What's Wrong With Carrying

The Gemorah in the beginning of the 11^th chapter of Shabbos asks how do we know that הוצאה  is considered a מלאכה and the Gemorah derives it from וַיְצַ֣ו משֶׁ֗ה וַיַּֽעֲבִ֨ירוּ ק֥וֹל בַּמַּֽחֲנֶה֘ לֵאמֹר֒ אִ֣ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֗ה אַל־יַֽעֲשׂוּ־ע֛וֹד מְלָאכָ֖ה לִתְרוּמַ֣ת הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ וַיִּכָּלֵ֥א הָעָ֖ם מֵֽהָבִֽיא for Moshe was speaking on Shabbos (as the Gemorah derives from a gezareh shavah) and telling the people not to carry from the reshus hayachid to the reshus harabim.  That is the test Rashi has and explains in the Gemorah.  Normally we don’t need a possuk to tell us something is forbidden on Shabbos, if it was done in the mishkan it is forbidden.  Why do we need a verse for הוצאה?  Tosfos explains because it is a מלאכה גרועה, we wouldn’t have assumed it’s prohibited if not for the possuk. 

The Rambam says:

הוצאה והכנסה מרשות לרשות מלאכה מאבות מלאכות היא. ואף על פי שדבר זה עם כל גופי תורה מפי משה מסיני נאמרו. הרי הוא אומר בתורה איש ואשה אל יעשו עוד מלאכה לתרומת הקדש ויכלא העם מהביא. הא למדת שההבאה מלאכה קורא אותה. וכן למדו מפי השמועה שהמעביר ברשות הרבים מתחלת ארבע לסוף ארבע הרי הוא כמוציא מרשות לרשות וחייב.  The Rambam indicates we knew it was prohibited to carry even without the verse, it just comes to teach us that it is called a melacha.  The Maggid Mishna points out that he holds like the text of the Rav Hai Gaon in which the Gemorah isn’t asking how do I know thatהוצאה  is prohibited, that we know, rather its asking how do I know it’s a מלאכה.  This fits very well with the Rabbenu Channonel (cited in Tosfos) that deletes from the Gemorah the whole gezareh shavah for even if Moshe wasn’t warning the people not to bring anything because of Shabbos, we still see that the act of carrying is called a מלאכה.  (Tosfos points out this is supported by the Yerushalme, see Haamek Davar.)  According to Rashi, we need to know it was Shabbos to tell us this action is forbidden, however according to Rav Hai, Rambam, Rabbenu Channonel we know that carrying is forbidden, we are just looking for a source that its called a מלאכה. 

What is this debate between the Rishonim?  All the Rishonim at the beginning of Shabbos point out that הוצאה is a מלאכה גרועה however we learn out from רְא֗וּ כִּֽי־יְהֹוָה֘ נָתַ֣ן לָכֶ֣ם הַשַּׁבָּת֒ עַל־כֵּ֠ן ה֣וּא נֹתֵ֥ן לָכֶ֛ם בַּיּ֥וֹם  הַשִּׁשִּׁ֖י לֶ֣חֶם יוֹמָ֑יִם שְׁב֣וּ | אִ֣ישׁ תַּחְתָּ֗יו אַל־יֵ֥צֵא אִ֛ישׁ מִמְּקֹמ֖וֹ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי that it is prohibited to carry on Shabbos (Eruvin 17b.)  What is the possuk teaching us, is it that it is a מלאכה גרועה but is prohibited anyway, or is the verse teaching us that it is now considered a מלאכה?  Rashi and Tosfos understand that it is a מלאכה גרועה and we need two pessukim, one to tell us that you can’t carry from a private domain to public, and one to tell you that you can’t carry from a public domain to public.  They understand it’s a novelty to say a change in domain is prohibited and I need a verse for both ways.  The other Rishonim understand that its not the change in domain that is the novelty, the act of carrying itself wouldn’t seem to be classified as a prohibited act on Shabbos, קמ"ל  that it is prohibited and therefore the second verse tells us that it’s a מלאכה.  (The Rambam understands it’s from a halacha because he uses the verse in Eruvin to tell us that techumim is prohibited [Laws of Shabbos Ch. 27:1 היוצא חוץ לתחום המדינה בשבת לוקה שנאמר אל יצא איש ממקומו ביום השביעי,] therefore he’s forced to say the prohibition itself is learnt from a halacha.)

There are many differences if its called a מלאכה or not.  See Pnei Yehoshua beginning of 5^th Ch. Of Shabbos if an animal may carry from one domain to another for the prohibition to have one’s animal work on Shabbos may only apply to מלאכות.  See also Pri Migadim in his intro. to the laws of Shabbos in regard to חצי שיעור, ואכמ"ל.  [Based upon Binyan Av volume 1 #12.]

Why is הוצאה prohibited if it isn’t a constructive act like the other prohibited acts of Shabbos?  The Rabbiner Rav Hirsch explains that by refrain from positive creation on Shabbos, man demonstrates that his powers are nothing compared to the ultimate Creator of the World, this is זכר למעשה בראשית.  The prohibition from carrying is a social restriction.  A community is dependent on the people giving to each other, on the transfer of goods to each other.  זכר ליציאת מצרים is to recognize that our nationhood, established through the Exodus is only complete when it recognizes the law of God within the community and nation as a totality.  That may be why Yermiyahu warns in Ch. 19 right before the golus about הוצאה in particular for by recognizing our subjectivity to God even in this state that will keep us united as one nation until the geulah.