Shabbat 137: Circumcision on Days 8-12, Invalid Circumcision and Correction

There are several Mishnayot on today's page.  The first teaches us that if there are two babies to circumcise, one on Shabbat and one the next day, and the babies are circumcised on the wrong days, what is done?  We are liable to bring a sin offering after Shabbat for creating a wound while performing a mitzva when there is no need to wound the infant.  If the same thing happens but on Erev Shabbat and Shabbat, Rabbi Eliezer says that a sin offering is required and Rabbi Yehoshua says that he is exempt.

The next Mishna teaches us that though a child is usually circumcised at eight days, it might be circumcised at nine, ten, eleven or twelve days but no earlier or later.  Why?

• born at twilight, circumcised at nine days
• born at twilight on Shabbat, circumcised on the Sunday for uncertainty = ten days
• born when Festival follows Shabbat, circumcised at eleven days
• Born when Shabbat follows two days of Rosh HaShana, circumcised at twelve days
• sick child not circumcised until he is healthy, seven healthy days after a fever; day of healing is more important than the day he was born

Our next Mishna teaches that there are shreds of flesh that will invalidate the circumcision if they are not removed.  The essential part of the brit is removing the the flesh that covers most of the corona.  If a child is not circumcised in this way, he is restricted from eating teruma.  If he was fleshy after a proper circumcision and so he looks uncircumcised, the mohel should correct this by cutting more than is required so that he will appear circumcised.  If he is circumcised by did not uncover the flesh at the area of the circumcision by folding back the thin membrane beneath the foreskin, he is not truly circumcised.   The Gemara teaches that any corrections take place after the site is healed completely.  The Gemara also shares specific prayers to be recited by converts who may be ordinary citizens or Canaanite slaves.

We begin Perek XX in the middle of today's daf with our next Mishna.  Rabbi Eliezer says that we may stretch a strainer to filter wine's sediment on a Festival but we may not hold up the strainer on Shabbat.  The rabbis say that this cannot be done on a Festival, either, but we may pour wine through a suspended strainer on a Festival.

The Gemara considers rules regarding food preparation on Shabbat and on Festivals.  It also speaks to intentionality.