Q&A: Meiri
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Meiri
Question
I heard from the Rabbi that according to Meiri it is permitted to desecrate the Sabbath in order to save a non-Jew.
Is saving him not dependent on the fact that he will keep many Sabbaths?
Answer
No. Meiri himself explicitly writes that saving a life makes it possible to fulfill commandments in general, and not specifically to keep Sabbaths. This is brought by the Biur Halakhah (I think in section 328), to explain why even temporary life is saved—such as one day of life, when the person will not live to reach the next Sabbath. And that fits very well with his position in chapter 8 of Yoma, where he wrote that one should save even non-Jews.