יסודות ביום טוב 2 מקרא קדש ושבת

Resting from labor on the seventh day fulfills a positive commandment, as [Exodus 23:12] states, "And you shall rest on the seventh day." Anyone who performs a labor on this day negates the observance of a positive commandment and also transgresses a negative commandment, for [ibid. 20:10] states, "Do not perform any labor [on it]."
What are the liabilities incurred by a person who performs labor [on this day]? If he does so willingly, as a conscious act of defiance, he is liable for karet; if witnesses who administer a warning are present, he should be stoned [to death]. If he performs [labor] without being conscious of the transgression, he is liable to bring a sin offering of a fixed nature.

It is a positive commandment to refrain from all work on the tenth [day] of the seventh month, as [Leviticus 23:32] states: "It shall be a Sabbath of Sabbaths for you." Anyone who performs a [forbidden] labor negates the observance of [this] positive commandment and violates a negative commandment, as [Numbers 29:7] states, "You shall not perform any labor."
What liability does a person incur for performing a [forbidden] labor on this day? If he performs [the forbidden labor] willfully, as a conscious act of defiance, he is liable for karet.If he performs [the forbidden labor] inadvertently, he is liable to bring a sin offering whose nature is fixed.

The Gemara challenges this explanation from a different perspective: Ultimately, a Festival is a mitzva that includes both the positive mitzva of rest and also the prohibition against performing prohibited labor, and there is a principle that a positive mitzva by itself does not override a prohibition and a positive mitzva together.

Rav Ashi said: The mitzvot of a Festival include not only a negative mitzva but also a positive one. There is a prohibition of labor as well as Shabbaton, an obligation to engage in solemn rest, which is a positive mitzva, and therefore the observance of a Festival constitutes both a positive mitzva and a negative mitzva. And there is a principle that a positive mitzva does not override both a negative mitzva and a positive mitzva.

That is that He commanded us to rest from work on the First of Tishrei. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "on the first day of the month, you shall have a Shabbaton"(Leviticus 23:24). And we have already [seen] that this [term], Shabbaton, is a positive commandment. (See Parashat Emor; Mishneh Torah, Rest on a Holiday 1.)

That is that He commanded us to rest from work on the seventh [day] of Pesach. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "a sacred occasion on the seventh day" (Exodus 12:16). (See Parashat Emor; Mishneh Torah, Rest on a Holiday 1.)

The six days on which the Torah forbade work are the first and seventh days of Pesach, the first and eighth days of the festival of Sukkot, the festival of Shavuot, and the first day of the seventh month. They are referred to as holidays.
The [obligation to] rest is the same on all these days; it is forbidden to perform all types of servile labor, with the exception of those labors necessary for [the preparation of] food, as [implied by Exodus 12:16]: "Only that [labor] from which all souls will eat [may you perform]."

Anyone who rests from "servile labor" on one of these days fulfills a positive commandment, for [the Torah] describes them as Sabbaths - i.e., days of rest.
Whoever performs a labor that is not for the sake of [the preparation of] food on one of these days - e.g., he builds, destroys, weaves, or the like - negates [the performance of] a positive commandment and violates a negative commandment, as [Leviticus 23:7] states: "You shall not perform any servile labor," and [Exodus 12:6] states: "You shall not perform any work on them."
If a person performs [a forbidden labor when observed] by witnesses and [after] receiving a warning, the Torah prescribes that he receive lashes [as punishment].

