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When is a melacha on Yom Tov permitted? The shiur develops the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s three-tiered framework distinguishing melachos that are food preparation itself (always permitted), food processing (permitted only l'tzorech achilah), and non-food melachos (always forbidden). The Magid Mishneh's explanation of "ho'il" emerges: intention cannot create a melacha where the act itself is inherently permitted.
The shiur presents a comprehensive analysis of the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s positions in Hilchos Yom Tov regarding which melachos are permitted and under what circumstances. Rabbi Zweig begins by highlighting several textual difficulties in the Rambam's halachos 1-4: apparent redundancy, inconsistent terminology switching between "l'tzorech achilah" and "yesh bo tzorech achilah," and the challenge of reconciling different statements about what makes a melacha permitted on Yom Tov. The Lechem Mishneh's reading of the Magid Mishneh is examined and found problematic. According to that reading, the Rambam would be saying that a melacha which is inherently not for ochel nefesh, even if done l'tzorech achilah, would be forbidden—a forced interpretation that requires inserting words not present in the text. This interpretation also creates a logical difficulty: if the Rambam truly meant this, how could the Magid Mishneh prove his position from the law of cooking for tomorrow, when the Rambam explicitly states that cooking for tomorrow is only permitted because of "ho'il orchim"?
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Hilchos Yom Tov 1:1-4 (Rambam)
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