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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman של״א · 10 Se'ifim
Bris milah on Shabbos (8th day) — to discover and understand
סימן של״א
דִּינֵי מִילָה בְּשַׁבָּת
🌱 Introduction Level · Beginners
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First approach to Siman של״א: full Hebrew text of the Mechaber, smooth English translation, pedagogical explanations of the halachic concepts, modern practical cases and synthesis.
Topic: Bris milah on Shabbos (8th day)
Source: Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim Siman 331 (10 se'ifim)
Compiled by: Rav Yossef Chaim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study plan
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch — the 10 se'ifim of the Mechaber
2. The general context: why this siman, what is the question?
3. Key halachic concepts of this siman
4. Detail of the se'ifim — one by one
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
6. The Rema's position — Ashkenazi vs Sephardic differences
7. Modern practical cases
8. Practical synthesis and rules to remember
9. Comprehension questions
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch
Siman של״א contains 10 se'ifim of the Mechaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo) which codify the halachos relating to bris milah on Shabbos (8th day).
Se'if 1
דין מילה בשבת. ובו י סעיפים:
עושים כל צרכי מילה בשבת מוהלין ופורעין ומוצצין ונותנין עליו כמון:
Translation: we perform all the acts of milah on Shabbos: we make the milah (cutting the foreskin), we do the peri'ah (uncovering), the metzitzah (suctioning), and we apply cumin on the wound [for healing]. The bris milah on the 8th day is a mitzvah that overrides Shabbos.
What this seif says:
- On Shabbat one does all the needs of the milah: one circumcises, uncovers, draws, and puts cumin upon it.
Se'if 2
כל זמן שלא סילק ידו מן המילה חוזר אפילו על ציצין שאינם מעכבים סילק ידו אינו חוזר אלא על ציצין המעכבין ואלו הם המעכבין בשר החופה אפי' רוב גובה של עטרה במקום א':
Translation: as long as the mohel has not removed his hand from the milah, he may go back [to cut] even tzitzin (shreds of skin) that do not invalidate [the milah]. If he has already removed his hand, he only goes back for tzitzin that invalidate. And these are the ones that invalidate: flesh that covers [the corona] — even most of the height of the corona (atarah) in one place.
What this seif says:
- So long as he has not withdrawn his hand from the milah — he goes back even for shreds that do not invalidate.
- Has he withdrawn his hand — he goes back only for the shreds that invalidate.
- And these are: the flesh that covers — even most of the height of the corona, in one place.
Se'if 3
בן ח' אם נגמרו שערו וצפרניו מלין אותו בשבת ואם לא גמרו אפי' אם הוא ספק בן ז' ספק בן ח' אין מלין אותו ואין צריך לומר בן ח' ודאי ואם הוא בן שבע ודאי אפי' לא גמרו שערו וצפרניו מלין אותו [ועיין בי״ד סי' רס״ו]:
Translation: a child born at 8 months — if his hair and nails are complete, we make the milah on Shabbos; if not — even in case of doubt (7 or 8 months) — we do not make the milah, and certainly not for a definite 8-month baby. But if he is definitely 7 months, even if his hair and nails are not complete, we make the milah on Shabbos (he is viable).
What this seif says:
- A child of the eighth month, if his hair and nails are complete: one circumcises him on Shabbat.
- If they are not — even in doubt, seventh or eighth — one does not circumcise him; and needless to say a certain eighth-month child.
- And if he is certainly of the seventh — even if his hair and nails are not complete, one circumcises him.
Se'if 4
מילה שלא בזמנה אינה דוחה שבת:
Translation: a milah not in its time (milah shelo bizmana — when it was postponed beyond the 8th day) does not override Shabbos — only milah performed in its exact time (the 8th day) overrides Shabbos.
What this seif says:
- A milah not in its time does not override Shabbat.
Se'if 5
אנדרוגינוס ונולד בין השמשות ונולד כשהוא מהול ויוצא דופן ועכו״ם שילדה ואח״כ נתגיירה ומי שיש לו שתי ערלות אין מילתן דוחה שבת:
Translation: the androgynous, the child born at twilight (doubt about the day of birth, hence doubt about the 8th day), one born already circumcised [from whom we only draw a drop of blood], one born by cesarean section (yotzei dofen), a non-Jewish woman who was pregnant and converted before giving birth, and one who has two foreskins — their milah does not override Shabbos (because these are not cases of milah "in its time" with certainty).
