R. Eliezer dice: Si él no trajo el instrumento [el cuchillo milah] en la víspera del sábado, lo trae en Shabat al aire libre [para mostrar que esta mitzvá es tan amada que Shabbath es profanada por él.] Y a tiempo de peligro [es decir, cuando milah fue decretado en contra], está cubierto, con (el acompañamiento de) testigos, [quienes testifican que él está llevando el cuchillo mitzvá, para que no se sospeche que lleva sus otras pertenencias]. R. Eliezer dijo además: la madera se corta (incluso en Shabat, si es necesario) para hacer carbones y para hacer el instrumento de hierro [es decir, el cuchillo milah]. R. Akiva declaró una regla: todo trabajo que se pueda realizar en la víspera del sábado, [como los que se preparan para milah] no anula el sábado. [Él difiere con R. Eliezer.] Y lo que no se puede realizar en la víspera del sábado [como la propia milah, que debe realizarse en el octavo día (incluso si es el sábado)] anula el sábado.
Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
רבי אליעזר אומר אם לא הביא כלי – cutting tool/knife to circumcise the baby.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
Introduction
This mishnah discusses desecrating Shabbat in order to circumcise a child on Shabbat. While the tannaim do not debate that the circumcision itself is done on Shabbat, the question is what preparations for the circumcision may be done.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
מביאו בשבת מגולה – to announce that this Mitzvah is beloved for we desecrate the Sabbath for it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
Rabbi Eliezer says: if one did not bring an instrument [with which to circumcise] on the eve of Shabbat, he must bring it on Shabbat uncovered; but in [times of] danger he hides it on the testimony of witnesses. Obviously, a knife is needed to perform the circumcision. According to Rabbi Eliezer, if one forgot to bring the knife he may bring it on Shabbat eve, even if this entails violating the prohibition of carrying on Shabbat. In normal times, the knife should be carried openly so that people will learn that the Shabbat is violated in order to perform the circumcision on Shabbat. However, in a time when the Roman authorities forbade circumcision (the Hadrianic persecutions, leading up to and following the Bar Kochba revolt) the knife should be hidden so as to avoid danger. The witnesses are needed to testify that the reason that he is carrying is only in order to perform a circumcision. In other words, they are for his protection.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ובסכנה – when they (i.e., foreign powers) made a decree against circumcision.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
Rabbi Eliezer said further: one may cut wood to make charcoal to make an iron instrument. Rabbi Eliezer goes to an even greater extreme. Even if one does not have any knife with which to circumcise, one may cut down wood to heat up iron to make a knife. It seems unlikely that one would actually find oneself in such a situation. Rabbi Eliezer’s statement is meant to have polemical value anything may be done so that the circumcision may be carried out on Shabbat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
מכסהו ע"פ עדים – that they will testify that this cutting tool/knife that he is bringing is for the Mitzvah and that they should not suspect him that he is carrying the rest of his belongings.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shabbat
Rabbi Akiva stated a general principle: any [manner of] work which could be performed on the eve of Shabbat does not supersede Shabbat; but that which could not be performed on the eve of Shabbat does supersede Shabbat. Rabbi Akiva disagrees with Rabbi Eliezer and holds that only activities that cannot be performed before Shabbat can be done on Shabbat itself. This would include the circumcision itself, as we shall learn in tomorrow’s mishnah. However, preparatory activities such as making the knife and carrying it to where the circumcision will be performed must be performed before Shabbat begins. The reason that Rabbi Akiva’s statement is phrased as a general rule is that it applies to several other halakhot as well (see Pesahim 6:2 and Menahot 11:3).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
ולעשות ברזל –in order to make a cutting tool for the circumcision.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
כל מלאכה שאפשר לעשותה - such as the requirements of a religious act of circumcision [to be performed on the Sabbath] since it is possible to perform them on the Eve of the Sabbath (i.e., on Friday), they do not override the [observance of the] Sabbath and he disagrees with Rabbi Eliezer.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shabbat
שאי אפשר לעשותה מע"ש – such as the actual circumcision for it is impossible to do it for its [appropriate] time is the eighth day which overrides the Sabbath and the Halakha is according to Rabbi Akiba.
