Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
Reading Howard Friedman's blog I came across a link to this article in the Baltimore Sun about a battle going on over religious accommodation at a condo complex and whether the building has to have a "Sabbath elevator." Never heard of a Sabbath elevator? Neither had I. Here's what it means:
Sabbath elevators are normal elevators that can be set to automatically stop at every floor. That helps observant Orthodox Jews who aren't permitted to operate electrical switches during the Sabbath period, or Shabbat, which runs from sunset Friday to nightfall Saturday.
This kind of thing just baffles me, how any sane, reasonably intelligent person can believe in such nonsense. This conception of God as a nitpicking nanny who is okay with you riding on an elevator but not if you have to push a button - but only on one particular day! - is just plain silly. It's like they imagine that life is a big game of Simon Says, where god is always trying to trick you into screwing up. Why would someone worship such an arbitrary and irrational deity?
It all reminds me of the old Sam Kinison routine about God being a practical joker who screws with his followers. He wakes up Pat Robertson in the middle of the night and says, "Pat. This is God. I want you to get up, go outside and check the tire pressure on your car. Go on Pat, check your tire pressure. Don't question me, I'm God, now go check your tire pressure."
Comments
Are they allowed to turn their doorknob to get into their condo? If so, exactly how is that different than pushing the elevator button? Please, really I want to understand.
Posted by: Tulle | May 9, 2007 9:29 AM
Plus, if it is ok to uae th doorknob then could we replace the buttons in the elevator with doorknobs. This could easily be done.
Posted by: Tulle | May 9, 2007 9:32 AM
That makes no sense! I thought the Really Observant didn't even use elevators on Shabbat. What the 'point' of this is Ed, we aren't supposed to do any work on the Sabbath, its the day of rest. Come to think of it, you probably already knew that. This electricity prohibition makes no sense to me either, because using candles and muscle power seems like more work than flipping switches and driving the car. See, I interpret Judaism as a big expression of self-discipline. Actually, I see all religion that way.
Posted by: Flying Fox | May 9, 2007 9:40 AM
Couldn't they just take the stairs? If they don't like the idea of having to use the elevators on the Sabbath they could always, you know, move.
Posted by: llDayo | May 9, 2007 9:42 AM
Simon Says is a good analogy.
For me, giving up on Christianity (and faith in general) was a slow process. But it was set in motion one day when I was thinking about all the world's religions and realized that mine was little more than a scavenger hunt. "Congratulations, you found Jesus, you're going to heaven. Those guys over there, not so much."
Posted by: Dono | May 9, 2007 9:45 AM
Try grepping the Talmud for "electrical switches". You'll get zero hits.
Posted by: Roy | May 9, 2007 9:46 AM
Roy wins the thread! :)
I have heard of communities in Scotland where certain Sabbath observances (eg not hanging out laundry on the Sabbath) are actually written into lease agreements. Not sure if it still goes on though...
Posted by: Dunc | May 9, 2007 10:02 AM
Why do the religious think that they're entitled to accommodation at other people's expense? They need to get hit by the clue train, they're not.
Posted by: Stuart Coleman | May 9, 2007 10:16 AM
Call me silly but is not the act of walking work? Drawing a breathe? Turning the page of a book? Seems that "work" has a strange meaning here.
Posted by: Janine | May 9, 2007 10:16 AM
there's a bit in "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman" about him being questioned by some rabbinical students about whether or not there was electricity in fire. If you want some real fun, look up the Sabbath Phone.
From podtech:
and this
Posted by: peter | May 9, 2007 10:21 AM
One cannot even step into an elevator without casing electrical circuits being closed. Just stepping in causes the weight of the elevator to get checked to make sure it is not oeverloaded. Ok, they cannot start a fire, can they put one out? Put active off switches in the elevator and then they will break the electric circuit instead of closng one.
Posted by: Tulle | May 9, 2007 10:34 AM
Thus, allowing physicians to write prescriptions without violating the prohibition on writing that makes permanent marks.
