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When performing bris milah on Shabbos (שבת), should one carry the knife to the child or carry the child to the knife? Tosafos (תוספות) presents two conflicting approaches - one prioritizing minimizing violations by avoiding d'oraisa carrying, the other prioritizing speed as proper hechsher mitzvah (מצוה). The analysis explores how these positions relate to broader principles about choosing between d'oraisa and d'rabbanan violations.
This shiur provides an in-depth analysis of Tosafos (תוספות) on Shabbos (שבת) 130a regarding the laws of bris milah on Shabbos. The primary focus is on a fundamental question: when preparing for bris milah, should one carry the knife to the child or the child to the knife, and what determines this choice? The discussion centers on Tosafos' two explanations (terutzim). The first teretz argues that carrying the child is preferable because after the bris, the child becomes like a choleh (sick person) who will need to be carried back anyway, thus making carrying inevitable. The second teretz suggests that carrying the knife is better because it's ma'ayir (faster), which constitutes a hechsher mitzvah (מצוה).
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Shabbos 130a
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