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

This book focuses on the topic of circumventing custom with 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. 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 (in addition to circumvention) as an undue concern with purity, and a long-established tradition of indulging in nit-picking and argumentation.

Alan Dundes is professor of anthropology and folklore at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of the world's leading folklorists.