WTH?
Talk about finding a way to exploit the minimal letter of the law while completely ignoring the spirit of it.
Posted by: NonyNony | May 9, 2007 10:44 AM
If it takes self discipline to do nothing the teenagers in my neighborhood have the most discipline I have ever seen. They should have followers.
Posted by: GH | May 9, 2007 11:08 AM
They are just being lazy. I never though I would use this frazy but that person is a lazy Jew.
To Flying Fox:
The idea of religion being about expression of self-discipline is about as ridiculous as the idea of not being able to push a button. You find self-discipline within yourself by understanding that you are the most important person in your life and not by some imaginary, external force.
If people like Sam Kinison then check out his friend Bill Hicks. You may find Hicks had a lot of influence on Kinison's take on christian fundamentalists.
Posted by: K | May 9, 2007 11:08 AM
These Sabbath elevators don't just stop on each floor apparently, but regenerative breaking is disabled, wasting considerable amount of energy, because riding the elevator while generating electricity would be doing useful work.
Posted by: Flaky | May 9, 2007 11:38 AM
I know that Ed's point is that the rules seem bizarre, and so maybe it's off-topic to comment on the actual situation described in the article. Yes, I think the religious rules sound pretty silly. Still, I think the refusal to have the elevator sounds pretty silly too. If an elevator that stops on every floor without the button being pushed costs almost nothing and makes life easier and happier for a number of people who live in the building, it seems only decent to let them have the elevator. It's interesting, especially since there appears to be some reason to believe that the elevator will help support property values, that the linked article indicates the board members who voted against letting the elevator work that way refuse to explain their reasons except to insist that it has nothing to do with discrimination based on race or religion. Why refuse to explain?
If there's an energy issue, couldn't the elevator be set to work this way just for that specific 24 hours per week?
Posted by: Julia | May 9, 2007 11:58 AM
I saw that item in the Sun shortly after reading a few posts about the foot basins in the restrooms. It really didn't seem like an egregious accommodation. But I do have trouble following the logic that allows the laws to be stretched--eg, you may not leave your house on the Sabbath, unless you first extend your house by stretching a string from your house along the sidewalk all the way to the nudie bar. Sort of like buying indulgences in advance.
Posted by: mark | May 9, 2007 12:30 PM
My step-brother follows these rules. He can't turn on lights on Shabbat, or any other electric tools. Can't run a car, can't cook food--you have to prepare everything beforehand. You can't "carry" things on Shabbat, but you can "wear" things, so they get creative with incorporating things into their clothes. Hadn't heard of a shabbat elevator before, but it hardly surprises me; I believe there's a special stove that's used to keep food warm without having to be operated.
Posted by: Skemono | May 9, 2007 12:36 PM
It is; that's what's special about Sabbath elevators. FYI, there are also so-called Sabbath locks for hotels so that observant Jews don't have to contend with an electronic door lock; they use pushbuttons for the combination like the cipher locks you see in secure facilities.
Posted by: eric | May 9, 2007 12:40 PM
Ed, if this is new to you, you haven't seen the rest of the Eisberg -- I mean, iceberg.
My uncle-in-law's family is Orthodox, and the bizarre list of details they navigate daily seems like a complicated game. Actually, the way in which they frequently derive pleasure in finding technical solutions (loopholes if you're cynical) to the obstacles really does resemble a puzzle. So, in that sense, I can understand. Just seems a long way to go for a bit of "fun."
It also reminds me of a passage by Dawkins in The Devil's Chaplain, quoting an Orthodox Jew (horribly paraphrased here):
It's easy to show your faith when all you have to do is stick to big-picture ideas like "don't murder people." It doesn't take a monk to restrain himself from committing this act. A true test of faith limits you constantly in trivial and irrational ways.
Ergo, the more outrageous the tenet, the stronger the display of faith. Talk about bizarro.
