Wednesday, October 10, 2007

12b: Not Exactly the Protestant Work Ethic

The gemarah after the Mishnah on this amud opens up with a great question: we understand why things like annointing with oil and sexual intercourse are forbidden on Shabbat, for those things are pleasurable, but why forbid work, which is a pain?

The answer the Talmud gives by the way, is not, "oh no, work isn't a pain, it's pleasure" but rather a nifty little drash on the word "atzert" to explain work's inclusion in the list of prohibitions on a fast.

Lesson? Work = pain. Take that Western society.

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