What this seif says:
- The androgyne; one born at twilight; one born already circumcised; one delivered through the side;
- the child of a non-Jewess who gave birth and afterwards converted; and one who has two foreskins:
- Their milah does not override Shabbat.
Se'if 6
מכשירי מילה שאפשר לעשותם מערב שבת אינם דוחים את השבת לפיכך אם לא הביא איזמל למילה מערב שבת לא יביאנו בשבת אפי' במקום שאין בו אלא איסור דרבנן שהעמידו חכמים דבריהם במקום כרת ולומר לעכו״ם לעשותה אם היא דבר שאם עשהו ישראל אין בו איסור אלא מדרבנן אומר לעכו״ם ועושהו ואם הוא דבר שאסור לישראל לעשות מן התורה לא יאמר לעכו״ם לעשותו (ועיין לעיל סי' ש״ז):
Translation: the preparations for the milah (machshirei milah) that could have been done before Shabbos do not override Shabbos. Thus, if one did not bring the knife before Shabbos, he does not bring it on Shabbos — even where there is only a rabbinic prohibition — because "the Sages upheld their words even where there is [a violation incurring] kareis." And to have a non-Jew do [a preparation]: if it is something that a Jew would do with only a rabbinic prohibition, one tells the non-Jew; but if it is a Torah prohibition for the Jew, one does not tell the non-Jew.
What this seif says:
- The preparations for the milah that could be done on the eve do not override Shabbat.
- Therefore if he did not bring the knife on the eve, he shall not bring it on Shabbat — even where there is only a rabbinic prohibition: for the Sages upheld their words even where כרת is at stake.
- And as to telling a non-Jew to do it: if it is a thing which, done by a Jew, would be only a rabbinic prohibition — he tells the non-Jew and he does it; but if it is a thing forbidden to a Jew by the Torah — he shall not tell a non-Jew to do it.
Se'if 7
לא היה לו כמון שחוק מע״ש לא ישחקנו אלא לועס בשיניו אם לא עירב מאתמול יין ושמן ליתן עליהם לא יערבם היום אלא יתן כל א' לבדו:
Translation: if one did not have cumin ground from before Shabbos, he does not grind it [on Shabbos, that would be tochen] but chews it with his teeth [shinui]. If one did not mix the wine and oil to apply [on the wound] from before, he does not mix them today [that would be lash], but applies each one separately.
What this seif says:
- Had he no cumin ground on the eve — he shall not grind it, but chews it with his teeth.
- Did he not mix the wine and oil on the eve to put on them — he shall not mix them today, but pours each separately.
Se'if 8
אין עושין לה חלוק אלא כורך עליה סמרטוט ואם אין לו כורך על אצבעו דרך מלבוש לשנות מדרך הוצאה בחול ומביא דרך חצר אחרת אפי' לא נשתתפו יחד:
Translation: one does not make [on Shabbos] a garment [bandage] for the wound of the milah, but wraps a rag over it; and if one does not have one, he wraps it around his own finger like clothing — to change from the usual manner of carrying during the week — and brings it through another courtyard, even if no eruv was made together.
What this seif says:
- One does not make it a garment — but winds a rag over it.
- And if he has none, he winds it on his finger in the manner of clothing — to alter the weekday manner of carrying.
- And he brings it by way of another courtyard — even if they did not join together.