Posted by: itchy | May 9, 2007 12:43 PM
raised as an orthodox jew, the "shabbos elevator" is nothing new to me. the most strict and observant do not use the sabbath elevator for reasons tulle mentioned and others (motion sensors, the possibility that it might get stuck then forced to carry out tasks using electricty, etc). the sabbath elevator usually runs on a 25 hour period and i say, let them have their elevator (as long as there is more than one). some might be lazy, some might be elderly. live and let live with whatever strict restrictions they want to impose on themselves.
Posted by: MM | May 9, 2007 12:55 PM
raised as an orthodox jew, the "shabbos elevator" is nothing new to me. the most strict and observant do not use the sabbath elevator for reasons tulle mentioned and others (motion sensors, the possibility that it might get stuck then forced to carry out tasks using electricty, etc). the sabbath elevator usually runs on a 25 hour period and i say, let them have their elevator (as long as there is more than one). some might be lazy, some might be elderly. live and let live with whatever strict restrictions they want to impose on themselves.
Posted by: MM | May 9, 2007 12:55 PM
I grew up an Orthodox Jew. The deal with pushing buttons being "work" is that it was ruled in the early 20th century, probably unfortunately, that completing an electrical circuit falls under the category of "building," which has always been prohibited on the Sabbath. That's why Orthodox Jews can benefit from electricity (lights, a/c, etc.) but not turn them on or off on Shabbat. (Off would be breaking the circuit, which is another form of "work.")
Regarding these shabbos elevators, a lot of (most?) Orthodox Jews maintain they should be used only by the elderly, etc., and that anyone who can should take the stairs.
Orthodox Judaism is a very legalistic religion. Loopholes matter. The idea is that man is now in charge of the laws, so it's not precisely that God doesn't want you to push that button, but the system of law derived from his Torah has decided that you can't. Being able to carry outside only if a string goes around your town is absurd, of course, but not any more absurd than being able to say "What the frak?" on t.v. but not "What the fuck."
Posted by: JewishAtheist | May 9, 2007 12:57 PM
Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills has had Sabbath elevators for as long as I can remember.
I'm not saying it makes any sense, but it is an attempt for a religion to adapt thier beliefs to modern technology. Since it is obviously not in any of their holy books, someone has to decide how technology fits in with belief, tradition, or whatever else you want to call it.
Now I live near Amish country, and I don't claim to have any real clue what goes on there. But I have seen some of them riding bicycles, which is an industrial age invention, so I would think that was not allowed. This is all part of a process known as "making it up as we go."
Posted by: Ted H. | May 9, 2007 1:11 PM
It's inevitble that the Sabbath elevators will cost more. There are three types of costs: up-front, in-use, and replacement. Up-front, the elevators that can be programmed to operate in the Sabbath mode cost more than equivalent elevators that can't be programmed that way. Of course, it is always possible that the elevators in question have that capability, negating that particular cost. But that's not the only cost, and is likely the most trivial of costs. Elevators in the Sabbath mode must run constantly for 24 hours, stopping at every floor. This results in an increase in energy use for that day, a cost which all residents ultimately pay (note: even if the elevator normally ends up running constantly, the energy cost is higher to stop at every floor than to only stop at the necessary floor unless the stops are unusually long). The in-use maintenance costs also will increase dramatically or Sabbath mode elevators - the number of starts is what drives maintenance costs, not the amount of time running. Of course, the elevator motor could be more robust than normal, but that moves the costs back up-front. And lifespan of a Sabbath mode elevator is shorter than a regular elevator, because of all the additional stops (and likely, the additional time spent running). So a normal 30 year life-span would be truncated to about 25 years. Unless, a more robust elevator is purchased, requiring -you guessed it- a higher up-front cost.
Not to mention the inconvenience that being forced to stop at all floors and being forced to wait longer for the elevator to arrive imposes on those without that religious rule.
