This paper examines the exegetical history of the prohibition against kindling fire on the Sabbath day. Since its biblical inception Ex. 35:3, the prohibition against kindling fire on the Sabbath, has undergone a multiplicity of interpretations. The texts examined in this paper survey the treatment of this verse from its inception through to the twentieth century and the advent of electricity. Over generations exegetes have understood this biblical verse to be a prohibition against kindling, burning, and even cooking. The debates concerning the legal status and implications of the verse have additionally been outlined in this paper. Tracing the history of this verse, therefore, provides insight into the meaning of the verse and its halakhic implications.

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