An animal is not delivered on a festival [The fetus is not pulled from the womb on a festival, this entailing inordinate exertion], but it is assisted [i.e., the fetus is held so that it not fall to the ground.] A woman is delivered on Shabbath, and an expert midwife is called for her from place to place [without concern for issur techumim (Sabbath-bound interdictions)], and the Sabbath is desecrated for her [from the time she is seated on the birth-stool and the blood begins to flow until all three days after she gives birth, whether or not she says "I need." From three to seven days, if she says: "I need," the Sabbath is desecrated; if not, it is not desecrated. From seven to thirty days, even if she says "I need," it is not desecrated; but her needs are satisfied through a gentile, for she is regarded as a sick person who is not in danger, whose needs may be satisfied by a gentile.] And the umbilical cord may be tied. [For if it is not tied, but only folded, its intestines will emerge. But it is not cut on Shabbath according to the first tanna.] R. Yossi says: It is also cut. [The halachah is in accordance with R. Yossi, that it is cut and cleaned, and myrtle-powdered, and the like.] And all the needs of milah (circumcision) may be satisfied on Shabbath. [In the next chapter it is explained what the needs of milah are.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
אין מילדין – we do not draw forth the fetus from the womb on the Jewish holy day, for there is greater trouble.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
Introduction
Most of this mishnah discusses assisting an animal and a woman in giving birth on Shabbat and festivals. The final clause begins to discuss circumcision, a topic which will more fully be covered in chapter nineteen.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
אבל מסעדין – holds the fetus so that it would not fall to the ground.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
One may not deliver an animal [in giving birth] on a festival, but one may assist it. It is forbidden for a Jew to deliver an animal’s newborn on a festival, because this is considered to be too much work for a Jew to do on a festival. Although it may not violate any specific prohibited labor (no pun intended) it is too great of a labor (now, pun intended) to be permitted on a festival or on Shabbat. By “delivering”, the Mishnah means to put one’s hand into the womb and remove the newborn. However, one may assist the animal in giving birth by receiving it as it comes out so that it doesn’t just fall to the floor. Since this is a lesser amount of work, it is permitted. This may only be done on the festival; on Shabbat even assisting the animal is forbidden.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
חכמה – an expert midwife.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
One may deliver a woman [in giving birth] on Shabbat, summon a midwife for her from place to place, desecrate Shabbat on her account, and tie up the umbilical cord. Rabbi Yose says: one may cut it too. When it comes to aiding a woman in delivering her baby, any work is permitted on festivals and on Shabbat, even activities which are not directly connected to the birth. A midwife may be summoned from a far, even if this means she must travel to get there. Shabbat may be in all ways desecrated because the woman’s health is in danger and according to halakhah saving a life supersedes the laws of Shabbat. There is a debate about whether or not the umbilical cord may be cut. The first opinion holds that it may not be cut, since there is no real danger in leaving it connected until the end of Shabbat. Rabbi Yose holds that it may be cut, and the halakhah rules in accordance with his opinion.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ממקום למקום – and we don’t worry about the prohibition of [Sabbath] boundaries.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
And all the requirements of circumcision may be done on Shabbat. Anything connected with circumcision may be done on Shabbat. Leviticus 12:3 states that the child shall be circumcised on the eighth day and the rabbis read this to mean that he must be circumcised even if the eighth day falls on Shabbat. We will learn more about circumcision on Shabbat in the proceeding chapter.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ומחללין עליה את השבת – from the time that she sits on the travailing chair and the blood begins to flow gently until all three days after she has given birth, whether she said that “I need” [assistance] or whether she did not say that “I need” [assistance], [we violate (the Sabbath)]; from the third to the seventh [day] if she said, “I need” we violate [the Sabbath], but if she did not say, “I need [assistance],” we don’t violate [the Sabbath]. From the seventh to the thirtieth [day], even if she said: “I need [assistance].” We do not violate [the Sabbath]. But we perform her needs through a non-Jew because she is like a lick person which is not in a dangerous situation, and any thing where there is no danger, we perform her needs through a non-Jew.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
וקושרים הטבור – of the fetus which is long and if we don’t tie it and fold it, its stomach will come out, but we don’t sever it on Shabbat according to the words of the first Tanna/teacher [of the Mishnah].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ר' יוסי אומר אף חותכין – and the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yosi, that we cut it and clean it and place upon it a bandage (אבק הדם ) and similar kinds of things.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
וכל צרכי מילה עושין בשבת – and further on in the next chapter (chapter 19) it will explain what are the needs of circumcision.