I am not passing judgement on whether the accomodation would or would not be reasonable. Rather, I am providing factors that need to be considered in that decision.
Posted by: W. Kevin Vicklund | May 9, 2007 1:14 PM
I'm disappointed, Ed. I'm not going to blame you for not understanding the nuances of Jewish culture, but I kind of wish you hadn't pulled a PZ Myers and immediately gone down the atheist party line.
I'm sure there are people who genuinely believe that God has personally ordered them not to eat meat and dairy within three hours of each other. But even my grandmother, who was raised orthodox, says that keeping kosher and observing Shabbat are more of a form of etiquette or meditation then actual religious dogma. Believe me, I understand how it might not make sense to an outside observer, but Judaism has become much more of a culture than a religion nowadays. For the condo tenets in question, not having a Sabbath elevator is like being forced to fart in public. Everybody has rules that govern their behavior, whether or not they believe they've been mandated from above. Just some have stricter rules than others.
In this particular situation, I'd say the tenets have a right to request the elevator, and it's certainly in the landlord's best interests if enough people demand it. But the landlord shouldn't be forced to accomodate the special needs of every single person in the condo.
Posted by: Brandon | May 9, 2007 1:27 PM
Ted -
The restrictions that the Amish have are not anti-tech, they are against being wired into any grid - ie, no municipal water or sewer, no electricity or phones.
I used to occasionaly buy vinyl windows from an Amish company back in Michigan. They run their shop with air-tools, powered by a diesel compressor. Their shop is a truly interesting place, with gas lights and very modern tools. They do have phones but they are segregated from the rest of the property - including the shop - in a small building at the side of the road. I believe they had to get a special dispensation to have even that.
That said, I think your right, it is rather make it up as they go.
Posted by: DuWayne | May 9, 2007 1:29 PM
I agree that the notion of a God who concerns itself with whether people push an elevator button on one day of the week seems, in fact is, absurd. However, I wonder how many Orthodox Jews really see it in those terms. I see this observance like any religious ritual: as a way to stay mindful, focused and humble. In that sense, it's not stupid at all.
Requiring others to make it easy for you to observe these rituals is another story, however.
Posted by: Tim Limbert | May 9, 2007 1:56 PM
Brandon wrote:
There is no such thing as the "atheist party line" and I'm not an atheist, so this is just so much rhetorical twaddle. Some ideas are just plain stupid; some stupid ideas are religious. Are we to refrain from calling them stupid merely because someone says "God ordered it"? Does that make it any less stupid?
And some rules are irrational while others are not. This rule is irrational in every possible way. The only way anyone would ever take such a rule seriously is if they believe that God orders them to do it. But that only means that God is ordering something irrational and arbitrary, which doesn't make it any better. Some ideas are just dumb; this is one of them.
Posted by: Ed Brayton | May 9, 2007 2:05 PM
The Sabbath elevator is like many other loopholes for getting out of religious restrictions on behavior.
Judaism:
- Sabbath elevators (it's that or no elevators at all)
- online selling and buying back of leavened foodstuffs (hametz) during Passover so the household is technically cleansed without changing anything
Islam
- getting around the prohibition on lending with interest with various technicalities and redefinitions
- temporary marriages (de facto prostitution in Iran)
Hinduism
- cow suicide (no, it's not a joke)
Buddhism
- have Muslims do the slaughtering
I can't think of a Christian loophole at the moment, but I'm sure there are plenty.
Posted by: Colugo | May 9, 2007 2:20 PM
Exactly how indirect does the action have to be before it is ok? I open my frig door and the light comes on, so I take out the bulb, right. But now I open the door and it lets out some of the cold air, and that causes a thermostat to turn on a relay to the compressor. Is that ok?
If I make a phone call, if I have a "special" phone or not I cause switches to be thrown at the phone company. Can you take a taxi? Other than staying put in your house and not using any appliances, I don't see how you cannot complete a crcuit somewhere.
