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Do preparations for milah override Shabbos (שבת) prohibitions, and if not, why does the Rambam (רמב"ם) discuss making a knife on Shabbos? The shiur develops a chakira between whether milah itself overrides Shabbos versus the imperative that no child remain uncircumcised. This distinction explains the machlokes between Mechaber and Rama about multiple mohalim participating on Shabbos.
This shiur delves into a fundamental halachic dispute regarding machshirei milah (preparations for circumcision) on Shabbos (שבת), analyzing Gemara (גמרא) Shabbos 130a. The central question revolves around whether preparatory actions for circumcision override Shabbos prohibitions. Rabbi Zweig begins by examining the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s ruling that follows the Sages' opinion - that machshirei milah do not override Shabbos, even for rabbinic prohibitions like carrying. This raises a difficulty: if preparations don't override Shabbos, why does the Rambam discuss Torah (תורה)-level prohibitions like making a knife? The shiur analyzes the Mishna's presentation of Rabbi Eliezer's position in two cases - carrying a knife and carrying a child - questioning why these are presented separately if both stem from the same principle. Tosafos (תוספות) raises a fundamental challenge: carrying the child involves no Torah prohibition (chai nosei et atzmo), so why perform a Torah-level melacha when a rabbinic one would suffice?
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Shabbos 130a
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