Both the major festivals of Pesach and Sukkot begin and end with a full holiday, or "Yom Tov."  In between these holidays are the five or six days of "chol hamoed," a paradoxical expression which literally means "the secular days of the holiday."  As the name suggests, these days have an intermediate status between the complete prohibition of mundane concerns on the holiday - and their absolute requirement for festive demeanor - and the preoccupation with mundane concerns, which often characterizes the weekdays.

 

On these intermediate days of the festival we are permitted to do some types of labor while others are forbidden.  One category of permitted labor is that which is necessary for the enjoyment of the holiday.  Of course, categories of labor critical for Yom Tov rejoicing are permitted even on Yom Tov, but regarding chol hamoed the criteria are much broader.  For instance, it is permissible during these days to take a family trip by car in order to enjoy the holiday.

 

The second main category of permitted labor is "davar ha-aved" - work that under no circumstances may be put off until after Yom Tov.  In ancient times, the prominent example was watering the fields; some crops die if left without water for even a week, so watering them could not be completely suspended for the holiday.  A common example today is preparing tax returns, which constitute a large fraction of an accountant's yearly business.  Returns are often due right around Pesach time, and certainly can not be delayed.

 

DISDAINING CHOL HAMOED

 

Our Sages warned that profaning the intermediate days of the festivals is comparable to pagan worship - the most serious prohibition in the Torah! What is the likeness between the prohibition of pagan worship, which is the very essence of our religion and indeed of world religion, and the seemingly minor transgression of treating chol hamoed like a weekday?

 

The key to understanding the character of chol hamoed is in its name: it is the secular ASPECT (chol) of the holiday (moed).  Regular weekdays are the secular aspect (chol) of the Shabbat, the two periods of time defining the polar opposites of giving and receiving spirituality.  But as we have pointed out, the Shabbat has its own unique aspect of spirituality, which is different than that of Yom Tov.  The special aspect of Yom Tov spirituality finds its opposite as well in its chol - chol hamoed. 

 

Shabbat testifies to God's role as Creator.  But it is only able to serve this purpose through its relation to the weekdays.  On the weekdays we are constructive and creative, as God was when He created the world; on Shabbat we rest, as God did on the first Shabbat.  If every day were Shabbat, then Shabbat rest would certainly not be a testimony to God's sovereignty at all.  Shabbat therefore, is dependent on the weekdays for its mission. 

 

We have already explained that a person who denies the Shabbat is considered like an idolater (chapter 72).  One who affirms the Shabbat but denies the weekdays would have almost the same status, since he observes a Shabbat that effectively does not testify to God's resting after the six days of creation.

 

Yom Tov testifies to God's role as the liberator of Israel; it is a commemoration of the Exodus - but not a commemoration of the Creation.  Everything about Yom Tov is unique to the Jewish people, and indeed the date of Yom Tov itself is dependent on the determination of the new month, which is established by the earthly Jewish Rabbinical court  (see end of chapter 98.)

 

When we attempt to express that all of creation is God's handiwork, and all is capable of shining with His spirit, we occupy ourselves with every manner of mundane labor and infuse it with sanctity by acting with exalted intentions and in strict accordance with the commandments.  This is the secular reflection of God's role as Creator, expressed in the unrestricted labors of the ordinary weekdays.

 

When we try to reflect and express that Israel is God's special creation, a people set aside as His handiwork, "A nation which I have formed for Myself, that they should sing my praises" (Yeshayahu 43:21), we act in a different way.  We refrain from work to the greatest extent possible, doing only that which is essential for livelihood and for the honor of the holiday.  We thus devote all our energies to serving God - and above all to studying His Torah, which is the main purpose of Chol Hamoed rest (Yerushalmi Moed Katan 2:3.)

 

A person who observes Yom Tov, without observing chol hamoed, testifies that God brought the Jewish people out of Egypt but does not then express the significance of that momentous historical event.  The Exodus marked the creation of a unique nation - the people of Israel - who are totally devoted to God's service and the study of His Torah, who are involved in this world only according to the necessity to provide the wherewithal of our special mission. 

 

A Shabbat without weekdays would commemorate God's rest in a way that deprives the holy day itself of its special significance as a testimony to God's role as Creator.  So too Yom Tov without chol hamoed would commemorate the exodus from Egypt in a way that deprives even this of its special significance: the creation of a unique nation wholly devoted to God's service.

 

But why is the denial of the special role of the Jewish people akin to idolatry? Because since the Exodus and the revelation of the Torah, it is only through the Jewish people that all of mankind can know God (see Rashi on Shemot 33:16-17.)

 

We explained in chapter 80 that originally God's presence infused the entire creation.  But the sins of successive generations of mankind drove His presence farther and farther from the world, until the Patriarchs drew near to God and began to draw Him into this world.  Now the process of revealing His glory in the world would only occur through the mission of the Patriarchs themselves and their offspring - the Jewish people. 

 

Our Sages say that the Patriarchs are the "chariot" that is, the vehicle, for God's revelation (Bereshit Rabba on Bereshit 17:22.)  The misdeeds of mankind meant that the original complementary nature of Shabbat and weekdays, which was relevant for the entire world, needed supplementation by the polarity of Yom Tov and chol hamoed which is specifically relevant to the Jewish people.  Someone who denies this aspect neglects an essential aspect of God's revelation in a world tainted by sin - hence this is akin to the denial of God inherent in pagan worship.

 

 

CHAPTER 105 - EXERTION ON CHOL HAMOED

 

Since the purpose of chol hamoed rest is to provide leisure for honoring the holiday and for Torah study, forbidden work includes not only specific labors (melakha) but also anything that involves excessive exertion and distraction, such as moving house.  Another rationale for forbidding moving during the holiday is that people might take advantage of this leniency and intentionally schedule a move for chol hamoed, thus making their holiday the most pressured and disorganized time of the year instead of the most relaxed and dignified.

 

The exception is that it is permissible to move from a rented dwelling to one that is owned.  This kind of independence is a great source of joy for a person (Yerushalmi Moed Katan 2:4 and commentaries.)  This is only one of the many examples of the immense importance halakha assigns to self-sufficiency and self-reliance. 

 

(For example - we are permitted to sell a Torah scroll to provide the means to make a wedding - end of chapter 28; finding jobs for the poor is preferable to giving alms - explained at length in chapter 34; we rush to feed our animals to compensate them for the loss of their self-sufficiency - chapter 42; teaching a youngster a trade so that he may support himself is a mitzva and thus may be discussed on Shabbat - chapter 90; we bless the children before Yom Kippur that they may be self-supporting - end of chapter 131.)

 

CHAPTER 106 - COMMERCE ON CHOL HAMOED

 

Just as forbidden types of labor (melakha) are permitted only if delaying them would prevent a loss, so commercial dealings are permitted on chol hamoed only if delaying them would involve a loss.  As the Kitzur explains, Jewish law makes a clear distinction between LOSS and A MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR PROFIT.  A person may make a sale on chol hamoed to prevent even a small loss, but may not even trade to make a large profit.  (There is an exception if the business is based on a small number of very profitable trades, then giving up such an opportunity is a loss in a person's basic business.)

 

We have pointed out many times that the Torah does not disdain POSSESSIONS, but it certainly decries POSSESSIVENESS and acquisitiveness.  What is valued is stability and modesty.  A person who is accustomed to a certain standard of living is entitled and even encouraged to maintain it, and many special leniencies permit him to avoid a loss.  But an endless desire for more is certainly not encouraged.  "Who is the wealthy person? The one who is happy with his lot"  (Mishna Avot 4:1.)