The Shabbat Elevator and other Sabbath Subterfuges : An Unorthodox Essay on Circumventing Custom and Jewish Character

Focusing on the topic of circumventing custom, this book places special emphasis on the ingenious ways Orthodox (and other) Jews have devised to avoid breaking the extensive list of activities forbidden on the sabbath.

After examining the sources of sabbath observance as set forth in the Old Testament, the New Testament and rabbinical writings, some of the most salient forms of circumvention are described.

These include riding a special Shabbat elevator, unscrewing the light bulb in the refrigerator, constructing an eruv (a space extending one's domicile) so that objects may be carried outside the home, and relying on the services of the so-called "Shabbes Goy".

Then, drawing on Freud's insights as to the obsessive nature of religious ritual and his persuasive delineation of anal erotic character, an attempt is made to analyze such facets of Jewish character as an undue concern with purity and a long-established tradition of indulging in nit-picking and arguing.

The resultant picture of Jewish character is drawn from an unusual mixture of religious written texts and oral tradition (such as jokes and proverbs).

The sources run the gamut from ancient Israel to the 21st century.