Chapter 30
General Rules Relating to Actions Performed by a Non-Jew on Shabbath and Yom Tov
SAVING THE PUBLIC FROM UNWITTING TRANSGRESSION
22.a. One is allowed to request a non-Jew on Shabbath to do something which involves a Torah prohibition, if
1) it will save the public from an unwitting transgression and
2) the non-Jew could not achieve that object by doing something which involves only a Rabbinical prohibition.
22.b. 1) a) One is therefore allowed to tell a non-Jew to repair the torn wire of an eiruv (as explained in Chapter 17, paragraph 25) by tying it together with a double knot.
b) If, however, it is possible for the non-Jew to repair the wire by means of a bow tied over a single knot, then that is the preferred course.
2) It makes no difference whether the wire was torn on Shabbath or whether it was torn before Shabbath but not repaired in time.