Posted by: Tulle | May 9, 2007 2:29 PM
Christian loopholes: For purposes of fasting, deciding that fish doesn't count as meat; and in South America, deciding that capybara (if I recall correctly) counts as fish
Posted by: Vasha | May 9, 2007 2:39 PM
Exactly how indirect does the action have to be before it is ok? I open my frig door and the light comes on, so I take out the bulb, right. But now I open the door and it lets out some of the cold air, and that causes a thermostat to turn on a relay to the compressor. Is that ok?
If I make a phone call, if I have a "special" phone or not I cause switches to be thrown at the phone company. Can you take a taxi? Other than staying put in your house and not using any appliances, I don't see how you cannot complete a crcuit somewhere.
Tulle:
Believe me, there have been thousands and thousands of pages examining literally all of these issues, including some of the best minds in Orthodox Judaism. You can buy special phones (for emergencies only) that work on a delay so that there is some separation between your action and its consequence. Letting the cold air out of the fridge isn't a problem because the relationship between your opening the door and the compressor kicking on slightly earlier is loose.
You really have to think of Orthodox Jewish law as a legal system, in which every detail has been hammered out and new details are ruled on all the time. It's just like any other system of law. Ok, so we're not allowed to bribe politicians. But we can donate. But only X amount per year. What if we donate to a third party? What if we give goods or services? What if we convince others to donate? What if we simply endorse? What if we take out ad space? Etc.
Posted by: JewishAtheist | May 9, 2007 3:01 PM
"Buddhism
- have Muslims do the slaughtering"
Trust me, there aren't a bunch of Muslims wandering around Buddhist countries slaughtering animals for the Buddhist peasantry. Which is just as well, since pork is inordinately popular in much of Asia.
That being said, if you want to see a really complex code of religious behavior, look at the rules for Buddhist monastics. Monks have 227 rules if I recall correctly; nuns have over 300. The laity just have 5, and they mostly ignore those anyway.
Posted by: MJ Memphis | May 9, 2007 3:09 PM
This statement simply...isn't true. I can't really elaborate any further than that. Out of the thousands of Jews I've interacted with in my lifetime, only a few have said their habits are a mandate from God.
I don't sneer when somebody picks up a four leaf clover, or when somebody says "Gesundheit" after a sneeze, or when somebody buries a loved one, or when somebody uses different forks for salad and steak. These actions, even if they don't actually accomplish anything, bring comfort and solidarity to people. There's no rational basis behind it, it's entirely an emotional matter. I'll admit this lawsuit is pretty rediculous. But if people gain strength from keeping Shabbat, and they're not hurting others by doing so, who are you to call them dumb? Religion has nothing to do with it.
Posted by: Brandon | May 9, 2007 3:15 PM
The restrictions that the Amish have are not anti-tech, they are against being wired into any grid - ie, no municipal water or sewer, no electricity or phones.
As I understand it, the deal with the Amish is that they are concerned about maintaining their interdependency within the community. Technologies which foster independence and weaken community life are frowned upon. Technologies that do not weaken the community are accepted. Thus, they are willing to utilize the most modern of 21st century medicine to treat kids with genetic diseases, but they have decided that the greater mobility afforded by automobiles would weaken community life.
Posted by: Nick | May 9, 2007 3:43 PM
Isn't Confession the ultimate Catholic loophole. I know you are not supposed to receive absolution when you haven't really repented. but I've seen many old time Italian Catholics in my family who have done anything from adultery to eating fish on Friday during Lent deal with the transgression by saying, "Well, I'm just gonna have to go to Confession this week."
Posted by: TomMil | May 9, 2007 3:50 PM
MJ Mephis: "Trust me, there aren't a bunch of Muslims wandering around Buddhist countries slaughtering animals for the Buddhist peasantry."
