פירוש על שבת 2:5

מפני עובדי כוכבים – such as the Persians who do not allow the lighting of a candle on the day of their festivals other than in their houses of idolatrous worship.

Introduction Our mishnah introduces an abstract concept called “work which is not needed for its own sake.” This refers to someone who performs a prohibited labor on Shabbat but does not need the results of the labor itself but a side result. The tannaim debate whether someone who does this activity is liable for having transgressed the Shabbat. We shall see an illustration of this in the mishnah. The immediate topic is laws concerning extinguish lamps.

מפני לסטים – that they do not fear that there is there a person who will come upon him.

One who extinguishes the lamp because he is afraid of non-Jews, robbers, or an evil spirit, or so that a sick person may sleep, he is exempt. Extinguishing a fire is forbidden on Shabbat. However, saving a life always takes precedence over the laws of Shabbat. Hence, any of the activities listed in this mishnah are permitted. We should note that the mishnah states “exempt.” Exempt usually means that one who does such a thing is not liable for a penalty, but the activity is still not permitted. This mishnah is an exception exempt means that it is totally permitted. The sick person referred to in this mishnah is someone with a potentially life-threatening disease. It is forbidden to extinguish a lamp for someone who only has a slight headache, or similar non life-threatening illness.

מפני רוח רעה – that comes down upon him and when he doesn’t see [it], it is pleasant for him. But Maimonides explains [the words] רוח רעה as a kind of the illnesses that come upon those with black bile that they cannot rest other than when they sit in the dark and when hiding their faces from people.

If [he does so because] he wants to spare the lamp, the oil, or the wick, he is liable. Rabbi Yose exempts in all cases, except for the wick, because he makes charcoal. According to the first opinion, if a person puts out a lamp not because she wants it to be dark, but because she wants to save the material used in the lamp she is still liable. This is “a work not needed for its own sake.” According to this opinion a person who does this type of work is liable. Rabbi Yose holds that one who performs “a work not needed for its own sake” is generally exempt. The exemption is one who puts out a lamp because she wants to singe the wick. Singing the wick makes it into a type of charcoal and therefore this is no longer “work not needed for its own sake” but rather work for its own sake and hence she would be liable.

ואם בשביל החולה שיישן פטור – this illness is when there is danger involved for if one extinguishes a flame for a sick person who is not in danger, he is liable [for a sin-offering] for what reason this Tanna/teacher holds that labor that is not necessary for its own sake, one is liable for it; and similarly because of idolaters and because of robbers and because of an evil spirit where there is danger, but according to the law, where it teaches that it is permitted – but because it (i.e., the Mishnah) was required to teach at its conclusion that it is prohibited, the first part of the Mishnah taught that one is exempt.

כחס על הפתילה חייב – and even though he does not need it for the body of the extinguishing but rather for the needs of something else, that he should not kindle the wick or that he should not split the candle, he is liable for that is labor that is not necessary for its own sake, and one is liable for it.

פוטר בכולן חוץ מן הפתילה – for you do not have something extinguished that is needed for itself, but rather the extinguishing of coals and the extinguishing of the singeing of the wick that makes the extinguishing process to take hold of the fire rapidly when one wants to kindle it. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yosi.

שהוא עושה פחם – that he intends to make it now with the extinguished – which is coals which will be singed to light well.