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i.e. gentiles, bandits or melancholy, also refer to situations of danger
to life and there too the lamp may be extinguished to begin with. The
Rambam however (in his Commentary to the Mishnah), divides the
mishnah into two and writes that whereas it is permitted to extin-
guish the lamp to begin with so that the patient can sleep, a person
who extinguished it out of fear of gentiles, bandits or melancholy is
exempt from a sacrifice and from the death penalty but it is forbidden
to extinguish the lamp to begin with. His comments are astonishing
either way, for if there is danger in each situation extinguishing the
lamp is certainly permitted to begin with and if there is no danger,
why is the person who extinguishes the lamp exempt?”

The Netziv explains that [according to the Rambam] the cases
mentioned by the mishnah of gentiles, bandits and melancholy pose
no danger to life and the person extinguished the lamp because of
his sudden fright of these threats but is [nonetheless] exempt from
bringing a sacrifice because he was an annus [acting under compul-
sion i.e. of his fright]. Thus, although it was forbidden to extinguish
the lamp to begin with because there was no piku’ach nefesh, if he
extinguished it he is exempt.

The Rogatchover Gaon writes similarly (Tzofnas Paane’ach, 39) in a
response addressed to a person who had travelled on Shabbos when
enemies entered his city, even though the townsfolk estimated that the
situation was not dangerous. This man nevertheless took fright and
fled, desecrating Shabbos to do so. He later asked the Rogatchover
Gaon whether he was guilty of desecrating Shabbos. The Rogatchver
responded that since he had traveled out of fear he was an annus,
as emerges from the Rambam’s comments above and as such he was
exempt.7

Now, the Rema writes (Orach Chaim 334:26): “It is forbidden to
desecrate Shabbos in order to salvage money and if a person… [did
so] he must fast for forty days on Mondays and Thursdays, and not
drink wine or eat meat.” My brother-in-law the gaon Rav Chaim

7. For more on this point see earlier, siman 102, regarding ‘Shabbos Desecration in
order to Avoid Panic in Wartime’ [in 1991, during the Gulf War].

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