“See that Hashem has granted you the Shabbos. Therefore, He is giving you on the sixth day [of the week] bread for two days. Let every man sit where he is; no man shall leave his place on the seventh day.” (Shemos 16:29)

THE MITZVAH

When Hashem sustained the Jewish people with mannain the Wilderness, He gave a double portion on Erev Shabbos, and commanded them not to leave their places to gather it on Shabbos. The Sages interpret the words, “No man shall leave his place on the seventh day,”as a mitzvah for all generations, that we may not travel outside the city on Shabbos. Since the “place” mentioned in the verse refers to the Jewish encampment, which was twelve mil wide (approx. 12 km or 7 miles), the Sages expound that one may travel until this distance outside a city on Shabbos. As a safeguard, the Sages decreed that this distance be limited to onemil, which is approximately one kilometer ortwo-thirds of a mile (Chinuch).

Reason One: Day of Rest

We are commanded to commemorate the seventh day as a day of rest so that we remember that the world has a Creator, Who completed His work and rested on this day. Therefore, the Torah forbids the highly strenuous activity of traveling. Until a distance of twelve mil, however, a walk may be considered pleasurable and restful (Chinuch §24). We may explain similarly that this mitzvah was given in the Wilderness, where the only source of livelihood was the man, and the command not to leave the encampment to get the man was essentially a command not to engage in business. Even afterward that period of history, traveling would always remain a primary means of doing business. Thus, the Torah limits us to our cities of residence on the day of rest as a measure to prevent us from engaging in labor. “Let every man sit where he is”means that a person should sit at home (Ibn Ezra). This indicates a second facet of this mitzvah: other than the prohibition to travel, we are also commanded to be at total rest in our homes on the day of Shabbos.

Reason Two: Day of Appreciation

During the week, we are preoccupied with pursuing our needs and wants, and we cannot properly recognize and appreciate that which we already have. This is similar to the way someone who is constantly moving around cannot focus on anything. On Shabbos, every Jew is commanded, “Let every man sit where he is,” so that he can appreciate what he already has and give thanks and praise to the Creator, as it is written, “Mizmor shir leyom HaShabbos: Tov lehodos laHashem” — “A psalm of song of the day of Shabbos: It is good to thank Hashem.” (Based on Ayalah Temimah)

Reason Three: Day of Spiritual Pursuit

Shabbos is a holy day, on which our conduct must be distinctly holier than that of the week. Accordingly, the Torah states, “Let every man sit where he is; no man shall leave his place on the seventh day.” “His place” alludes to Hashem’s place, as it is written, Blessed is Hashem’s glory from His place. We dwell with Hashem throughout Shabbos by meditating upon His Torah. In order to enable our minds to better perceive the Torah, our souls expand on Shabbos, and our intellectual capacity increases correspondingly. In light of this, we may understand why the Giving of the Torah occurred specifically on Shabbos (Rav Menachem HaBavli §13).