Se'if 9
בזמן חכמי הגמ' אם לא היו רוחצים את הולד לפני המילה ולאחר המילה וביום שלישי למילה במים חמין היה מסוכן לפיכך נזקקו לכתוב משפטו כשחל להיות בשבת והאידנא לא נהגו ברחיצה כלל ודינו לרחוץ בשבת אם רצו כדין רחיצת כל אדם: הגה ובמדינות אלו נוהגים לרחצו לפני המילה בחמין שהוחמו מאתמול ולאחר המילה במוצאי שבת וכן אם היה יום ג' למילתו בשבת ורואים שיש צורך לרחצו מכינים חמין מבעוד יום ורוחצים אותו בשבת וכל זה מן הסתם אבל אם רואים שיש לחוש לסכנה אם לא ירחצו אותו אחר המילה בודאי מותר לרחצו ולחלל עליו שבת מידי דהוי אשאר חולי שיש בו סכנה:
Translation: in the time of the Chazal of the Gemara, if the newborn was not washed before the milah, after the milah and on the 3rd day with hot water, he would be in danger; that is why they had to write his halachos when [the 8th day] falls on Shabbos. Today, this bath is no longer customary, and the halachah is to bathe him on Shabbos [if desired] as anyone is bathed. (Rema: in our lands, the minhag is to bathe him before the milah with water heated from before, and after the milah at the conclusion of Shabbos; and if the 3rd day of the milah falls on Shabbos and we see that he needs to be bathed, we prepare hot water from before. All this in the ordinary case; but if we see that there is danger to fear without this bathing, it is certainly permitted to bathe him and be mechalel Shabbos for him, as for any choleh she'yesh bo sakanah.)
What this seif says:
- In the time of the Sages of the Gemara, not bathing the child in hot water before the milah, after it, and on the third day put him in danger — which is why they had to write its law for when it falls on Shabbat.
- And nowadays the practice of bathing is not kept at all: its law is to bathe him on Shabbat if they wish, as with the bathing of any man.
- Rama: and in these lands the custom is to bathe him before the milah in water heated the day before, and after the milah at the departure of Shabbat; but if they see there is cause to fear danger in not bathing him after the milah — it is certainly permitted to bathe him and to profane the Shabbat for him, as with any other illness of danger.
Se'if 10
אדם שלא מל מעולם לא ימול בשבת אבל אם מל כבר פעם אחת מותר למול בשבת ואפילו אם הוא אבי הבן: הגה ועיין עוד דיני מילה טור יורה דעה סי' רס״ז:
Translation: one who has never made a milah shall not make one on Shabbos [lest he not finish and end up with a useless wound]; but if he has already made a milah once, it is permitted for him to make a milah on Shabbos — even if he is the father of the child.
Full text: these 10 se'ifim constitute the entire codification of the Mechaber on this subject. Each one specifies a case, a condition, or an exception.
What this seif says:
- A man who has never circumcised shall not circumcise on Shabbat.
- But if he has already circumcised once — he is permitted to circumcise on Shabbat, and even if he is the child's father.
2. The general context
What is this siman about?
Siman של״א deals with milah on Shabbos. The bris milah on the 8th day is one of the few positive mitzvos that override Shabbos — because the Torah says "וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי יִמּוֹל", "on the 8th day he shall be circumcised" — and this 8th day even if it falls on Shabbos.
The tension of the siman: the milah itself (cutting, wounding) overrides Shabbos — but only it. Everything that could be prepared before (machshirei milah) does not override. The boundary of the siman thus runs between the essential act of the mitzvah and its preparations.
Place in Hilchos Shabbos
Siman של״א follows siman ש״ל (the woman giving birth) — both touching on the newborn — and concludes the block of simanim on exceptions to Shabbos (sick, danger, birth, milah).
3. Key halachic concepts
Four concepts structure the 10 se'ifim:
The key concepts of Siman של״א:
- מילה בזמנה דוחה שבת — milah in its time (the exact 8th day) overrides Shabbos; not in its time — no (se'ifim 1, 4).
- מכשירי מילה — the preparations (knife, ground cumin, mixture): anything that could be done before does not override Shabbos (se'ifim 6-7).
- ציצין המעכבין — shreds of skin that invalidate the milah: one goes back to cut them even after removing the hand (se'if 2).
- ספק — doubt about the status (8 months, twilight, androgynous…) removes the milah from Shabbos (se'ifim 3, 5).
The master question: "is this act the milah itself, or a preparation?" — milah in its time overrides Shabbos; the preparations that could have been anticipated do not. Hence the imperative: prepare everything before.