Point well taken, and I should have been more specific:
http://tinyurl.com/338bs7
"Muslims lived in peace and prosperity in Lhasa, often serving as butchers to the Tibetan Buddhists (many of whom will eat meat but not slaughter animals), until the Chinese army occupied the country in the 1950s."
A lot of loopholes around the world seem to be ways to get out of religious restrictions concerning butchering and meat-eating.
another loophole: cattle maiming.
http://tinyurl.com/39k2z8
"Article 48 of the Indian Constitution states that, "The state shall take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and drought cattle." ... Protecting and preserving cows is definitely a Vedic principle. However, the courts have interpreted this article to mean that aged and disabled bulls can be slaughtered. Taking advantage of this loophole, cattle are maimed and "certified" as disabled and then slaughtered. In the years from 1976 to 1992, beef sale has gone up from 70,000 tons to over 1,100,000 tons."
Posted by: Colugo | May 9, 2007 4:14 PM
Posted by: Baratos | May 9, 2007 4:15 PM
Another Christian loophole: Use of similar sounding made-up words in place of references to God/Jesus - geez, gosh, etc.
Posted by: MattXIV | May 9, 2007 4:16 PM
Baratos: "Do they force the cow to watch "Plan 9 from Outer Space" for a solid week, then offer a rope?"
Actually, the movie usually employed is 'Superman IV: Quest For Peace.'
I was told by an anthropology professor that it involved leading the animal to the middle of a bridge and then making noise and startling it so it would fall off.
Some good loopholes in the comments. Somebody should write a book on cross-cultural religious loopholes, if there isn't one already.
Posted by: Colugo | May 9, 2007 4:32 PM
Catholic loophole:
Beaver is considered a fish for Good Friday.
Posted by: MrvnMouse | May 9, 2007 4:57 PM
unfortunately, someone has already mentioned that breaking a circuit is also taboo, so this would not really be a loophole after all.
which is a shame, because the idea of seeing observant jews stuck in the elevator unable to take their finger off the switch lest they thereby close the circuit is hilarious.
Posted by: Nomen Nescio | May 9, 2007 5:33 PM
I'm disappointed, Ed. I'm not going to blame you for not understanding the nuances of Jewish culture, but I kind of wish you hadn't pulled a PZ Myers and immediately gone down the atheist party line.
Kind of funny, really. Any attempt to identify any religious beliefs which are irrational, unreasonable or silly-- even if the specific belief under discussion is something so extreme as insisting that you cannot push buttons one day a week, and so people must rewire their elevators for you-- will have people doing as Brandon does here and coming out of the woodwork to denounce your views as ATHEIST and equate your views with those of PZ Myers.
Meanwhile this exact "it's religious, therefore it's above reproach or criticism" approach to things is exactly the way that PZ Myers & friends regularly falsely represent any attempt to feel tolerance toward the existence of religion or religious people in the world-- in other words, equating those views with that of Brandon here.
Either you're with us, or you're with the atheists VS Either you're with us, or you're with the theists. ROUND ONE, FIGHT!
Posted by: Coin | May 9, 2007 5:40 PM
Incidentally, if we're categorizing mental gymnastics used to sidestep religious prohibitions, let us not forget the mother of all such gymnastics, which I've seen people use to weasel out of, while still claim to be following to the letter, everything from Christian restrictions on usury to Mormon restrictions on caffeine to any number of other things both religious and non-religious-- the magical two-word elastic clause
"...to excess."
Posted by: Coin | May 9, 2007 6:23 PM
Brandon,
This is different than picking a 4-leaf clover for two reasons that immediately come to mind. One, it wastes energy, even if it's only one day a week. That's bad for everybody. Two, it's an inconvenience for rational people.
Posted by: jeffk | May 9, 2007 6:29 PM
"This statement simply...isn't true. I can't really elaborate any further than that. Out of the thousands of Jews I've interacted with in my lifetime, only a few have said their habits are a mandate from God."
