Hotzaah ( Hebrew: הוצאה), more specifically hotzaah mereshut lereshut (Hebrew: הוצאה מרשות לרשות) or transferring between domains, is one of the activities prohibited on Shabbat in Judaism.
While there is no explicit prohibition in the written Torah for carrying objects between domains on the Sabbath, according to traditional Jewish commentators, [1] this category of melakha (work) is mentioned in Exodus 16:29:
According to the Talmud, the manna could not be collected on Sabbath because it could not be carried into the Israelites' homes.
Another rabbinically quoted verse is Exodus 36:6:
The Talmud understands the latter verse to refer to the people ceasing to carry their donations from their personal domains to the sanctuary, on Shabbat. [2]
Likewise according to the Talmud, the wood-gatherer in Numbers 15:32 was executed because he violated the prohibition of transferring wood between domains. [3]
The book of Jeremiah is more explicit:
The latter quote specifies two types of carrying which are forbidden - carrying into the gates of Jerusalem, or out of an individual's house.
The book of Nehemiah contains a similar description:
According to halacha, all areas are divided into four categories: [4] [5]
The neutral domain is defined as not bounded by walls or fences, and which also is not traversed by large numbers of people. By the Torah, the neutral domain is considered an exempt domain; however rabbinic enactments treat it more strictly. [6]
Two activities are biblically forbidden:
In addition, three activities are rabbinically forbidden:
The following activities are permitted:
The Torah law of hotzaah is violated only if a single person picks up an object (akirah) in one domain and deposits it (hanacha) in another domain (or at a distance of four cubits, as applicable). This has the following implications:
If a person, while walking, lets the object he is holding approach within three handbreadths of the ground, it is considered as if the object has been placed on the ground. This can generate additional violations of Torah law. This is due to the principle of lavud, also used when constructing a sukkah.
Throwing an object from one domain to another has the same rules as carrying the object between those domains.
Hotzaah ( Hebrew: הוצאה), more specifically hotzaah mereshut lereshut (Hebrew: הוצאה מרשות לרשות) or transferring between domains, is one of the activities prohibited on Shabbat in Judaism.
While there is no explicit prohibition in the written Torah for carrying objects between domains on the Sabbath, according to traditional Jewish commentators, [1] this category of melakha (work) is mentioned in Exodus 16:29:
According to the Talmud, the manna could not be collected on Sabbath because it could not be carried into the Israelites' homes.
Another rabbinically quoted verse is Exodus 36:6:
The Talmud understands the latter verse to refer to the people ceasing to carry their donations from their personal domains to the sanctuary, on Shabbat. [2]
Likewise according to the Talmud, the wood-gatherer in Numbers 15:32 was executed because he violated the prohibition of transferring wood between domains. [3]
The book of Jeremiah is more explicit:
The latter quote specifies two types of carrying which are forbidden - carrying into the gates of Jerusalem, or out of an individual's house.
The book of Nehemiah contains a similar description:
According to halacha, all areas are divided into four categories: [4] [5]
The neutral domain is defined as not bounded by walls or fences, and which also is not traversed by large numbers of people. By the Torah, the neutral domain is considered an exempt domain; however rabbinic enactments treat it more strictly. [6]
Two activities are biblically forbidden:
In addition, three activities are rabbinically forbidden:
The following activities are permitted:
The Torah law of hotzaah is violated only if a single person picks up an object (akirah) in one domain and deposits it (hanacha) in another domain (or at a distance of four cubits, as applicable). This has the following implications:
If a person, while walking, lets the object he is holding approach within three handbreadths of the ground, it is considered as if the object has been placed on the ground. This can generate additional violations of Torah law. This is due to the principle of lavud, also used when constructing a sukkah.
Throwing an object from one domain to another has the same rules as carrying the object between those domains.