1)

(a)Our Mishnah forbids grinding cumin and mixing wine and oil on Shabbos, to place on the Milah. The Beraisa permits it on Yom-Tov - because it is fit to add to the pot (for cooking purposes), and whatever is fit for the pot is not included in the Isur of Refu'ah.

(b)The Tana Kama of a Beraisa forbids mixing wine and oil for a sick person on Shabbos - Rebbi Shimon ben Elazar Amar Rebbi Meir permits it.

(c)In spite of that, when Rebbi Meir was once sick, he refused to allow Rebbi Shimon ben Elazar to mix for him wine and oil - because, as he explained, even though he held that it is permitted, it was his principle never to contravene the opinion of his colleagues.

2)

(a)The combination of the two Beraisos that we just cited prompted Abaye to ask on our Mishnah which permits adding wine and oil separately to the Milah - why (assuming that the author of our [S'tam] Mishnah is Rebbi Meir) he does not even permit mixing them, since they are fit to be mixed for a sick person.

(b)Rav Yosef answered Abaye - that wine and oil do not require Lichah (to be stirred), whereas for the Milah they do.

(c)Our Mishnah does indeed permit mixing them without Lichah (even though this may not be ideal) - and the Tana says 'Yinasen Zeh be'Atzmo ve'Zeh be'Atzmo', only to preclude stirring them, but they are poured in together (and perhaps even stirred a little bit).

3)

(a)Our Mishnah forbids straining mustard on Yom-Tov - using a mustard-strainer.

(b)When Abaye asked Rav Yosef to explain ...

1. ... the difference between straining mustard on Yom-Tov and straining an egg in a mustard strainer (which the Mishnah in Tolin permits) he replied - that here at least, it resembles Borer (see Tosfos), whereas there it does not (since the entire egg passes through the strainer.

2. ... why the same Beraisa forbids sweetening mustard by placing a hot coal inside it, whereas another Beraisa permits it, he replied - that the latter is speaking about a metal coal (which is not subject to Kibuy), whereas the former is speaking about a coal of wood.

(c)Rav Yosef then explained that it is nevertheless permitted to roast meat on coal on Yom-Tov (even though there too, he extinguishes the coal in the process) - there it was not possible to prepare it yesterday, since freshly-roasted meat tastes better, whereas with mustard, it makes little or no difference when it is prepared, in which case he should have prepared it yesterday (to avoid getting involved in the Melachah of Kibuy).

4)

(a)When Abaye asked Rav Yosef ...

1. ... whether one may form a cheese (a process similar to kneading) on Yom-Tov, he replied - in the negative.

2. ... how this differs from kneading a dough on Yom-Tov, which is permitted, he replied - that bread is different, since (like we just explained in the case of roast meat), it tastes better when it is freshly baked, whereas yesterday's cheese is equally good.

(b)Rav Yosef reconciles this with the Neherda'i, who said 'Gevinah bas Yoma Me'alya' - by adding the word 'Af', meaning that today's cheese is just as good as yesterday's.

5)

(a)Abaye's nanny advised him - to fold-over the top of the bag with which one covers the Milah, so that the fringes of the hem should not stick to the Milah, causing the baby to become a K'rus Shofchah, when one tries to remove the bag.

(b)She also sewed a little pocket halfway down on the inside of the baby's long undershirt. This pocket fitted over the Milah, to protect it from those fringes.

(c)The hem of the little bag or the cloth is necessary, because it fits firmly over the Milah; without it, the bag would slip off too easily.

(d)If one has a baby ...

1. ... whose back-passage is closed, one rubs it with oil and places the baby in the sun, whose shine will now make the skin transparent, outlining the back-passage. Using a sharp barley (under no circumstances a metal implement - which will causes it to swell). One then cuts along and across, to open the back-passage.

2. ... who is unable to suckle because he has a cold mouth - one brings a board with hot coals and places it near his mouth until it becomes warm.

3. ... whose heart-beat is not recognizable - one fans him with a bellows until he begins to breathe.

4. ... whose breathing is weak (if he is thin) - then one rubs the placenta with which it was born on it, from the thin end towards the thick end (as a sign that he needs to become fatter).

5. ... whose breathing is weak (if he is fat) - one rubs the placenta from the thick end to the thin end (as a sign that he needs to become thinner).

6)

(a)If a baby is ...

1. ...very ruddy - it means that his blood has not yet settled and is still on the surface near the skin.

2. ... very pale, it means that his blood has not yet developed.

(b)The only thing to do is - to wait either until the blood recedes or until it develops.

(c)When Rebbi Nasan advised two families, each of which had one of the above-mentioned problems, to wait - they did, and both babies subsequently had Bris Milah and survived.

(d)They acknowledged what he had done for them - by naming their respective babies 'Nasan ha'Bavli', after him.

(e)We learn from the Pasuk "Gam es be'Dam Brischa" - that the Milah must produce blood for the Mitzvah to have been fulfilled.

7)

(a)The Tana Kama of our Mishnah permits both bathing a Katan with warm water both before and after the Milah, and Ziluf (sprinkling warm water) on the Milah with one's hands - but he forbids doing so using a K'li.

(b)Rebbi Elazar ben Azaryah - permits bathing a baby on the third day that falls on Shabbos, because on that day, the baby is exceptionally weak, so that not bathing him, could be a matter of life and death.

