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Text Excerpt
מסתברא שגגת שבת וזדון מלאכות פשיטא ליה דימים שבינתיים הויין ידיעה לחלק, וזדון שבת ושגגת מלאכות הוא דבעי מיניה – כגופין דמיין, או לאו.
It stands to reason, based on a proof from a Mishnah, to say that in a case where he acts unwittingly in that he does not know that it is Shabbat, and intentionally in that he knows that the labors he is performing are prohibited on Shabbat, it is obvious to R' Akiva that the intervening days between the Shabbatot are considered awareness of his sin, which would serve to differentiate between one sin and the next. And it is in reference to a case where he acts intentionally with regard to Shabbat and unwittingly with regard to prohibited labors that R' Akiva raises his dilemma, which is about whether the Shabbatot are comparable to separate entities or not.
ופשיט ליה דזדון שבת ושגגת מלאכות כגופין דמיין, ולא קביל מיניה. ופשט ליה, דולדי מלאכות כמלאכות דמיין, ולא קביל מיניה.
And R' Eliezer resolved his dilemma for him by stating that in a case where he acts intentionally with regard to Shabbat and unwittingly with regard to prohibited labors, the Shabbatot are comparable to separate entities. But R' Akiva did not accept this resolution from him. And with regard to R' Akiva’s other dilemma, R' Eliezer resolved it for him by stating that subcategories of labors are comparable to primary categories of labor, and one is liable to bring a separate sin offering for each act. But R' Akiva did not accept this resolution from him either.
אמר רבה: מנא אמינא לה? דתנן, כלל גדול אמרו בשבת: כל השוכח עיקר שבת, ועשה מלאכות הרבה בשבתות הרבה – אינו חייב אלא אחת.
Rabba said: From where do I say this? As we learned in a Mishnah (Shabbat 67b): The rabbis stated a significant principle with regard to the halakhot of Shabbat: With regard to anyone who forgets the essence of Shabbat, i.e., one who is entirely ignorant that labor is prohibited on Shabbat, and he performed multiple prohibited labors on multiple Shabbatot, he is liable to bring only one sin offering, as there is only a single, comprehensive lapse of awareness.