Halachah 1 — Permanent and Professional Knots
The Rambam opens by defining the primary standard for the forbidden labor of tying. A person is liable only when tying a knot that is both intended to remain permanently and is of the sort normally made by craftsmen. Examples include the strong, established knots used by camel drivers, sailors, and shoemakers.
If a knot is meant to last permanently but is not a craftsman’s knot, one is exempt from Torah liability, though it may still be prohibited. If a knot is neither permanent nor professional, it is fully permitted.
Halachah 2 — The Intermediate Category of Knots
The Rambam then describes a middle category: knots that are tied to remain for a long time, but are not skilled professional knots. Examples include tying a torn sandal strap, a rope, a bucket rope, or an animal’s bridle.
In these cases, one is exempt from Torah liability, but the act is still not in the fully permitted category. On the other hand, even a professional-style knot is forbidden if it is not meant to remain, because professional knotting itself carries halachic significance.
Halachah 3 — Knots That Are Permitted
A large number of ordinary household and personal knots are permitted because they are neither permanent nor professional. The Rambam includes among these:
- tying a woman’s cloak,
- tying the strings of a head covering,
- tying shoe and sandal straps,
- tying pouches of wine or oil,
- tying the opening of a pot of meat,
- tying a bucket with a belt or cloth cord rather than a standard rope.
He also allows tying a rope before or onto an animal, and tying a rope from an already attached point either to the animal or to the feeding trough, as long as one is not making a fresh permanent arrangement from both ends.
The principle throughout is that these knots are made to be undone freely and repeatedly, and thus are not treated as the forbidden labor of tying.
The Rambam concludes this halachah by extending the same logic to opening tied baskets of dates or dried figs. One may untie, cut, or break the cords in order to gain access to the food.
Halachah 4 — Tying with Materials Fit for Animal Food
Anything that could serve as animal fodder may be used for tying on Shabbat, because such a substance lacks the permanence associated with true knotting labor.
Thus, if a sandal strap tears in a karmelit, one may use a moist reed to secure it. Likewise, if a sandal strap slips from place, it may be returned, as long as no prohibited knot is formed.
This halachah highlights once again that Shabbat distinguishes between temporary securing and true constructive knot-making.
Halachah 5 — Loops
A loop is permitted on Shabbat because it is not normally confused with a true knot. Therefore, if a rope breaks, one may bind the ends together and secure them with a loop rather than a formal knot.
This creates a practical alternative for temporary fastening without entering the prohibited category.
Halachah 6 — Knots for a Mitzvah
The Rambam permits tying a non-permanent knot for the sake of a mitzvah. Thus, one may tie a knot to measure a halachic requirement, or repair a harp string in the Temple if necessary for the service.
However, this leniency is limited. One may not create a harp string for the first time on Shabbat, even in the Temple. The permission extends only to what is necessary within the setting of mitzvah observance.
Halachah 7 — Untying
The laws of untying exactly parallel the laws of tying. Any knot one would be liable for tying, one is liable for untying. Any knot that is prohibited but exempt when tied is likewise prohibited but exempt when untied. Any knot permitted to tie is also permitted to untie.
This symmetry shows that the halachic focus is on the structure and function of the knot itself.
Halachah 8 — Twisting and Untwisting Cords
Twisting fibers or strands together into a cord is a derivative of tying. Liability depends on whether the resulting cord is sufficiently stable to remain in its twisted state without additional fastening.
Untwisting such cords is a derivative of untying, provided the act is not merely destructive. The Rambam again ties liability to whether the action is constructive and enduring.
Halachah 9 — Sewing
A person is liable for sewing two stitches, provided he secures them at both ends so that they will remain. If he adds a third stitch, liability exists even without tying the ends, since the stitching is already stable.
The Rambam also includes in sewing the act of tightening the sewing thread. Pulling it taut is considered part of the act of sewing itself.
Halachah 10 — Tearing for a Constructive Purpose
A person who tears fabric sufficiently to sew two stitches, and does so for the purpose of sewing, is liable. If the tearing is purely destructive, he is exempt.
The Rambam adds a striking example: tearing in anger, or tearing garments for a deceased close relative, is considered constructive because it relieves emotional turmoil. Since the act settles the mind, it is halachically treated as constructive, not destructive.
He also rules that making an opening for the neck in a garment is a liable act, because it completes the usefulness of the garment.
Halachah 11 — Gluing and Separating Attached Materials
Attaching paper or hides with glue is a derivative of sewing, because it joins separate materials into one unified whole.
Separating glued materials is likewise a derivative of tearing, when done for a constructive purpose. Here again, the Rambam shows that sewing and tearing include not only thread and cloth, but any analogous act of joining and separating.
Halachah 12 — Building
Even the slightest amount of building incurs liability. The Rambam includes within this category:
- leveling a house floor,
- filling hollows,
- lowering raised areas,
- setting stones in place.
He distinguishes between placing a stone and applying mortar: where a wall is being built, the one applying mortar may be the liable party; but for the top row, where no additional mortar is placed above, placing the stone itself completes the work and incurs liability.
Building on top of movable utensils does not carry the same liability, because true building relates to fixed structures.
