Can't Touch This
Parashat BeShallach
Parashat BeShallach
Ethan Tucker
Muktzeh and the Essence of Shabbat. We generally understand the central category of Shabbat laws to be melakhah, doing active work; the laws of muktzeh (not touching a problematic object) are a "fence" around the true prohibitions of actions. But this has not always been the case, and it may be that we need to reclaim muktzeh as a central category to maintain Shabbat in the face of technological advancement.
The recording of the shiur is from the Community Beit Midrash in 2009.