There is no word in biblical Hebrew for “forbidding”. When God asks Adam if he ate from the forbidden fruit, the expression used is “did you eat from the the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (As opposed to “did you eat from the the tree that I forbade you to eat from?”)
Every commandment requires positive energy to fulfill. No commandment tells us to remain inactive. Often a negative commandment requires more positive energy than does a positive commandment. We are asked to muster joyful energy in fulfilling all the commandments including when what we are asked to do is to refrain from some activity.
Beraishis 3:11, Page 80
