Q&A: No Distinctions
No Distinctions
Question
Hello Rabbi. I wanted to ask what the reasoning is behind the claim of "no distinctions." After all, if there is a reason and logic for doing an action or refraining from it, that is how one should act; so what is the point of bringing in additional unrelated cases? For example, the prohibition against doing an action that requires close examination by the light of a tall Sabbath lamp, where there is no concern that one might tilt the lamp. Thank you.
Answer
"No distinctions" is said only regarding rabbinic prohibitions. Torah-level law is based on the essence of the matter, and there really there is no "no distinctions" principle. Everything depends on the specific case. But with rabbinic law, in any case there is no essential reason for the prohibition; rather, it is a decree or an enactment, and therefore the consideration of simplicity overrides the concerns or the redundancy of the law (as in the case of the lamp).