On Mon, 3 Oct 2011 13:16:58 +0100, "Recliner"
wrote:

"The Revd" wrote in message

On Mon, 3 Oct 2011 11:59:29 +0100, "Recliner"
wrote:

For example, I was once in a hotel in Jerusalem and on a Friday
night, headed for the lift to go down to the lobby. I noticed a
crowd of people waiting by another lift, but once I hit the button,
they were happy to join me in 'my' lift. Apparently, one lift runs
an all-floors stopping service on the Shabbat, but the others work
normally. If a non-Jew like me pressed the button for one of those
lifts, they had no trouble taking advantage of it. Apparently it's
OK for non-Jews to cause work to be done that benefits Jews, but not
for those same Jews to cause it.

It's even OK to employ a "shabbos goy" to do things which they aren't
themselves allowed to do.

Yes, I gather they employ Christian Palestinians in Jerusalem for such
tasks.

Yes. Or even Palestinian Muslims.

And, of course, the use of technology to circumvent the spirit of the
law while keeping to the letter of the law is also OK, as in the use
of ovens with 'shabbos' settings.

Yes, I was told about such devices -- eg, food warmers in hospitals
which are plugged into electrical sockets which periodically switch off
for a minute or so during the Shabbat. It's apparently OK to plug them
in when the light's off, knowing that it'll come on shortly to keep the
food warm. It seemed completely ridiculous.

The ingenuity is endless.

When all else fails, they set up an "eruv" like the one in Golders
Green where all kinds of shabbos violations are permissible within its
borders.

I suppose it's much like playing a computer game -- one group comes up
with a set of bizarre, invented rules, that others then try to outsmart.
But they shouldn't be allowed to inflict their fantasies on others.

But, but, to not allow their fantasies to be imposed upon one is
'anti-semitic'®™!