31–40 of 175 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What if you push the button really slowly, so that it's a thermodynamically an adiabatic process? As you release the button equally slowly, it does an equal amount of work on you. The process has been thermodynamically reversed, so all is cool! (The irreversible state change in the button-driven machine, arguably, increased entropy, though, ouch. Maybe not!)
You have to slip and fall on the button.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Disclaimer: I'm Jewish and religious, but not Orthodox; I don't worry about sabbath mode as I have no problem turning on an oven during shabbat; it's not work. That said, if you ask Orthodox Jews, they will say it's not circumventing the laws about shabbat. Rather, it's keeping the laws of shabbat -- avoiding all forms of work -- while still living in the modern world. To circumvent the law would be to find a way tha…
To extend on parent comment: What you call "circumvent your religion's practices", ie building complicated logical arguments or creating new categories and distinctions to re-interpret existing law is considered as a significant part of Jewish religion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud#Pilpul In that aspect, Judaism is very different from, say, Christianity.
[0] http://shabbosapp.com/how-it-works/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEDHi09oyXY http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbos_App
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Disclaimer: I'm Jewish and religious, but not Orthodox; I don't worry about sabbath mode as I have no problem turning on an oven during shabbat; it's not work. That said, if you ask Orthodox Jews, they will say it's not circumventing the laws about shabbat. Rather, it's keeping the laws of shabbat -- avoiding all forms of work -- while still living in the modern world. To circumvent the law would be to find a way tha…
To extend on parent comment: What you call "circumvent your religion's practices", ie building complicated logical arguments or creating new categories and distinctions to re-interpret existing law is considered as a significant part of Jewish religion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud#Pilpul In that aspect, Judaism is very different from, say, Christianity.
This app[0] made the rounds last year and caused a bit of a stir: it keeps your android phone's battery at a constant state, prevents the screen from turning off, and flips the screen orientation, all of which from a disconnected interpretation of halacha should be permissible. Problem is, any touch to the screen completes a circuit (one of the prohibited categories of work) so the whole thing is a bit ridiculous any…
[1] http://www.zomet.org.il/eng/?CategoryID=249&ArticleID=99
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You have to slip and fall on the button.
Can you ask someone to press it for you?
Somewhat related: B&H, an electronics store in New York owned by Hasidic Jews not only closes its brick & mortar store on Saturdays, but its website as well: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ Screenshot for anyone looking at this after 8:30 EDT today: https://i.imgur.com/XvZHDXA.png
Do they actually explain on their website why they do this? I've spent some time in the past looking without success.
Or maybe I'm applying too much thought to it.
This app[0] made the rounds last year and caused a bit of a stir: it keeps your android phone's battery at a constant state, prevents the screen from turning off, and flips the screen orientation, all of which from a disconnected interpretation of halacha should be permissible. Problem is, any touch to the screen completes a circuit (one of the prohibited categories of work) so the whole thing is a bit ridiculous any…
AFAIK, capactive touch screens are permisable from a Jewish law standpoint. For example [1] which is a phone for use on shabbat and uses capactive buttons to avoid closing a circuit. [1] http://www.zomet.org.il/eng/?CategoryID=249&ArticleID=99
In my opinion if you're closing a circuit you're closing a circuit, and capitative screens count. Others go so far as to disable thermostats since a person's very presence in a room affects the temperature by a few degrees and could trip the circuit. Depends how deep down the rabbit hole you want to go I guess.
Clever hack, but if you're coming up with ways to circumvent your religion's practices, are you really still practicing your religion?
The Jewish response to this that I've seen is pretty sensible: if God didn't want there to be loopholes then there wouldn't be any.