Study Avodah Zarah folio 27A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
ברופא מומחה, דכי אתא רב דימי אמר רבי יוחנן: אם היה מומחה לרבים — מותר.
We are dealing with an expert physician, who will not risk his reputation by harming a child. This is similar to that which R' Yoḥanan said, as when Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said that R' Yoḥanan says: If the physician was considered a recognized expert, it is permitted for one to be healed by him. When R' Meir said that an Aramean may circumcise a Jewish boy, he was referring specifically to a doctor who is known for his expertise.
וסבר רבי יהודה כותי שפיר דמי? והתניא: ישראל מל את הכותי, וכותי לא ימול ישראל, מפני שמל לשם הר גרזים, דברי רבי יהודה.
The latter clause of the baraita states that R' Yehuda maintains that a Samaritan may circumcise a Jewish infant. The Talmud asks: And does R' Yehuda actually hold that it is permitted for a Samaritan to perform circumcision? But isn’t it taught in a baraita: A Jew may circumcise a Samaritan but a Samaritan may not be allowed to circumcise a Jew, because he circumcises him for the sake of Mount Gerizim; this is the statement of R' Yehuda.
אמר לו רבי יוסי: וכי היכן מצינו מילה מן התורה לשמה? אלא מל והולך עד שתצא נשמתו!
R' Yosei said to him: And where do we find that the mitzva of circumcision from the Torah must be performed for the sake of fulfilling God’s will? Rather, a Samaritan may continue to circumcise Jews until his soul leaves his body, i.e., until the Samaritan dies, and there is no room for concern. But R' Yehuda explicitly states above that circumcision may not be performed by a Samaritan.
אלא, לעולם איפוך כדאפכינן מעיקרא, ודקא קשיא דרבי יהודה אדרבי יהודה — ההיא דרבי יהודה הנשיא היא.
Rather, actually you should reverse the opinions in the baraita as we reversed them initially. And as for the difficulty raised with regard to one statement of R' Yehuda against the other statement of R' Yehuda, that opinion, that a non-Jew may not perform circumcision, is actually the opinion of R' Yehuda HaNasi. Conversely, the first baraita, which is reversed and therefore cites R' Yehuda as maintaining that an Aramean may perform circumcision, is referring to R' Yehuda bar Ilai. Accordingly, the different opinions reflect a dispute between tanna’im rather than a contradiction.