EXOD402 Desist from all types of melachah (prohibited work) on the Sabbath. Neither may we let our children, servants or animals do melachah on the Sabbath. Key concepts: To set aside our weekday labors in honor of the Sabbath. Thereby, we instill within ourselves that Hashem created the world in six days and “rested” on the seventh. This point is a fundamental principle underlying all of the Torah. When someone asks, “Why does everyone desist from their labors one day of the week,” one must answer, “Because God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day He desisted from creating and ‘rested.’” By desisting from our labors on the Sabbath, we strengthen ourselves in the true faith. The Sabbath also reminds us of the miraculous Exodus from Egypt, for while the Egyptians enslaved us, they forced us to work even when we were exhausted and craved rest. Hashem saved us from their hands and commanded us to rest on the Sabbath.