The Gemara says that thirteen covenants were established over the mitzvah of circumcision.The rabbis agree that circumcision is a halacha transmitted to Moses from Mount Sinai. Circumcision saves our limbs, which is not as important as saving a life - which we know overrides Shabbat.
The word "sign" is used as a gezera shava, a verbal analogy. In Genesis (17:11) we learn that circumcision is a sign of the covenant between G-d and the Israelites. Keeping the Shabbat is also a sign between G-d and Jews throughout our generations (Exodus 31:13). What about proper times?
The Gemara asks about ritual fringes, which also may override Shabbat over generations. Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak notes that it is not the word "sign" that pulls these concepts together; rather, it is the three words: sign, covenant, and generations. With each of these ideas one of the words is written but not all three words are written together.
We know for certain that circumcision is performed on Shabbat because it is done eight days after birth rather than seven days later. Further, "One the eight day..." supports this as well. The rabbis get into the details of circumcision through a comparison with verses about leprosy. In Leviticus (12:3) we learn that "... on the eighth day his foreskin shall be circumcised". In its context, this teaches that we circumcise even if there is a leprous spot there.
We are reminded that a positive mitzvah overrides a negative mitzvah when there is a negative mitzvah alone. The mitzvah of circumcision overrides the prohibitions laws regarding leprosy. At the end of today's daf, the rabbis discuss what should happen if the negative mitzvah has been "uprooted" but the positive mitzvah is not yet completed. Until it is done, the positive mitzvah does not actually override the negative mitzvah.
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