וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹהִים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃ וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ (פ)
And on the seventh day God finished God's melachah which God had made; and God rested on the seventh day from all God's melachah which God had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy; because that on it God rested from all God's melachah which God in creating had made.
(6) I have now appointed with [Betzalel] - Oholiav son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan; and in the mind of all that are wise-minded I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the tablets, and the ark cover that is on it, and all the furnishings of the Tent...
B'nai Yisrael shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for an eternal covenant. It is a sign between Me and B'nai Yisrael forever; because in six days the Eternal made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day God ceased from work and rested.’
You shall not kindle fire in any of your living-spaces on the sabbath day.
Remember to keep the sabbath day holy. Six days shalt you labor, and do all your melachah; but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the Eternal your God, on it you shalt not do any kind of melachah, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male or female servants, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; for in six days the Eternal made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Eternal blessed the sabbath day, and made it it holy.
(יב) שָׁמ֣֛וֹר אֶת־י֥וֹם֩ הַשַׁבָּ֖֨ת לְקַדְּשׁ֑֜וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוְּךָ֖֣ ׀ ה' אֱלֹהֶֽ֗יךָ (יג) שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת יָמִ֣ים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ כָּֿל־מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒׃ (יד) וְי֙וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֜֔י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַה' אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹ֣א תַעֲשֶׂ֣ה כָל־מְלָאכָ֡ה...
Be careful to make the sabbath day holy, as the Eternal your God commanded you. Six days shalt you labor, and do all your melachah; but the seventh day is a sabbath for the Eternal your God, on it you shall not do any manner of melachah...
אבות מלאכות ארבעים חסר אחת: הזורע, והחורש, והקוצר, והמעמר, הדש, והזורה, הבורר, הטוחן, והמרקד, והלש, והאופה,
הגוזז את הצמר, המלבנו, והמנפצו, והצובעו, והטווה, והמסך, והעושה שני בתי נירין, והאורג שני חוטין, והפוצע שני חוטין, הקושר, והמתיר, והתופר שתי תפירות, הקורע על מנת לתפר שתי תפירות,
הצד צבי, השוחטו, והמפשיטו, המולחו, והמעבד את עורו, והמוחקו, והמחתכו, הכותב שתי אותיות, והמוחק על מנת לכתב שתי אותיות,
הבונה, והסותר, המכבה, והמבעיר, המכה בפטיש,
המוציא מרשות לרשות.
הרי אלו אבות מלאכות ארבעים חסר אחת.
Avot Melakhot are forty minus one: sowing, plowing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, sorting, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking,
shearing wool, whitening it, combing it, dyeing it, spinning, weaving, making two loops, weaving two threads, separating two threads, tying [a knot], untying [a knot], sewing two stitches, tearing for the purpose of sewing two stitches,
hunting a deer, slaughtering it, skinning it, salting it, curing its hide, scraping it, cutting it, writing two letters, erasing for the purpose of writing two letters,
building, demolishing, extinguishing a flame, lighting a flame, striking with a hammer,
carrying from one domain to another.
These are the Avot Melakhot - [they number] forty minus one.
(א) הבונה כמה יבנה ויהא חיב, הבונה כל שהוא והמסתת, והמכה בפטיש ובמעצד, הקודח כל שהוא - חיב. זה הכלל: כל העושה מלאכה ומלאכתו מתקימת בשבת, חיב. רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר: אף המכה בקרנס על הסדן בשעת מלאכה - חיב, מפני שהוא כמתקן מלאכה.
(1) [If] one builds [on Shabbat], how much must he build to be liable? [If] one builds the smallest quantity [he is liable]. [If] one chops stone, or strikes with a hammer, or uses an adze, or bores a hole - [if any of these are done] in the smallest quantity, he is liable. This is the principle: If one performs a Melakha [a constructive activity forbidden on Shabbat and festivals] and that Melakha endures on the Shabbat, he is liable. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: One is [likewise liable if] he strikes a hammer on an anvil because it is like he improves the tool.
THE USE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES ON SHABBAT
Rabbi Daniel S. Nevins1 Committee on Jewish Law and Standards
As we will see, Shabbat fosters a different state of consciousness through its detailed regulation of human behavior. Each action is analyzed through two lenses: Is it melakhah, the type of work prohibited by halakhah? And, does it undermine shvut, the positive obligation to rest on Shabbat?
If the physical mechanism (פעולה) is different from that of the main prohibition, but the purpose and the result (תכלית) are identical, then an activity is considered forbidden as a toledah or derivative of the primary category.
If the mechanism, purpose and result are different, then the activity under consideration would not be forbidden as melakhah, though it might still be inconsistent with the command to rest on Shabbat (shvut).
(יב) שֵׁ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה מַעֲשֶׂ֔יךָ וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י תִּשְׁבֹּ֑ת לְמַ֣עַן יָנ֗וּחַ שֽׁוֹרְךָ֙ וַחֲמֹרֶ֔ךָ וְיִנָּפֵ֥שׁ בֶּן־אֲמָתְךָ֖ וְהַגֵּֽר׃
(12) Six days you shalt do your doings, but on the seventh day you shall "sabbath"; that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your maid-servant and the stranger, may be refreshed.