Rambam Yomi with Rav Eytan

Perek י״ב: Fire and the First Laws of Carrying This Perek opens with the two labors of fire: kindling even the smallest flame and extinguishing one, including when putting out a fire is permitted, such as to stop it from spreading. It then turns to an entirely new Melacha, Hotza'ah, the forbidden labor of carrying between domains, laying the foundation: what defines a private domain versus a p...

Perek י״א: From Hide to Parchment, Pen to Page This Perek covers a cluster of Melachot tied to processing animal hides, trapping, slaughtering, skinning, and tanning, before turning to an entirely different pair: writing and erasing, where the Rambam defines the minimum of two letters that triggers liability either way.

Perek י: Tying, Writing, and Building This Perek gathers a cluster of distinct Melachot: tying and untying knots, tearing, writing and erasing, and building and demolishing, defining exactly how much of each activity is needed to incur liability.

Perek ט: From Fleece to Thread Continuing the theme, this Perek covers the labors involved in producing cloth: shearing wool, washing, combing, dyeing, spinning, and the early stages of weaving, along with a few additional cooking-related edge cases.

Perek ח: From Field to Loaf This Perek works through the eleven labors involved in producing bread, plowing, sowing, reaping, gathering, threshing, winnowing, selecting, sifting, grinding, kneading, and baking, along with the exact minimum measure of each that triggers liability.

Perek ז: The Full List of Thirty-Nine Here the Rambam finally lays out the thirty-nine categories of forbidden labor themselves, along with the rules for liability: how many sin-offerings are owed when multiple labors are performed unknowingly, and the crucial distinction between a primary category (Av) and its derivative (Toladah).

Perek ו: Asking a Gentile to Help Can a Jew ask a non-Jew to perform work on Shabbat on their behalf? This Perek covers the rules of Amirah L'Akum, when instructing a gentile to do prohibited labor is forbidden, when it's permitted, and the related question of benefiting from labor a gentile performs of their own accord

Perek ו: Asking a Gentile to Help Can a Jew ask a non-Jew to perform work on Shabbat on their behalf? This Perek covers the rules of Amirah L'Akum, when instructing a gentile to do prohibited labor is forbidden, when it's permitted, and the related question of benefiting from labor a gentile performs of their own accord.

Perek ה: Kindling the Shabbat Lights This Perek covers the definition of Bein HaShmashot, the twilight period whose status as day or night is deliberately left uncertain, and turns to the Mitzvah of kindling Shabbat candles: which oils and wicks are fit to use, and why the Chachamim placed this responsibility primarily on the woman of the house.

Perek ד: Wrapping Food for Warmth A short but practical Perek on "Hatmana", insulating food to keep it hot. The Rambam explains why insulating with heat-retaining materials is restricted even before Shabbat begins, and the narrower rules for wrapping food once Shabbat itself has started.

Perek ג (ב): The Laws of Cooking Today we continue Perek ג, which covers the Melacha of Bishul: what happens when food is left on or near a fire before Shabbat, when it may be returned to the flame, and the rabbinic safeguards against stirring coals or otherwise advancing the cooking process once Shabbat has begun.

Perek ג (א): The Laws of Cooking The first part of this Perek covers the Melacha of Bishul: what happens when food is left on or near a fire before Shabbat, when it may be returned to the flame, and the rabbinic safeguards against stirring coals or otherwise advancing the cooking process once Shabbat has begun.

Perek ב: When Shabbat Gives Way to Life Few principles in Halacha carry more weight than this one: danger to life overrides Shabbat. This Perek establishes the obligation to violate Shabbat to save a life, explains why hesitation in such moments is itself a failing, and works through the practical cases, illness, injury, childbirth, where this override applies.

Perek א: The Anatomy of a Forbidden Act Before cataloguing what's forbidden on Shabbat, the Rambam lays down the legal framework itself: what counts as "labor," the difference between a Torah-level violation and a rabbinic safeguard, and the central principle that only purposeful, intentional labor is truly forbidden. This Perek works through the technical rules of intent, unintended...

Perek ג: How It's Done This closing Perek walks through the Brachot recited by the father and the Mohel, and the Halachic questions that arise around doubtful cases and converts previously circumcised.

Perek ב: What's Permitted Around the Brit Having established that the circumcision itself can override Shabbat, this Perek draws the line around it, what preparatory actions are and aren't permitted, from preparing tools to handling the aftercare, and where the leniency for the Mitzvah stops.

Perek א: A Brit That Overrides Shabbat This opening Perek establishes circumcision as one of the most severe positive commandments in the Torah, carrying the penalty of Karet if left unfulfilled, and covers who is obligated, whether father, master, or court. It works through an extensive set of cases for exactly when circumcision overrides Shabbat, premature births, doubtful gestation, a sick or d...

Perek י״א: Brachot Before Doing a Mitzvah The Rambam closes Hilchot Brachot with the category of Brachot recited before performing a commandment, Tefillin, Mezuzah, Sukkah, and more, along with the general principles for when such a Bracha is said and what happens when it's skipped.

Perek י: Gratitude for the Unexpected This Perek turns to Brachot that mark life's turning points: Shehecheyanu for new and joyous occasions, Hatov VeHametiv when good news benefits others too, and the Bracha recited by someone who has survived danger.

Perek ט: The Brachot of Fragrance Scent is a pleasure the soul enjoys without the body benefiting, and the Chachamim required a Bracha before enjoying it just as before food. This Perek details the specific Brachot for different sources of fragrance, wood, herbs, oils, and spice blends, and the conditions under which a pleasant smell requires a Bracha at all.

Perek ח: Getting the Bracha Right This Perek tackles the finer points of food Brachot: the order of precedence when several Brachot could apply to what's in front of you, what happens if you recite the wrong blessing by mistake (and whether it still counts), and the rules for when foods eaten together need separate after-Brachot versus one that covers them all.

Perek ז: Setting the Table From the etiquette of breaking bread to the order in which guests wash their hands before grace, this Perek captures the small rituals that structure a proper meal, why salt is served first, and the practice of Mayim Acharonim before Birkat HaMazon.

Perek ו: Washing & Eating This Perek details the ritual handwashing required before eating bread, the method, the obligation both before and after the meal, and the Halachic reasoning the Chachamim gave for a practice that isn't really about cleanliness at all.

Perek ה: Benching Together, as a Group When three or more people eat bread together, a formal invitation to bless, the Zimun, precedes Birkat HaMazon. This Perek defines who can be counted for a Zimun, how the responsive formula works, and the special version recited with a Minyan present.

Perek ד: The Choreography of a Meal From the wine served before the meal to the wine that follows it, this Perek walks through the practical sequencing of Brachot across an entire meal, including when a single Bracha covers everyone at the table and when each guest must bless for themselves.