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Ramban on Exodus 20:9/רמב"ן על שמות כ׳:ט׳

אשֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ עִנְיַן עֲבוֹדָה הִיא מְלָאכָה שֶׁאֵינָהּ לַהֲנָאַת הַגּוּף כְּאֹכֶל נֶפֶשׁ וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהּ, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וּבְכָל עֲבוֹדָה בַּשָּׂדֶה" (שמות א יד), "כִּי תַעֲבֹד אֶת הָאֲדָמָה" (בראשית ד יב), "וְנֶעֱבַדְתֶּם וְנִזְרַעְתֶּם" (יחזקאל לו ט), וְכַאֲשֶׁר אֲפָרֵשׁ עוֹד בע"ה (ויקרא כג ז). וּלְכָךְ אָמַר שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד אֶת הָאֲדָמָה, וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ, אֲשֶׁר הִיא לְצֹרֶךְ גּוּפְךָ וְלַהֲנָאָתְךָ, כְּעִנְיַן "אֵת אֲשֶׁר תֹּאפוּ אֵפוּ" (שמות ט"ז:כ"ג), וּבְשַׁבָּת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה שׁוּם מְלָאכָה: אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ הַקְּטַנִּים, הִזְהִירָנוּ בְּשַׁבָּת שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשׂוּ הַבָּנִים הַקְּטַנִּים מְלָאכָה לְדַעְתֵּנוּ וּבִרְצוֹנֵנוּ (שבת קכא.): וְעַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ הָעֲבָדִים שֶׁמָּלוּ וְטָבְלוּ שֶׁחַיָּבִין בְּכָל דִּינֵי הַשַּׁבָּת כְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר בְּמִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה (דברים ה יד) "לְמַעַן יָנוּחַ עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ כָּמוֹךָ". וְאֵלּוּ חַיָּבִין בְּכָל הַמִּצְוֹת כַּנָּשִׁים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ בְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (חגיגה ד.), וְרָאוּי הָיָה שֶׁיַּזְהִיר לָהֶם בְּעַצְמָם, כִּי הֵם עַצְמָם מְצֻוִּים בַּשַּׁבָּת, אֲבָל דִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב עִמָּנוּ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָעֲבָדִים בִּרְשׁוּתֵנוּ, לוֹמַר שֶׁשְּׁבִיתָתָם עָלֵינוּ, וְאִם לֹא נִמְנָעֵם אֲנַחְנוּ נֶעֱנָשִׁים עֲלֵיהֶם. וְעוֹד, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁעִם יִשְׂרָאֵל יְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים בְּכָל עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת:

1SIX DAYS SHALT THOU LABOR, AND DO ALL THY WORK. The term “labor” applies to work which is not for the needs of the body, such as cooking and the like, something like it is said: and in all manner of labor in the field;⁴⁵² when thou tillest the ground;⁴⁵³ and ye shall be tilled and sown,⁴⁵⁴ and as I will yet explain with the help of G-d.⁴⁵⁵ It is for this reason that He said: “Six days you shall work the ground and do all thy work which is for your physical needs and your benefit, something like, bake that which you will bake.⁴⁵⁶ But on the Sabbath, you shall not do any kind of work, thou, thy son, nor thy daughter — i.e., the minors.” Thus He has warned us against our minor children doing work on the Sabbath with our knowledge and consent. Nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant means the servants who have undergone circumcision and immersion,⁴⁵⁷ (children of the covenant). See Mechilta here. See also above, Note 79. who are obligated to observe all laws of the Sabbath just as Israelites, even as He said in the Book of Deuteronomy, that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.⁴⁵⁸ In all [other] commandments of the Torah, observance is incumbent upon them as it is upon women, as is explained in the words of our Rabbis.⁴⁵⁹ Now it would have been proper that He warn them directly, for they themselves are duty-bound to observe the Sabbath. Scripture, however, speaks to us because the servants are in our possession, thus telling us that their resting is incumbent upon us and that if they are not hindered from doing work, we will be punished on account of them. Besides, it is with Israel that G-d speaks in all of the Ten Commandments, [and for this reason, the command is not given directly to the servants].