R. Mordechai
Could you comment on whether the Tosafos on Daf 3 (top left) is suggesting that lifneh Iver does not apply to Goyim in general (it appears to apply only on Shabbos). The M Hinuch does not answer and R. Wasserman suggests it does. I could not find a R A. Eiger that says it does not apply to Goyim in general. Thanks
DR
Doug Rabin, CLifton, NJ
Tosfos in Shabbos (3a, DH "Baba d'Reisha") is not suggesting that Lifnei Iver does not apply to Goyim, as there is an explicit Gemara in Avoda Zara (6a) which says that it does. Tosfos is merely saying that even if this case would not be Lifnei Iver because the Jew is not empowering the Goy to sin (and empowering one to sin is the definition of Lifnei Iver) it could still be forbidden as a Rabinnic prohibition of "Mesayei'a" -- "helping" one to sin, even when one is not empowering him to sin.
As a matter of fact, this Tosfos is known to be stringent for saying that the Rabinnic concept of Mesayei'a applies to Goyim as well (see REMA YD 151:4 and SHACH there who argues on the Rema).
Take Care,
Yaakov Montrose