Halachah 13 — Derivatives of Building
Several other activities are classified as derivatives of building:
- erecting a permanent tent,
- forming earthenware vessels before firing,
- making cheese,
- inserting an axe head into its handle,
- attaching one piece of wood firmly to another.
The common theme is the creation of a durable, functional unit from separate elements. Building is thus defined broadly as constructive assembly.
Halachah 14 — Building Through Openings and Fixtures
Making even a small usable opening in a chicken coop for light is considered building. Replacing a door or similar fixed element in structures such as wells or buildings likewise falls under building.
The Rambam here emphasizes that completing or restoring a structural feature counts as construction.
Halachah 15 — Demolishing
Demolition is prohibited only when it is done for the sake of rebuilding or improving. If one tears down or destroys purely destructively, one is exempt.
Thus, dismantling a structure constructively, or separating connected wooden parts in order to improve or rebuild, is liable. As with other categories, constructive purpose is what transforms destruction into prohibited labor.
Halachah 16 — The Final Hammer Blow (Makeh BePatish)
One who gives the final hammer blow is liable. More broadly, any act that completes a craft or finishes an object is considered a derivative of this labor.
The Rambam includes among these:
- shaping glass,
- decorating a utensil,
- smoothing or planing an edge,
- making a usable hole in wood, metal, or a structure.
The central idea is not hammering specifically, but bringing an object to completion.
Halachah 17 — Opening a Blister
Piercing a blister to widen the wound, as a physician would do, is considered a derivative of the final hammer blow, because it is a professional act of completion or adjustment.
If, however, one opens it merely to release pus, it is permitted. This distinction reflects the difference between a skilled constructive act and a simple act of relief.
Halachah 18 — Filing, Setting Stones, and Finishing Garments
Filing stone, adjusting a stone precisely into place, or removing loose threads, splinters, or debris from a garment in order to perfect it can all be considered derivatives of the final hammer blow.
The Rambam adds that shaking out a new black garment in the tailor’s fashion to make it presentable creates liability, because it is an act of finishing the garment. If one is not particular about the stray matter, however, the act is permitted.
This halachah powerfully demonstrates how seemingly minor finishing touches may constitute a full melachah.
Halachah 19 — Trapping
One who traps a living creature of a type commonly trapped is liable, provided the trapping is complete enough that no further significant effort is required.
Examples include:
- confining a deer in a room or courtyard,
- trapping a bird in a closet,
- taking a fish from the sea and placing it in a bowl.
If the creature still requires substantial pursuit even after confinement, the trapping is incomplete and one is exempt.
Halachah 20 — What Counts as a Small Enclosure
The Rambam defines a “small” place for trapping as one where the trapped creature can be seized in a single movement, and where the space is narrow enough that it truly functions as confinement.
This halachah provides the practical measure for when trapping becomes complete.
Halachah 21 — Other Creatures and Intentionality
Regarding creeping creatures and similar animals, the Rambam distinguishes between species normally trapped and those that are not. For a species normally trapped, trapping even for sport creates liability, because one intentionally performed the act.
He also emphasizes a major principle: one may be liable for performing a labor even if one does not need the labor itself, as long as one intentionally performed the qualifying act.
He adds that trapping a sleeping or blind animal is still considered trapping.
Halachah 22 — Trapping Through Dogs
A person who uses dogs to trap and actively assists by pursuing or blocking the animal is liable for a derivative of trapping. This applies also to birds.
The Rambam thereby broadens trapping beyond direct physical seizure to include directed, effective involvement in the capture.
Halachah 23 — Shared Trapping and Blocking an Entrance
When one person closes a door trapping a deer inside, he is liable. If two do so together when one alone could have managed it, both are exempt. If it required both, both are liable.
The Rambam also discusses a case where one person already effectively blocks the entrance and a second joins him. In that case, the first alone is liable. If the first later leaves, the second may remain, since he did not create the trapped state.
This illustrates the importance of identifying who completed the trapping act.
Halachah 24 — Cases of Exemption
Certain creatures or situations do not produce liability:
- trapping weak or nonviable deer,
- releasing trapped animals,
- trapping domestic birds already under one’s control,
- trapping creatures not commonly trapped, such as insects or fleas.
These are exempt because they either do not reflect the normal labor of trapping or do not create meaningful control.
Halachah 25 — Dangerous Creatures
Dangerous crawling animals such as snakes or scorpions may be trapped on Shabbat if one’s intent is to prevent harm. This applies even when they are not deadly, provided they pose genuine danger by biting.
The Rambam allows practical methods such as covering them with a vessel or restraining them. Here, protection of human safety overrides the usual restrictions.
Core Principle of the Chapter
This chapter teaches that many Shabbat prohibitions revolve around the idea of constructive completion:
- a knot that lasts,
- a seam that holds,
- a structure that stands,
- an object that is finished,
- an animal that is truly confined.
The Rambam repeatedly emphasizes that liability depends not merely on movement or effort, but on whether the act creates or completes a stable, meaningful result.
Thus, the chapter broadens one’s understanding of Shabbat: it is not only the grand act of creation that is forbidden, but also the final step that perfects, secures, or renders something fully usable.