Friday, October 08, 2021

I just had a puzzled question from two Orthodox Jewish visitors to the building. I had taken the (non-Sabbath) elevator down to the lobby and when the door opened the older of the two Orthodox gestured, and uttered a, "Can you believe that? "OOO". The younger of the two asked, "Does that elevator stop on all the floors?" "No", I replied. "Because I just took that (the other) one," gesturing toward the offending lift, and it went straight to the eighth floor." I had not previously been consulted as authority on questions of Orthodox law and paused.  "Wait, let me think. On the Sabbath...You're right. That one doesn't stop on every floor going up..." "Because usually it's the reverse, it stops on every floor going up..."  "Yes," I said, confirming the young mensch's interpretation of Doctrine. We were finishing each other's thoughts now, you know, like fellow members of the Tribe do, "but that one (the Sabbath),” I continued, “stops on every floor going down, you're right. Do you want me to push the button for you..." "No, no, I'll just"..."Okay buddy, take care." As I walked to the car I thought, "'No, I'll just" what? He can't press the button for the floor himself," forgot about it, and then "He was right and the Sabbath elevator did used to stop on every floor going up and down," G-D not wanting to give His Chosen People a coronary, let that too "pass over" and continued on my goy errand.