IT SHALL BE UNTO YOU ‘SHABBATHON’ (A SOLEMN REST). This means that it is to be a day of rest, to repose thereon [from work]. And our Rabbis have said: “The word shabbathon (a solemn rest) amounts to a positive commandment.” Thus one who does work on a festival day transgresses both a negative commandment and a positive commandment, and one who rests thereon fulfills a positive commandment. And in their opinion [that of the Rabbis], all the festivals have been likened one to another, for the word shabbathon is not mentioned in connection with the Festival of Unleavened Bread, nor in connection with the Festival of Weeks.
Now in the Mechilta on the section of Hachodesh I have seen the following text: “And ye shall observe this day. Why is this said? Has it not already been stated, no manner of work shall be done in them? From this I would know only about matters which are considered m’lachah [‘work’ on the Sabbath, and thus forbidden by the Torah]. How do I know about activities which are termed sh’vuth [as explained later on]? From the verse which states, and ye shall observe this day, which includes those activities which are termed sh’vuth. I might then think that on the intermediate days of the festival those activities known as sh’vuth are likewise forbidden, and the following reasoning would favor it etc; Scripture therefore states [with reference to the Festival of Tabernacles], On the first day shall be a solemn rest” [but not on the following intermediate days of the festival].
Thus the Sages interpreted the word shabbathon as indicating a complete rest on that day, desisting even from those activities which are not of the chief labors or their derivatives. But this interpretation is not clear to me. For if you say that this Mechilta is a mere Scriptural support for a Rabbinic ordinance, what reason is there for the Rabbis to use this language [i.e., “How do I know about activities which are termed sh’vuth?” when instead they should have said, “How do I know about activities which are not regarded as m’lachah?”], for the term sh’vuth in the language of the Sages is always used with reference to activities forbidden by the Rabbis; and so how is it possible to say, “How do I know that activities which are forbidden on account of sh’vuth instituted by the Rabbis, are forbidden on the basis of a verse [in Scripture]!” The way in which such [Beraithoth make use of] Scriptural texts as a support for Rabbinical enactments, is by teaching [an interpretation in a verse] showing that they [such Rabbinical enactments] are based on the Torah, but they never say, “That activity which is forbidden by the Sages, from what verse in the Torah do we derive it?” Instead, this [Beraitha of the Mechilta] should have stated, “Activities which are not in the category of m’lachah (‘work’), whence do we know that they are forbidden? From the word shabbathon!”
It appears to me that this interpretation intends to state that we are commanded by law of the Torah to have rest on a festival day even from activities which are not in the category of m’lachah (“work”).
Thus we are not to be engaged the whole day in wearisome tasks: measuring out crops of the field, weighing fruits and gifts, filling the barrels with wine and clearing away the vessels, and moving stones from house to house and from place to place [although none of these activities is “work” in the strict sense of the term]. Similarly, if it be a city encompassed by a wall and its gates are locked at night, [and it is therefore according to law of the Torah treated as one domain, and the prohibition against taking out aught from one domain to another is inapplicable there], they would be loading heaps on asses, as also wine, grapes, and figs and all manner of burdens they would bring on a festival; and the market place would be full for all business transactions, the shops standing open and the shopkeepers giving credit, the money-changers sitting before their tables with the golden coins before them, and the workers would rise early to go to their work and hire themselves out for such works [as described above] just as on weekdays, and so on! And since all these matters do not entail m’lachah, they would be permissible on a festival day and even on the Sabbath itself! Therefore the Torah said that [the festival should be a day of] shabbathon (solemn rest), meaning that it should be a day of rest and ease, not a day of labor [and weariness]. This is a good and beautiful interpretation.
Afterwards I saw the other Mechilta of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai where it is taught in another form: “I know only that it is forbidden [on a festival day to do] the kind of work for which, [if transgressed on the Sabbath through error], one must bring a sin-offering. How do I know that [it is forbidden to do] such works [on a festival day] for which one does not have to bring a sin-offering [if transgressed through error on the Sabbath], such as climbing a tree or riding on animals or swimming in the water, or slapping one’s thighs or clapping one’s hands? From the verse, no manner of work shall be done in them. I know only concerning acts of [one’s own] choice. How do I know concerning acts commanded [in the Torah], that we may not dedicate anything [to the Temple treasury], or make a vow of valuation, or devote anything [for Temple repairs, or for the priests], or set apart the heave-offering or the tithes? From the expression shabbathon, which means sh’vuth” (rest, abstention from ordinary occupation). In a similar way this [Beraitha] is taught in the Torath Kohanim with reference to the Day of Atonement. Now although these Beraithoth differ in their language and in their interpretations, perhaps they all intend one common thing, namely, to find some Scriptural support for activities forbidden by the Rabbis. But nonetheless, whether the interpretation of the first Beraitha [mentioned above] be as we have said [i.e., that it is forbidden by Scriptural law to do on a festival day activities which are not strictly speaking “work,” but are wearisome labors], or whether all [these Beraithoth] intend only to find a Scriptural support for matters forbidden by the Rabbis, the meaning of the term shabbathon is as we have explained, namely, that we should have a day of repose from labor and toil. This is indeed a very proper and excellent interpretation.
Thus we have been prohibited from doing [any of the main classes of] “work” on the Sabbath by a negative commandment, and [for the intentional transgression thereof is prescribed] the punishment of excision [if the court has no knowledge of the transgression or there are no witnesses, but if there are witnesses who testify, the punishment] is death — but as for labors and toils [which are not strictly speaking “work”], we are commanded by means of this positive commandment; and on a festival day we are prohibited from doing “work” by a negative commandment, [the punishment for the intentional transgression thereof being whipping], and the doing of labors [which are not strictly speaking “work”] we are forbidden by means of a positive commandment. It is on this basis that the prophet [Isaiah] said, If thou turn away thy foot because of the Sabbath, from pursuing thy business on My holy day … not doing thy wonted ways, nor pursuing thy business, nor speaking thereof; [then shalt thou delight thyself in the Eternal]. Similarly, a Sabbath of ‘shabbathon’ (solemn rest) shall be for the Land means that [the seventh year] shall be a Sabbath of rest, that one is not to plow nor cultivate the Land at all. It is because of this that the Sages have interpreted [in the first Beraitha mentioned above] that on the intermediate days of the festival those activities known as sh’vuth are not forbidden. But this is only according to the law of the Torah, for by Rabbinic enactment whatever one may not do oneself one is not permitted to say to a non-Jew to do, since even with reference to the Rabbinic prohibition against telling [a non-Jew to do work], the Sages were strict [in not permitting it on an intermediate day of the festival].

