0:12and like we said, there's rules. Not everything that it says in the Mishkan they did exactly, but there's rules exactly what they are.0:20There are different levels of, some are0:24de'oraita, derabanan. Being that the setting that we're in, where we talk about every day is halacha0:29lemaaseh, so some things I may point out this is de'oraita, derabanan. In practicality, lemaaseh, it's asur.0:36Don't think that it's derabanan, chachamim will be lighter on me.0:38No, anyway, which rabbi is up there in Shamayim taking care of the0:42Gehinnom? No, it doesn't work like that. If it's asur, it's asur. If it's mutar, it's mutar.0:46But there are, when we learn these halachot, when we0:51go be'iyun, now of course there's a huge difference, de'oraita, derabanan, and the rules,0:54but we're not going to go through all that.0:56So let's start with the first set of melachot, and that is the first 111:02melachot. We said yesterday that's the making of the bread,1:04the 11 steps to making bread.1:07Usually when I teach this in the classroom, I actually put on a video of some random1:12goy, nothing to do with anything, of how he makes bread.1:14He has a little farm in his backyard, and how he makes bread.1:17He starts all the way from the1:19beginning, and the students watch the thing, and then I tell them, what do you see? What did you see the guy did?1:25And almost everything that they list is exactly the 111:28melachot. So it's not like, it's 11 steps exactly what1:31making melachot. So let's start with the first one, and that is, although there's a machloket how to go in the order,1:35we're going to start with the first one called plowing,1:38choreish. Okay,1:39what is the melacha of plowing?1:41Plowing, what they did is that in order to be able to put the seeds in the ground1:46to start the whole planting process is you have to first soften the ground.1:50So they would come and they would soften the ground,1:52and they would also, because you need the seeds to be buried in the dirt.1:56If you put seeds on the dirt, it's not going to do anything.1:59They have to be buried in the dirt. So they would dig out a little bit,2:03you know, they don't actually dig it out.2:05Sometimes people would dig out rows, but most of the time they just soften,2:09so this way there's like little pockets in the ground,2:12so they could throw the seeds and everything will be covered later on.2:14So that's the melacha of plowing.2:17How does that apply,2:19halacha l'maaseh? So before we get to the actual halacha l'maaseh, we have to know2:23that on Shabbat, when a person is mechaven, he has kavanah2:29to do something that is asur,2:32that would make it the2:35full-fledged asur mid'oraita. But even if a person is not mechaven for it,2:38even if a person is not2:40mechaven, it would still be asur, although not de'oraita, but2:43miderabanan. Again, in practical halacha, it doesn't make a difference.2:46The guy goes into a kosher restaurant and wants to order a piece of meat.2:49Practical halacha, right? He wants to eat the piece of meat that's kosher.2:53The guy gives him a non-kosher one.2:54Was he mechaven for that? No, but he ate the non-kosher one.2:57On Shabbat, although that makes a difference in3:00de'oraita and derabanan, but in practicality, l'maaseh, that means if it's asur, it is asur.3:05So what would be the practical application of3:08choreish, who's plowing today?3:09I have a better question.3:11Who in Brooklyn has a backyard with grass?3:13I'm kidding.3:14Okay, so therefore, what is3:16the halacha? And the answer is like this:3:18if you drag something along the dirt3:22where it for sure would make indentation in the dirt,3:26that would be asur on Shabbat.3:28An example of this: so you see those heavy tables that we're using,3:32very hard to move.3:34If you carry such a table, do you want to drag it3:37from—even if you feet—from one side to the other side,3:40because people want to sit here or you want to combine two tables.3:43Being that the tables are very heavy, it's for sure,3:45and it has legs that are a little bit narrower,3:49so therefore it would dig into the ground and it would drag.3:52If you drag a lifetime table,3:57maybe, yeah, maybe not, depends on the legs.3:58If the rubber is on it, maybe not.4:00If the rubber is off of it, maybe yes.4:02Are you intending for the4:04hole? No, you're not intending for the4:05hole. Do you care about the4:06hole? Not really.4:07But that would be asur because this is what we call4:12psik reisha. A psik reisha in an issur d'oraita, it's a little complicated to explain right now,4:16but I'm sure we'll get out there. Eventually,4:17we'll talk more about these terminologies.4:20So that would be asur. But something that's light,4:23where maybe yes, maybe not, here's the difference.4:26Even if it's possible, but it's not for sure,4:29it would be4:30mutar. So to take a folding chair and you're grabbing, you know,4:33like this, and you're letting it drag on the floor,4:36would it make a4:37hole? Maybe yes, maybe not,4:39right?4:39So in that case, it would be4:41mutar. Even if it's possible that it's going to be yes,4:43but since it's not your4:45kavana, it's not for sure that's going to happen,4:47it would be4:47mutar. So that's one practical application of choreish on Shabbat.