Rishonim A primary commentator on this tractate are Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, typically known as
Rashi (1040–1105), who was the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud and was referenced extensively by
the Tosafists, the latter of whom collected "additional" commentaries—the
Tosafot—of numerous rabbis from the 12th to the mid-15th centuries in France and Germany.
Maimonides's commentary on the Mishnah, the
Mishneh Torah, composed , provides a running commentary on the entire Mishnah and often includes halakhic rulings based on the Talmud's decisions. Commentaries of other early
Rishonim include the following: The commentary becomes less frequent thereafter and ends on page 61b. The style indicates that the are short excerpts from a larger and more complete work and were apparently included whenever they were relevant to the words of the Tosafot. Occasionally, they are inserted in the middle of the Tosafot, in a smaller font to set them apart. • Rabbeinu
Nissim Gaon (990–1062) of
Kairouan in North Africa, whose commentary, printed in the margins of the Vilna Talmud edition, provides background information when the Gemara refers to a concept dealt with elsewhere in the Talmud. Additionally, in his work , he quotes and discusses the sources of the Gemara's citations, and his provides some halakhic notes on the tractate. •
Rabenu Chananel (990–1053), also of Kairouan, whose commentary on the Gemara appears in the margins of the Vilna edition of the Talmud. •
Rabbeinu Tam (1100–1171), of
Troyes, France, wrote on tractate Shabbat that appear in his book
Sefer haYashar. , , and the commentary of Rabbi
Chananel ben Chushiel were reprinted from manuscripts, with footnotes by Rabbi David Metzger, in Jerusalem in 1990. was reprinted in 1980 in Jerusalem, based on two original manuscripts, with footnotes by Rabbi Shimon Schlesinger. •
Gur Aryeh by Rabbi
Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the "Maharal of Prague" (), analyzing and explaining the and some halakhic issues of the tractate. •
Pene Yehoshua by Rabbi
Joshua Falk of
Kraków (1555–1614), a basic commentary on the Gemara and the commentary of Rashi and the Tosafot, and once a widely used basic text for
yeshiva students. •
Chasam Sofer, a commentary on this tractate, and part of the larger commentary on the Talmud, by Rabbi
Moses Sofer of Frankfurt (1762–1839). •
Yachin uBoaz, by Rabbi
Israel Lipschitz (1782–1860), a commentary divided into two sections: •
Yachin—the plain meaning of the text. •
Boaz—lengthier analytical insights, with each chapter also having a subsection called
Hilchata Gevirta ('halakhic synopsis') containing a halakhic summary of each mishnah. •
Melechet Shlomo written by Rabbi
Shlomo Adeni (1567–1625) in
Hebron, it remained a manuscript until it was first published in Vilna in the 1880s. •
Tosafot Yom Tov on Mishnah Shabbat and
Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov, an abridged version of
Tosafot Yom Tov, by Rabbi
Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller (1579–1654). • ''Kikayon d'Yonah'' by Rabbi
Jonah Teomim-Frankel (1595–1669), with short insights on the Gemara and the commentary of Rashi and the Tosafot for chapter one and from chapter seven onward. First printed in Amsterdam in 1690 and reprinted in 1959 by the
Yeshiva of Nitra in New York. •
Tziyun le-Nefesh Chayah (often abbreviated to
Tzelach), by Rabbi
Yechezkel Landau of Prague (1713–1793). • ''Chidushei u'Biurei Ha'Gra l'Maseches Shabbos
, novellae and explanations of the Vilna Gaon (1720–1797) on tractate Shabbat, comprising the original Chidushei ha'Gra
on Shabbat, his writings in Shenos Eliyahu
on the Mishnah, and his commentary, the Biurei ha'Gra
, on the Shulchan Aruch'', compiled by Rabbi Avraham Droshkovitz. •
Chidushei Rabbi Akiva Eger, a collection of writings on the tractate by Rabbi
Akiva Eger (1761–1837) and
Tosafot Rabbi Akiva Eiger, published in Vilna (1908/1909). •
Sefas Emes, short insights on some of the tractate's topics by Rabbi
Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, the second
Gerrer Rebbe (1847–1905). Anthologies on the tractate include the following: • ''Gilyonei Ha'shas
by Rabbi Yosef Engel, a collection mainly of references to—and quotes from—the Rishonim''s responsa and other earlier works, with additional insights by the author. • ''Asifat Zekenim he'Chadash'', a collection of rare works on some of the chapters of the tractate. • ''Mesilot ha'Barzel
by Rabbi Nisan Shabsai Hailper, listing sources in the Rishonim
and Acharonim'' that deal with issues in the Gemara. •
Al Masechet Shabbat, a two-volume collection of works on the tractate, such as
Ishei Yisrael and ''Etz ha'Da'at Tov''. Halakhic discussions of the issues of the tractate include the following: •
Rosh Yosef by Rabbi Yosef Tumim, author of the
Pri Megadim. •
Chefetz Hashem by Rabbi
Chaim ibn Attar, the ''Or ha'Chayim ha'Kadosh''. Works focused particularly on the
39 categories of activity prohibited on Shabbat include the following: • ''Tal Orot (ha'Kadmon)'' by Rabbi Shaul ben David, printed in Prague in 1614 and reprinted in Jerusalem in 1996. • ''Tal Orot (ha'Sephardi)'' by Rabbi Yosef ben Joya, published in
Salonika in 1790 and reprinted in Jerusalem in 1987. •
Magen Avot by Rabbi Mordechai Bennett, regarding the on both Shabbat and festivals. •
Minchat Chinuch, which contains a section discussing the 39 of Shabbat in the discussion of the
mitzvah of observing Shabbat. • ''Kalkelles ha'Shabbat
, a discussion of the 39 by Israel Lipschitz, in the first volume of his commentary on Seder Moed''. •
Iglei Tal by Rabbi
Avraham Borenstein, on the first eleven of the 39 , called the ''sidura d'pas
("order of making bread), and the twelfth category, gozez'' ("shearing"). •
Yesodei Yeshurun by Rabbi Gedalia Felder of Toronto, originally printed with his responsa and later printed separately in Jerusalem in 1976, discussing all 39 and including understandings of the
Rishonim and
Acharonim and his own insights. • ''Ne'im Zemiros
, by the author of the Mirkeves ha'Mishnah'', a poem with brief mentions of the
Rambam's laws of the various categories of activities, and a commentary on this poem, clarifying their meaning. ==Liturgical uses==