When a person performs several forbidden labors on a holiday after being warned once - e.g., he sows, builds, destroys, and weaves - after receiving a single warning, he receives only a single [set of] lashes. There is a distinction between the categories of forbidden labor on the Sabbath, but there is no such distinction on the holidays.

(1) יהוה spoke to Moses, saying: (2) Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: These are My fixed times, the fixed times of יהוה, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions. (3) On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a sabbath of complete rest, a sacred occasion. You shall do no work; it shall be a sabbath of יהוה throughout your settlements. (4) These are the set times of יהוה, the sacred occasions, which you shall celebrate each at its appointed time: (5) In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, there shall be a passover offering to יהוה, (6) and on the fifteenth day of that month יהוה’s Feast of Unleavened Bread. You shall eat unleavened bread for seven days. (7) On the first day you shall celebrate a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations. (8) Seven days you shall make offerings by fire to יהוה. The seventh day shall be a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations.

אשר תקראו אותם םקראי קודש, which you are to designate as periods of sanctified time. Whenever the word קרא appears in connection with the festivals it means the fixing of certain dates in the calendar. We have an example of this in Lamentation 1,15 where the prophet Jeremiah refers to the date on which the Temple was destroyed as קרא עלי מועד,”G’d having fixed the date the Jewish people was to experience this traumatic event including the killing of the flower of its youth.” Yonathan ben Uzziel, in translating Kohelet 2,15 כםקרה הכסיל, normally translated as “like the fate of the fool,” renders these words as מערע קדיש, [my version of the Targum renders the meaning of the verse quite differently, in a fatalistic sense, i.e. that G’d decrees death regardless of whether one is a fool or as wise as Solomon. Ed.]