Brandon, is that really true? My understanding is that Jewish people who observe these kinds of laws with this degree of thoroughness and rigidity are very religious conservative or Orthodox Jews. The Jewish people I know -- and I know a lot -- whose Judaism is more cultural than religious... they don't bother with these rules. They choose the rituals and traditions that have personal and historical resonance for them, and they don't feel bound to observe every nitpicky modern interpretation of every single law that was written thousands of years ago for a society that no longer exists.
Now, that being said, I don't actually think it's unreasonable for a building to make accomodations for people's customs, if there are enough people with that custom and the accomodations aren't that difficult to make. Like, I don't know, having a place for visitors to put their shoes in cultures where you don't wear shoes indoors. But it seems to me like we are talking about religious laws here and not just customs and etiquette. Let's not pretend otherwise.
Posted by: Greta Christina | May 9, 2007 7:03 PM
Why re-engineer the elevator when occupants of the condo can pool their money and hire a goy to push the buttons one day a week??
Christian loophole: marriage annulments
Posted by: Grumpy | May 9, 2007 7:21 PM
Grumpy -
That's Catholic Christians - no protestant denomination that I know of uses annument.
Posted by: DuWayne | May 9, 2007 7:25 PM
Why re-engineer the elevator when occupants of the condo can pool their money and hire a goy to push the buttons one day a week??
On a slightly more serious (but probably not much more practical) note, does the complex have any units on the first floor?
Posted by: Coin | May 9, 2007 7:36 PM
I have heard that somewhere in th Koran the Earth is specifically declared to be flat. Is this true?
If it made sense, it wouldn't be religion.
Posted by: khan | May 10, 2007 11:44 AM
I also wonder what it's like to observe Ramadan if one lives where the sun doesn't set for weeks.
Posted by: khan | May 10, 2007 11:45 AM
This is a really good question. I know Judaism specifically states that you do not have to follow a rule if anybody's health or safety is at risk. I'm not sure if Islam says the same thing.
Posted by: Brandon | May 10, 2007 12:07 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan#Observance_of_Ramadan_in_Polar_Regions
As such, most Muslims in polar regions will observe the day/night cycle of a more equatorial Muslim nation.
Posted by: khan | May 10, 2007 12:16 PM
OK. I've read about halfway down, but I haven't seen one question answered. How do they call the elevator? Or does it simply run for the entire 25 hours, stopping at each floor?
Posted by: TomTallis | May 10, 2007 2:30 PM
Christian loophole:
According to an article in our newspaper a few weeks ago, medieval monks were prohibited from eating any meat, except that which was the product of the hunt. (Presumably the intention was to allow them a very modest amount of meat.)
So they would let their pigs out of the stall, chase them twice round the monastery and then kill them. Hence all the fat monks.
Posted by: Stephen | May 10, 2007 3:32 PM
One main difference between Jews and Christians is that, for the most part, they accept their rules are for themselves, and they don't try and make non-Jews follow them. I live in a largely Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, with a rather substantial group of Orthodox, and several Kosher Supermarkets -- which I frequent because they have several brands of products (including tuna fish -- oy! -- but King of the Sea and Dagin are the best brands I know) that are very good and rarely available outside Jewish markets.
Now obviously I can't buy pork chops there, but I can in the regular markets on the same blocks. If it were Christians with the same rules, I'd have to travel across town for my bacon.
So I don't mind the occasional minor inconvenience, like my Pharmacy being closed, or the two horns that sound -- across all Flatbush, not just in Midwood -- seven minutes before and at sundown on the Shabbos.
As for the genius in finding loopholes, the rabbi next door -- very Orthodox, very nice, and the world's worst driver -- belongs to a sect that prohibits anything coming in the house on wires, like radio or tv, but when he needs to hear the news, he goes out to his car and turns the radio on. That's also why my neighborhood was cell-phone saturated before any other neighborhood in NYC that I knew of.
Posted by: Prup aka Jim Benton | May 11, 2007 10:14 AM