Commentary for Avodah Zarah 51:13
סבר רב יוסף למימר אולודי עובדת כוכבים בשבתא בשכר שרי משום איבה א"ל אביי יכלה למימר לה דידן דמינטרי שבתא מחללינן עלייהו דידכו דלא מינטרי שבתא לא מחללינן
R. Joseph thought that even on Shabbat it is permitted to act as midwife for a non-Jew for payment, so as to avoid enmity. Abaye said to him: The Jewish woman could say [in excuse], “For our own, who keep the Shabbat, we desecrate it, but for you, who do not observe Shabbat, we do not desecrate it.”
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
R. Joseph here thinks that a Jew should be allowed to act as a midwife on Shabbat for a nonJew even though this would involve desecration of Shabbat. This would be to avoid enmity. Abaye remarks to him that the Jew could offer an excuse so as to avoid enmity without having to actually desecrate Shabbat. As we shall see, Abaye offers the same type of comment in each of the following cases below.
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