(Exodus 12:16) "On the first day, a calling of holiness, etc.": Sanctify it with food and drink and with clean clothing. This tells me only that the first and last day of the festival are "callings of holiness." Whence do I derive the same for chol hamoed (the intermediate days)? From (Leviticus 23:38) "These (intermediate days) are the festivals of the L rd, which you shall call callings of holiness.""All labor shall not be done in them": This tells me that labor is forbidden only on the first and last days. Whence do I derive (the same for) chol hamoed ? From (Exodus 23;15) "The festival of matzoth shall you keep seven days" — in any event. These are the words of R. Yoshiyah. R. Yonathan says: This (derivation) is not necessary. If labor is forbidden on the first and last days, which are neither preceded nor followed by holiness, then how much more so chol hamoed , which is both preceded and followed by holiness! __ (No,) this is refuted by the six days of creation, on which labor is not forbidden, though they are preceded and followed by holiness (i.e., Sabbath)! __ No, this may be true of the six days of creation, on which there is no mussaf offering, as opposed to chol hamoed , on which there is a mussaf offering, wherefore labor is forbidden upon them. __ (No,) this is refuted by the New Moons, where labor is permitted, even though there is a mussaf offering upon them. __ (No,) this may be true of New Moons, which are not called "callings of holiness," as opposed to chol hamoed , which is called "a calling of holiness," wherefore labor should be forbidden upon them. We hereby derive that labor is forbidden on chol hamoed .

SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. The priests have no greater duties with regard to the festivals than the Israelites, therefore He did not admonish Aaron and his sons in this section, but the children of Israel, a term which includes all of them together, since He did not explain the Additional Offerings [for the festivals] in this section. However, He mentioned the festivals here in Torath Kohanim (i.e. Book of Leviticus) because they are days of offerings, and He alludes to them, just as He said, And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal, and at the end of this section He states, These are the appointed seasons of the Eternal, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal, a burnt-offering, and a meal-offering, a peace-offering, and drink-offerings. He did not, however, prolong the subject by explaining the Additional Offerings, since He did not want them to be binding upon the children of Israel when in the desert, and after He had counted [at the end of the desert period] those who were to come into the Land, as narrated in the Book of Numbers, and He commanded, Unto these the Land shall be divided, He then explained all the Additional Offerings in the section of Pinchas, which they were to offer in the Land immediately and throughout the generations. Therefore He said [here in this Book of Leviticus] with reference to [the Service on] the Day of Atonement, And he [i.e., Aaron] did as the Eternal commanded Moses, meaning that he did so in the desert [but the Additional Offerings for the other festivals were not binding in the desert].
Now He mentioned in this section the “he-lamb of the sheaf” and the two lambs of the Festival of Shevuoth, because it is well-known that they were binding only in the Land, since they are brought on account of the bread [of the first-fruits] concerning which He said, When ye are come into the Land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, but the observance of the days themselves [as festivals] was binding immediately.
He mentioned the Sabbath among the appointed seasons which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, [although the Sabbath is not proclaimed by the children of Israel, since its sanctity has been affirmed by G-d and is fixed throughout the generations], because it is also “an appointed day” [invariably fixed by G-d as the holy day] and we may thus refer to it as “a holy convocation.” Afterwards, He separated the rest of the festivals from the Sabbath, saying of them which ye shall proclaim in their appointed season, meaning on whatever day of the week they happen to fall, but the Sabbath is fixed and occurs [always] on the same day, hence it is not necessary that we proclaim it in its season. And in the opinion of our Rabbis, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed season alludes to the intercalations [of an extra month in a leap year] so that you proclaim them as festivals.
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the meaning of the verse The appointed seasons of the Eternal, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My appointed seasons, is that it refers [only] to the festivals mentioned further on in the sections: In the first month etc. [but it does not refer to the Sabbath]. It is for this reason that He states there once again, These are the appointed seasons of the Eternal, because He had interrupted with the subject of the Sabbath. Thus He states, The appointed seasons of the Eternal, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My appointed seasons, meaning that no manner of servile work [be done on them], but the Sabbath you are to keep, making it a Sabbath of solemn rest from all manner of work whatsoever, for He admonishes concerning the Sabbath many times. He further alludes here [to the law that even] when the Sabbath falls on one of [the days of] the festivals, we must not suspend [the law of the Sabbath] so that the preparation of food be permitted on it [as it is on a festival day when it falls on a weekday, but instead it is prohibited]. A similar case [where the phrase these are refers to the continuation of a subject which had previously been mentioned, because in the middle Scripture interrupts with another subject], is the verse, These are the words which the Eternal hath commanded, that ye should do them, which refers to the Tabernacle and its vessels which he [Moses] will mention in the second section, and [in the next verses] he interrupts with the Sabbath: Six days shall work be done, and on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day etc.; and then he again says, This is the thing which the Eternal commanded … Take ye from among you an offering, this being the [same] command that Scripture had mentioned at the beginning, but because it was interrupted with another subject, Scripture had to start from the beginning again.
Proof for this interpretation is that He does not mention [here] in the case of the Sabbath, and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal as He mentions at each and every festival, and at the end of the section He states, These are the appointed seasons of the Eternal, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal … beside the Sabbaths of the Eternal. [This shows] that the Sabbaths are not included within the terms of the appointed seasons of the Eternal. A further proof is that in the second section [i.e., in Verse 4 where He reverts to the festivals after having mentioned the Sabbath], He does not say, And the Eternal spoke unto Moses, saying, as He says in the case of each and every festival; for the first communication [to Moses] was indeed concerning the commandments of the festivals, but He mentioned the Sabbath in order to exclude from it the law of the festivals [i.e., that when the Sabbath coincides with a festival, the preparation of food which is permitted on a festival day, is forbidden since it is also a Sabbath, as explained above], but not in order to explain its commandments and laws [and therefore there was no need to repeat the verse, And the Eternal spoke unto Moses, saying]. This is the reason why He does not state [here] about the Sabbath And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Eternal, as He states concerning the festivals, and He mentions it at the end together with the vow-offerings and the freewill-offerings which are not mentioned here, as I have explained [above]. And this is the intention of the interpretation of the Sages, who said: “What has the matter of the Sabbath to do with the festivals? etc.,” since the Sabbath is not included at all in the terms of the appointed seasons of the Eternal, but Scripture only put them in juxtaposition [for the reason mentioned above].
The meaning of ‘mikra’ei kodesh’ (holy convocations), is that all people should come together on that day and be assembled to sanctify it, for it is a commandment upon Israel to be gathered together in G-d’s House on the festival day to hallow it publicly with prayer and praise to G-d, and with clean garments, and to make it a day of feasting, as it is said in the tradition, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy unto our Lord; neither be ye grieved, for the joy of the Eternal is your strength. Thus the expression mikra kodesh (a holy convocation) is similar to: ‘kru’ei’ (those called) of the congregation; afterwards they eat ‘ha’kru’im’ (they that are called). Similarly, over the whole habitation of Mount Zion, and over ‘mikra’eha’, meaning the places where they are called to, and where those called of the congregation assemble. Onkelos, however, [in rendering the Hebrew mikra’ei kodesh as m’arei kadish — ”holy events”], understood [the word mikra’ei] as similar to the expression that which ‘yikra’ (shall befall) you in the end of days, an expression of “event,” meaning that whenever the festivals occur, you should make them holy. And our Rabbis of blessed memory have said: “Proclaim them with [special] food and drink and clean garments;” that is to say, the nature of these [festival] days should not be to you like that of other days, but instead you should make them occasions of holiness, changing them by food and dress from the common to the holy. This is also the opinion of Onkelos [who translated mikra’ei kodesh as “holy events”].

