Eruvin 67b
עירובין ס״ז ב — ד"ה הָהוּא יָנוֹקָא דְּאִשְׁתְּפִיךְ חַמִּימֵיהּ
Eruvin 67b:16
The sugya treats asking a non-Jew to perform a prohibited act in a case of illness and is a central Talmudic source for the rabbinic-need exception.
הָהוּא יָנוֹקָא דְּאִשְׁתְּפִיךְ חַמִּימֵיהּ. אֲמַר לְהוּ רַבָּה: נַיְיתוֹ לֵיהּ חַמִּימֵי מִגּוֹ בֵּיתַאי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי: וְהָא לָא עָרְבִינַן. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: נִסְמוֹךְ אַשִּׁיתּוּף. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הָא לָא שַׁתְּפִינַן. נֵימְרוּ לֵיהּ לְגוֹי לַיְתֵי לֵיהּ. אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: בְּעַי לְאוֹתֹבֵיהּ לְמָר, וְלָא שַׁבְקַן רַב יוֹסֵף, דְּאָמַר רַב [יוֹסֵף אָמַר רַב] כָּהֲנָא: כִּי הֲוֵינַן בֵּי רַב יְהוּדָה, הֲוָה אֲמַר לַן: בִּדְאוֹרָיְיתָא — מוֹתְבִינַן תְּיוּבְתָּא וַהֲדַר עָבְדִינַן מַעֲשֶׂה, בִּדְרַבָּנַן — עָבְדִינַן מַעֲשֶׂה וַהֲדַר מוֹתְבִינַן תְּיוּבְתָּא.
The Gemara now relates that there was once a certain baby whose warm water, which had been prepared for his Shabbat circumcision, spilled. Rabba said to them: Let them bring warm water for him from my house. Abaye said to him: But we did not establish an eiruv in the courtyard, so it is prohibited to carry the water. Rabba said to him: Let us rely on the merging of alleyways, which may serve in place of a joining of courtyards in pressing circumstances such as these. Abaye said to him: But we did not establish a merging of alleyways either. Rabba replied: If so, let them instruct a gentile to bring the warm water for him, even though it is generally prohibited to instruct a gentile to perform labor for a Jew that involves a desecration of Shabbat. Abaye said: I wanted to raise an objection against the Master, Rabba, but Rav Yosef would not let me do so, as Rav Yosef said that Rav Kahana said: When we were in Rav Yehuda’s house, he would say to us when we were presented with a halakhic difficulty: With regard to a Torah law, we first raise objections and then we perform an act, i.e., if someone has an objection to a proposed action, we must first clarify the matter and only then may we proceed. However, with regard to rabbinic laws, we first perform an act and then we raise objections.


