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<p>The following is part of RSRH's commentary on two pesukim in Shemos. YL<br>
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<p>35 1 Moshe had the whole community of the Children of Israel assemble,and he said to them: These are the<br>
objects which God commanded that they be made.</p>
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<p>2 For six days shall [creating] work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a sanctity, a<br>
Sabbath to be observed for God by cessation from work; whoever performs [an act of creating] work on<br>
it shall be put to death.</p>
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<p>If we look for the common idea underlying all the other <em>melachos </em>[except
<em>hotza'ah</em>], we<br>
find that they all show man’s position as master of all things of the<br>
physical world. <em></em><em> hotza'ah</em> however, belongs strictly to the social sphere. The<br>
most complete picture of a full national life would be: the relation of<br>
the individual to society, and of society to the individual — i.e., what<br>
the individual does for the community, and what the community does<br>
for the individual — and the furthering of social causes in the social<br>
sphere. These are relations that come to clear expression in </p>
<p><em>hotza'ah</em> and<em> chanacha</em> from <em>r'shus hayachid</em> to <em>r'shus harabim </em> and from</p>
<p><em>r'shus hayachid</em> to<em> r'shus Harabim</em>, and in<em> h'avrah daled amos b'r'shus harabim</em>.</p>
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Accordingly, if the<em> isur</em> of all the other<em> melachos</em> subordinates man to<br>
God as regards his position in the physical world, the <em>isur</em> of<em> hotza'ah</em><br>
apparently expresses man’s subordination to God as regards his position<br>
in the social world. The former is subordination to God in nature; the<br>
latter is subordination to God in history. Whereas the former places<br>
man’s work in nature under the rule of the Creator, the latter places<br>
man’s work in the state under the same rule. Just as the conception of<br>
our world comprises both nature and state, the conception of God’s<br>
sovereignty over the world includes His direction and command of nature<br>
and history. God’s kingdom on earth, which man is to build up<br>
by keeping Shabbos, will be complete and real, only if man subordinates<br>
himself to God’s Will in both his natural life and his national life.<br>
Now we see that the two facts that the Torah mentions as reasons<br>
for the mitzvah of Shabbos — <em>b'rias shamayim v'aretz </em>and<em>y'tzoias mitzryim </em> — complement<br>
each other in their essential meaning. The creation of the world<br>
attests to the Creator’s sovereignty in nature, and this is expressed on<br>
Shabbos by all the other <em>m'lachos</em>. The exodus from Egypt attests to the<br>
Creator’s sovereignty in the lives of nations, and this is expressed on</p>
<p>Shabbos by the <em>isur hotzaah</em>.</p>
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The<em> isur hotzaah</em>, then, places the Jewish state, the individual Jew’s<br>
activities on behalf of the community, the community’s activities on<br>
behalf of the individual, as well as the activities of the rulers of the<br>
state, under the sovereignty of the Creator, Who demands obedience.<br>
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