And from where is it derived that on Rosh HaShana one recites the blessings of Kingship, Remembrances, and Shofarot? Rabbi Eliezer says: As it is written: “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a solemn rest, a memorial of blasts, a sacred convocation” (Leviticus 23:24). This verse is interpreted as follows: “A solemn rest,” this is referring to the blessing of the Sanctification of the Day; “a memorial,” this is Remembrances; “blasts,” this is Shofarot; “a sacred convocation” this means sanctify it by abstaining from performing prohibited labor. Rabbi Akiva said to Rabbi Eliezer: For what reason isn’t it stated instead that the phrase “solemn rest” teaches that one must rest by abstaining from prohibited labor, as this is the term with which the verse opened first. It stands to reason that the verse would begin with the main issue, i.e., that this day is a Festival on which performing labor is prohibited. Rather, the verse should be explained as follows: “A solemn rest,” sanctify it by abstaining from performing prohibited labor; “a memorial,” this is Remembrances; “blasts,” this is Shofarot; “a sacred convocation,” this is the Sanctification of the Day.

Just as it is a mitzvah to honor the Sabbath and to take delight in it, so too, do [these obligations apply to] all the holidays, as [implied by Isaiah 58:13], "...sanctified unto God and honored." [This applies to] all the holidays, for they are called, "holy convocations." We have explained the obligation implied by honor and delight in Hilchot Shabbat.
Similarly, it is proper for a person not to partake of a [significant] meal on the day before a holiday from mid-afternoon onward, as on Friday. For this is also an expression of honor.
Everyone who treats the holidays with disrespect is considered as if he became associated with idol worship.

The essence of the mitzvah of delight in Shabbat is explained to us by the prophets, as it says: “and you shall call the Sabbath a delight,” and there are authorities who believe that the essence is from the Torah, for Shabbat is part of the times that are called holyas it says “and on the seventh day there shall be a Shabbos of complete rest, a holy occasion” (Leviticus 23:3), and the words "a holy occasion" are explained in the Sifra that it is to sanctify it and honor with clean clothing and enjoy it with the pleasure of eating and drinking. And our rabbis spoke highly of the importance of this mitzvah (in Shabbat 118), and they said that anyone who delights in the Shabbat, is given an inheritance with no bounds, is saved from oppression of the nations, and merits wealth through this. See there for several more statements in this regard. And behold, regarding the parameters of this commandment, there are three applicable statements of our Sages of Blessed Memory: 1) That which they said that a person must delight in it through large fish, heads of garlic, and cooked beets, for those were esteemed dishes in their days. And similarly in every location, one should delight in Shabbat according to the custom, with food and drink that is considered delight for them. And since in general, most people get their delight from meat and wine and sweets, therefore it is brought in Chapter 250, Section 2 that one should have a lot of meat and wine and sweets according to one’s abilities. 2) That which the Sages said that a person fulfills the commandment of delighting in the Shabbat even through a small thing that he does for the honor of Shabbat, and even kasa d'hars'na (which are small fish fried in their own oils [a relatively inexpensive way of enhancing the Shabbat meal beyond the absolute basics]). 3) That which Rabbi Akiva said, "Make your Shabbat like a weekday rather than be dependent on the charity of others." And the differences between these statements can be understood in the following manner: Someone who has the means is required to honor the Shabbat according to his ability, while someone in dire straits - namely, that he only has enough food for two meals for this Shabbat - in regard to him Rabbi Akiva said, "Make your Shabbat like a weekday rather than be dependent on the charity of others." This person would not be obligated to have the Third Meal nor the kasa d'hars'na (fried fish). But if someone does have enough money to buy food for three meals and a bit more, he is obligated to spend that money for Shabbat in order to fulfill the three meals and the fried fish. Likewise, for someone who has nothing at all and is entirely dependent on charity, the charity directors are required to give him at least enough for three meals and fried fish. (And for a distinguished individual who has become impoverished, he must be provided for in accordance with the dignity to which he is accustomed, as is clarified in Yoreh Deah, Chapter 253). And we don't say in this regard, "Make your Shabbat like a weekday rather than be dependent on charity," for we only say this about someone who still does not need to take charity. However, for someone who has already arrived at this condition where he he must reach out his hand and take charity, we give him everything as mentioned. (And in places where the charity directors are accustomed to disburse to the poor only two meals and not the Third Meal, they are not behaving properly, and at the very least they must beware of this during the summer time [when the days are long]). And for this the Shulchan Aruch comes to say that if he has some small means for himself, he must exert himself to honor and delight in the Shabbat properly since it is possible for him and he has the means to spend on this. And it is not sufficient merely to spend enough money for fried fish [if he can manage to spend more]. And to this end the Shulchan Aruch concludes that a person should be frugal during the rest of the week so that he will have the remaining means to honor the Shabbat. And see the Ta"Z, Tosafot Shabbat, and other late halachic decisors who wrote that even someone who is in dire straits who is legally exempt from having to partake of the Third Meal and fried fish should nevertheless strive to at least be in the middle category, namely through fulfilling the three meals and fried fish.

