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In today's Rambam Yomi Chovel uMazzik - Chapter Six halocho 9 it says

When two people were proceeding in the public domain, one of them was running and one was walking, and one was injured by the other unintentionally, the one who is running is liable, for he is departing from the norm.

If it was Friday afternoon, after sunset (= בין השמשות), when the collision took place, he is not liable. For he has permission to run at that time, so that the Sabbath will not enter when he is not ready to accept it. If both individuals were running, and one injured the other, neither is liable. This applies even on other days.

From the text, it seems that as long as he is running in בין השמשות, he can prevent the arrival of Shabbos. How is that?

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  • See OC 266 11 he.wikisource.org/wiki/… – Double AA♦ Jan 23 '17 at 17:49
  • @DoubleAA Yes. Interesting, but does not seem to me to explain the expression "so that the Sabbath will not enter when he is not ready to accept it." In fact the way of dealing with the object when he gets home seems to indicate that it is Shabbos. – Avrohom Yitzchok Jan 23 '17 at 17:57
  • the Rambam is based on the Gemara BK 32ab, in which we see that it is advised to be ready before the entrance of Shabbat – kouty Jan 23 '17 at 19:39
  • The translation is wrong: we need to say. in way that would not be a situation in which the Shabbat enter and he is not ready as said Rabbis boi kala ..... – kouty Jan 23 '17 at 20:15
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ואם היה ערב שבת בין השמשות פטור מפני שברשות הוא רץ כדי שלא תכנס השבת והוא אינו פנוי.

My understanding of the text you link is that the Rambam is saying that since it is close to tzeith hakochavim, one is allowed to rush in order to be ready when tzeith arrives. The onset of Shabbath isn't delayed; he's just already where he needs to be.

See also Pirush HaMishna Bava Kamma 3:6 and Talmud Bavli Bava Kamma 32a, both cited by Yad Peshuta Hilchoth Chovel U'Mazzik 6:9.

Bava Kamma 32a-b:

אמר מר: ומודה איסי בע"ש בין השמשות שהוא פטור מפני שרץ ברשות. בע"ש מאי ברשות איכא? כדר' חנינא דאמר ר' חנינא: "בואו ונצא לקראת כלה מלכתא", ואמרי לה: "לקראת שבת כלה מלכתא". רבי ינאי מתעטף וקאי ואמר: בואי כלה בואי כלה

The master said: And Issi agrees on Friday eve at twilight that he is exempt for he runs with permission. What permission is there on Friday eve? This accords with R. Hanina, for R. Hanina said: Come and go out to greet the bride, the queen. And some say: To greet the Sabbath, the bride, the queen. R. Yannai would cover himself and say Come, bride; come, bride.

Rav Nachum Rabinovitch, shlit"a (Yad Peshuta ibid. p. 150) explains that the Rambam interprets the gemara as indicating that one can rush in order to be ready to greet Shabbath when it arrives. (The sense being that Shabbath arrives at a fixed time, which is the reason why he is allowed to rush.)

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