But what about, “Profane one Sabbath for him so that he may keep many Sabbaths”?
(Assuming you’re not relying on “for the sake of peaceful relations,” but saying this from the outset.)

“Profane one Sabbath for him” was not ruled as normative Jewish law. And even if it were, the Biur Halakhah wrote in the name of Meiri that it does not speak specifically about Sabbath observance, but about any other commandment as well (otherwise a very short extension of life would not justify Sabbath desecration). Beyond that, Meiri wrote in chapter 8 of Yoma that there is an obligation to desecrate the Sabbath for non-Jews just as for Jews, and what they said—that one does not desecrate it for a non-Jew—refers only to a non-Jew who is not bound by civilized norms. A civilized non-Jew is like a Jew in this regard. See my article on “enlightened” idolatry. Beyond that, most halakhic decisors agree with this because of peaceful relations.

Thank you very much. Is the doctor also allowed to return home from the treatment on the Sabbath by car?

The same as with Jews. Opinions are divided on this.

In your opinion, is he allowed to return home by car? (It’s obviously not a walking distance.)

There is room to permit it through a non-Jew when there is no going beyond the Sabbath boundary. Without that, I have serious doubts.

I got here because of the very great disaster with many thousands dead from the powerful earthquake in Turkey, and a video of religious soldiers wrapped in prayer shawls on their way to travel there and help.
I wondered what Jewish law would say to such a religious soldier: should he travel to Turkey in order to help in the disaster, or refrain because he will later have to desecrate the Sabbath there in order to save non-Jews?
Thank you very much.

Rabbi Michi,
I’ll take this opportunity to ask a more fundamental question about the topic.
From the purely halakhic perspective, and not from the ethical-moral angle or the angle of increasing peace in the world and “its ways are ways of pleasantness” and the like—isn’t it clear that the life of a non-Jew does not override the Sabbath?
I’ll explain why it seems that way to me.
After all, the life of a resident alien—defined as an upright and righteous non-Jew who has a share in the world to come, and whom Jewish law says one must help even on a weekday—does not warrant desecrating the Sabbath for him. In other words, the halakhah that one does not desecrate the Sabbath for a resident alien seemingly shows that there is a fundamental determination that the life of a non-Jew does not override the Sabbath, and this is not because of his lack of morality but because of the status of the Sabbath. (Similarly, it is forbidden to marry a resident alien, from which we learn that even with upright non-Jews, and even righteous ones—excluding full converts, of course—marriage is forbidden not because of any inferiority in them but because of a religious principle.)

I didn’t notice that this is an old question from before; I thought it was from a few hours ago because it popped up at the top of the page. Sorry for the message above. If it’s possible to delete it, that would be welcome.