Although Chol HaMo'ed is not referred to as a Sabbath, since it is referred to as "a holy convocation" and it was a time when the Chagigah sacrifices were brought in the Temple, it is forbidden to perform labor during this period, so that these days will not be regarded as ordinary weekdays that are not endowed with holiness at all. A person who performs forbidden labor on these days is given stripes for rebelliousness, for the prohibition is Rabbinic in origin.
Not all the types of "servile labor" forbidden on a holiday are forbidden on it, for the intent of the prohibition is that the day not be regarded as an ordinary weekday with regard to all matters. Therefore, some labors are permitted on it, and some are forbidden.

1) (Vayikra 23:24) ("Speak to the children of Israel, saying: On the seventh month, on the first day of the month, there shall be for you a Sabbath, a remembrance of teruah, a holy calling.") "the children of Israel … a holy calling," and not gentiles, (even though they, too, are judged on Rosh Hashanah.) If "the children of Israel," I would know only "the children of Israel" per se. Whence would I derive (for inclusion) proselytes and bondsmen? From (the superfluous) "for you." "a Sabbath (Shabbathon) a remembrance of teruah, a holy calling": "a Sabbath": R. Eliezer says: "a Sabbath": This is (the blessing over) the holiness of the day. "a remembrance": This is (the section of) zichronoth. "teruah": This is shofaroth. "a holy calling": Sanctify (the day) by abstaining from labor. R. Akiva (to R. Eliezer): Why should we not say that "Shabbathon" refers to abstention from labor, for this is the prime thrust of the verse? "Remembrance" is zichronoth." teruah": This is shofaroth. "a holy calling": This is the holiness of the day. And whence do we derive that (the section of) malchuyoth (Kingship) is included with them? From (Vayikra 23:22) "I am the L–rd your G d" (i.e., your King) … (Vayikra 23:24) "on the seventh month, etc." (i.e., on Rosh Hashanah). R. Yossi b. R. Yehudah says: This (the above derivation) is not necessary. It is written (Bamidbar 10:10) "Let this be a remembrance before your G d. (I am the L–rd your G d.") Let this (the seemingly) superfluous "I am the L–rd your G d") not be written. It must serve, then, as a prototype (binyan av) to teach that whenever "remembrances" are mentioned, "Kingships" are to be juxtaposed with it.

The Gemara questions this conclusion: The six days of Creation, i.e., the days of the week, shall prove this, since they are preceded and followed by the sanctity of Shabbat, and yet the performance of labor on them is permitted. The Gemara rejects this difficulty: What of the fact that the six days of Creation are regular weekdays on which there is no additional offering; can you say the same with regard to the intermediate Festival days, on which there is an additional offering, bestowing these days with a measure of sanctity? The Gemara counters this: The New Moon shall prove this, since it has an additional offering, and the performance of labor is nevertheless permitted on it. The Gemara refutes this argument: What of the fact that the New Moon is not called “a holy convocation”; can you say the same with regard to the intermediate Festival days, which are called “a holy convocation”? Since they are called “a holy convocation” it is logical that the performance of labor should be prohibited on them.