4. Detail of the se'ifim — one by one
| Se'ifim | Topic | Halachah |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | The act of milah | All acts permitted; tzitzin that invalidate |
| 3-5 | What overrides Shabbos | 8 months, off-time, doubts: do not override |
| 6-8 | Preparations and shinui | Machshirim no; cumin chewed, wine/oil separately, bandage wrapped |
| 9-10 | Bath and mohel | Bath of the newborn; mohel must have already done a milah |
Reading method: for each se'if — (1) is it the milah or a preparation; (2) is the milah "in its time" certain; (3) can the act be done with a shinui; (4) conclusion.
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
The Mishnah Berurah has 39 entries on this siman. The first ones illuminate se'if 1:
משנה ברורה (א) — (א) בשבת - דכתיב וביום השמיני ימול ביום ואפילו בשבת [גמרא]:
משנה ברורה (ב) — (ב) ומוצצין - אע״ג דע״י המציצה הדם ניתק מחיבורו והויא ליה חובל אעפ״כ מוצצין משום דסכנה לולד כשלא ימוץ הדם [גמרא]:
משנה ברורה (ג) — (ג) כמון - היה דרכם לתת מין בשמים שחוק לרפואה וה״ה לתת אספלנית [תחבושת] על המילה [משנה שם] ועיין לקמן בס״ז אם לא היה לו כמון שחוק מע״ש:
The Mishnah Berurah gives two keys. (1) The source that milah overrides Shabbos: "on the 8th day he shall be circumcised" — by day, even on Shabbos. (2) Why the metzitzah (suctioning the blood) is permitted, even though it detaches blood (act of chovel): because not suctioning the blood puts the child in danger — it is therefore, here too, pikuach nefesh.
For the full text of the 39 entries: Mishnah Berurah 331.
6. The Rema's position
The Rema adds two practical glosses:
The Rema's hagahos:
- Se'if 9: in Ashkenazi lands, the minhag is to bathe the newborn before the milah with water heated from the day before, and after the milah at the conclusion of Shabbos. But if there is fear of danger without bathing, we bathe and transgress Shabbos — as for any dangerous illness.
- The Rema refers for the detail of the laws of milah to the Tur Yoreh De'ah siman 267.
7. Modern practical cases
| Situation | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Bris on the 8th day falling on Shabbos | The milah takes place — it overrides Shabbos. But the knife, cumin, ointments must be prepared before Shabbos (se'if 6). |
| Baby born by cesarean, or premature, or jaundice | Doubt or delay: the milah is postponed and then no longer overrides Shabbos (se'ifim 3, 4, 5). Medical + rabbinic decision. |
| Bring forgotten material | Forbidden to carry on Shabbos; have a non-Jew do it only if it's a rabbinic prohibition for the Jew (se'if 6). |
| Treatment of the wound | Cumin chewed and not ground, wine and oil applied separately, bandage wrapped with shinui (se'ifim 7-8). |
For halachah l'maaseh, consult your Rav — especially to fix the date of a postponed milah and for the preparations to organize before Shabbos.
8. Practical synthesis of the Siman
The Siman של״א in 5 rules:
- Milah in its time overrides Shabbos — "on the 8th day, even on Shabbos."
- Off-time (delay) or in case of doubt — it does not override Shabbos.
- The preparations (machshirim) do not override Shabbos — prepare everything before.
- With a shinui for what can: cumin chewed, wine/oil separated, bandage wrapped.
- Tzitzin that invalidate — one goes back to cut them even after removing the hand.
9. Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- What pasuk is the basis for milah overriding Shabbos?
- What difference between milah "in its time" and "not in its time" (se'if 4)?
- What are מכשירי מילה and why do they not override Shabbos (se'if 6)?
- Why is the metzitzah permitted despite the act of chovel?
- Why do we crush the cumin with the teeth and not with a pestle (se'if 7)?
- Why does one who has never made a milah not do so on Shabbos (se'if 10)?
To go further
If you want to deepen this siman:
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: for pilpul, the shitos of the Rishonim, the foundational chakiros, and Acharonic nuances
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: for quick review and memorization with mnemonics
- 📜 Level 4 — Daas HaRav: the shitah of the Alter Rebbe (Shulchan Aruch HaRav siman של״א)