(c)His source is the Pasuk in Vayishlach (in connection with Shimon and Levi in Sh'chem) "Vayehi ba'Yom ha'Shelishi Bih'yosam Ko'avim".

8)

(a)The Tana Kama forbids circumcising a Safek (seventh-month/eighth-month baby) and an Androginus - a person who has both male and female sexual organs on Shabbos.

(b)According to Rebbi Yehudah - an Androginus is definitely a male, and one may circumcise him on Shabbos.

(c)The problem with the Mishnah is - that after seemingly permitting bathing the baby in the normal manner, the Seifa forbids 'Ziluf' using a K'li.

(d)Rava initially rejects Rav Yehudah and Rabah bar Avuhah's answer, that 'u'Mezalfin Alav' is the interpretation of 'Marchitzin' (by adding the word 'Keitzad') - in that 'Marchitzin' definitely implies in the normal manner as we explains.

9)

(a)Rava therefore tries to resolve the problem by differentiating between the first day which falls on Shabbos - where 'Marchitzin' applies, and the third - where the Tana permits only Ziluf using one's hands.

(b)The second day - has the same Din as the first (though some Rishonim disagree with this).

(c)The Beraisa that we cite in support of Rava states that Rebbi Elazar ben Azaryah's proof from Shimon and Levi - is not a real proof, but only a Zeicher (a hint) ...

(d)... because it speaks about grown-ups, whose wounds take longer to heal than those of a baby. Perhaps by a baby, there is no longer any life-danger already before the third day.

(e)The author of the Seifa of the Beraisa, which forbids 'Ziluf' using a cup, a dish or any other K'li - is the Tana Kama.

10)

(a)Rava retracted after actually permitting bathing a baby with hot water on the day of the Milah which took place on Shabbos - when immediately following it, he took ill, and he took it as a Heavenly sign, that he should not have over-ruled the decision of Rav Yehudah and Rabah bar Rav Huna.

(b)When he realized that he had erred, he declared - 'Why did I dispute the opinion of those elders?'

(c)When the Rabbanan pointed out that he had the support of a Beraisa - Rava replied that this may well be, but the statement of Rebbi Elazar ben Azarya in the Mishnah (which suggests that Rebbi Elazar ben Azaryah permits the Rechitzah which the Tana Kama forbids) supports the ruling of Rav Yehudah and Rabah bar Avuhah ...

(d)... because, according to his original interpretation (where Rebbi Elazar ben Azarya is coming to permit Rechitzah on the third day, whereas the Tana Kama permits only Ziluf) - the Seifa ought to have said 'Rebbi Alazar ben Azaryah Omer Af Rechitzah'.

11)

(a)When Rav Dimi arrived in Eretz Yisrael, citing Rebbi Elazar - he ruled like Rebbi Elazar ben Azaryah.

(b)When they asked in Eretz Yisrael whether Rebbi Elazar ben Azaryah permits bathing the entire body, or only the area of the Milah, Rebbi Ya'akov replied - the entire body.

(c)He based his ruling on a statement of Rav - who permits the application of hot water and oil to a wound on Shabbos (in which case, had the Mishnah been talking about bathing only the Milah, the Rabbanan should also have agreed that bathing the Milah is permitted on the third day that falls on Shabbos).

(d)Rav Yosef refutes Rebbi Ya'akov's ruling however, on the grounds that - whereas Rav is speaking about water that was heated on Erev Shabbos, our Mishnah is speaking about boiling water on Shabbos itself (which will certainly not be permitted to bathe even just the location of the Milah on the third day, since it is not necessary).

12)

(a)When Rav Dimi asked from where Rav Yosef knew that our Mishnah is speaking about boiling water on Shabbos itself, Abaye wanted to give an answer but didn't - because Rav Yosef answered it himself, before he had a chance to do so.

(b)Rav Yosef replied - that it must be permitted to boil water even on Shabbos, because life-danger is involved.

13)

(a)Rebbi Avahu Amar Rebbi Elazar (or Amar Rebbi Yochanan) rule like Rebbi Elazar ben Azaryah - in all cases, even with regard to boiling water on Shabbos and even with regard to ...

(b)... bathing the baby's entire body, which he holds is also a matter of Piku'ach Nefesh.

14)

(a)Shmuel rules with regard to Rav's above-quoted ruling permitting the application of hot water and oil on a wound on Shabbos - that this it is only permitted to apply close to the wound, to allow them to run Into the wound automatically.

(b)And he permits that - because it is not clear that he did what he did as a cure.

(c)The Beraisa - prohibits applying hot water and wine to a cloth which one then places on the wound, or applying them to a cloth which is already on the wound.

(d)To reconcile his own ruling with the two Beraisos - Rav ascribes the prohibition to the Isur of Sechitah (squeezing out the cloth, which is Asur because of Libun (washing clothes).

(e)The Halachah is like Shmuel - because he has a Beraisa to support him.

15)

(a)The Beraisa ...

1. ... permits the application of Moch Yavesh (a dry cloth) or sponge on a wound on Shabbos, but ...

2. ... forbids that of a reed or Kesisin (a dry cloth).

(b)We resolve the Reisha (Moch Yavesh) with the Seifa (Kesisin) - by defining the former as new cloths that have not been used before for this purpose (which do have the power to cure), and the latter as old ones that have been used before (which do not).

(c)Abaye learns from the Beraisa - that new cloths which have never been applied to a wound, have the power to cure.