So goes the 4th commandment, in observance of which Judeo-Christian folk strive mightily to not strive mightily on the Sabbath. For most people, not-working simply requires sleeping in, brewing a pot of coffee, and reading the paper, followed perhaps by a round of golf or unwinding with a couple of good football games on the tube.
Leave it to Orthodox Jews, though, to complicate matters. For centuries, rabbis have debated the fundamental meaning of "work." And for the most observant, "work" refers not simply to remunerative pursuits but also to virtually anything that can be considered an expenditure of effort. As a result, Orthodox Jews don't just close up the shop and relax on the Sabbath. They do not drive. They do not shop. They don't even turn on the television--or the lights--as Talmudic rulings have included the use of electrical devices among acts verboten on Shabbos (the Hebrew word for "Sabbath"--in case you didn't know).
Still, in a nod to modernity, the Orthodox rabbinate has made provisions for those Jews living on the upper floors of high-rises: the Shabbos elevator. In some New York buildings--specifically those in heavily Jewish neighborhoods--an elevator will be programmed to stop at every floor between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday. Orthodox Jews use this elevator, which starts automatically when it senses passengers, to travel to their apartments without actually pushing a button and thereby violating the Sabbath.
Or they did until now. On September 29, a group of Israeli rabbis decreed that new elevator technology--specifically technology that measures the weight in an elevator--"effectively make[s] entering a car the equivalent of pressing a button" ("Another Landlord Worry: Is the Elevator Kosher?").
Some New York Jews are less than convinced. As one man said, "Look, just because there is one opinion doesn't mean that it is everyone's opinion. One of the wonderful things about Judaism is that there are competing opinions about everything." (Or, as has been observed elsewhere, if you have two Jews, you've got three opinions.)
We wonder about the alternatives, though. If the whole idea of observing Shabbos revolves around the imperative to not work, then aren't Shabbos elevators the lesser of two evils? If you surveyed a bunch of Orthodox Jews, which do you think the majority would consider to be "work": utilizing modern elevator technology or shlepping up 30 flights of stairs?
Still, it should come as no surprise that, as a member of the Jewish faith, the Solipsist sees potential for profit here. Some Orthodox synagogues hire a "Shabbos Goy" to turn on the lights. We see opportunity for a similar service at heavily Orthodox high-rise. We figure we could charge ten bucks a push, or unlimited trips for 50 dollars a month. Now we just need to find a gentile to collect the money. . . .
I want to be a shabbos goy for a day! That's excellent.
ReplyDeleteMe, too!
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