Shabbat 150a
שבת ק״נ א — ד"ה מַתְנִי׳ לֹא יִשְׂכּוֹר אָדָם פּוֹעֲלִים בְּשַׁבָּת
Shabbat 150a:3
The sugya discusses speaking about and engaging with weekday matters on Shabbat, including business-related concerns, providing the Talmudic basis for the prohibition of weekday-like conduct.
מַתְנִי׳ לֹא יִשְׂכּוֹר אָדָם פּוֹעֲלִים בְּשַׁבָּת. וְלֹא יֹאמַר אָדָם לַחֲבֵירוֹ לִשְׂכּוֹר לוֹ פּוֹעֲלִים. אֵין מַחְשִׁיכִין עַל הַתְּחוּם לִשְׂכּוֹר לוֹ פּוֹעֲלִים וּלְהָבִיא פֵּירוֹת, אֲבָל מַחְשִׁיךְ הוּא לִשְׁמוֹר, וּמֵבִיא פֵּירוֹת בְּיָדוֹ. כְּלָל אָמַר אַבָּא שָׁאוּל: כׇּל שֶׁאֲנִי זַכַּאי בַּאֲמִירָתוֹ — רַשַּׁאי אֲנִי לְהַחְשִׁיךְ עָלָיו. אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: הֲלָכָה כְּרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קׇרְחָה. וְאָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: מַאי טַעְמָא דְּרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קׇרְחָה — דִּכְתִיב: ״מִמְּצוֹא חֶפְצְךָ וְדַבֵּר דָּבָר״. דִּיבּוּר — אָסוּר, הִרְהוּר — מוּתָּר.
MISHNA: A person may not hire workers on Shabbat to work for him after Shabbat because even speaking about weekday matters is prohibited on Shabbat. Similarly, a person may not tell another on Shabbat to hire workers for him. One may not even wait for nightfall at the edge of the Shabbat boundary in order to leave the boundary immediately after Shabbat to hire workers for himself or to bring produce from his field. But he may wait for nightfall at the edge of the Shabbat boundary in order to guard his produce that is outside the Shabbat boundary, and he may then bring produce back in his hand, since he did not initially intend to wait at the edge of the boundary for this purpose. Abba Shaul stated a general principle: With regard to anything that I am permitted to discuss on Shabbat, I am permitted to wait for nightfall at the edge of the Shabbat boundary for its sake. Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa. And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the reason for Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa’s ruling? As it is written in the verse from which we derive the prohibition to speak on Shabbat about activities that one may not perform on that day: “And you shall honor it by not doing your ways, nor pursuing your business, nor speaking of it” (Isaiah 58:13). We derive from this verse that speaking is prohibited, but merely contemplating these matters is permitted.
