now, this is legalism…

I get kind of tired of the charge of legalism often laid at the feet of fundamentalists. Then I read stories that give me some relief. Today’s National Post gives me one today. (Unfortunately, no longer available online to the general public… not sure why.)

Here’s the headline:

Kosher gadgets grab the spotlight

When it comes to legalism, leave it to the Pharisees.

For example, did you know that it breaks the Sabbath to turn electricity on or off?

Working from their research lab in the West Bank settlement of Alon Shvut, they create electronic devices — from phones to alarm systems to motorized vehicles — that obey Orthodox Jewish laws about the Sabbath, when even turning an electric current on or off is forbidden.

“We’re trying to combine making a modern Jewish state with age-old Jewish law,” said Dan Marans, executive director of Zomet. That requires both a deep knowledge of Judaism’s legal code, or halacha, and a bit of ingenuity. Every day, God gives us things we can take advantage of,” Mr. Marans said. “We just have to know how.”

So… what is a kosher gadget? How about a lamp you don’t have to turn off?

Rabbi Shmuel Veffer, president of Toronto-based Kosher Innovations, is one of the entrepreneurs who has benefited. In 2004, he invented the Kosher Lamp, with a shade that can be twisted to block out the bulb’s light but does not turn it off. Rabbi Veffer said he has sold “tens of thousands” of the lamps, including one shaped like a teddy bear. The lamps are manufactured in China.

A bit more explanation:

Orthodox Jewish households spend a lot more time, attention and money on their kitchens than other U.S. consumers, which is why 14 major home appliance brands have sought kosher certification from StarK. The company also monitors Chinese factories that make kosher products to insure they are complying with Jewish law.

While modern technology was intended to make the chores of daily life less difficult, the proliferation of automatic motors, sensors and lights into more household items has become a growing problem for those who are strictly observant.

For decades, Orthodox Jews trudged through their houses in a pre-Sabbath ritual of turning off home security systems, taping down the button that turns on the light inside the refrigerator when the door is opened and lighting a flame to leave burning on the stove so food can be heated.

What kind of inventions have helped?

It also developed pens that use ink that disappears in a few days, based on a rabbinic interpretation that only forbids permanent writing, and Sabbath phones, which are dialed indirectly with special buttons and a microprocessor.

…

Mechanized vehicles present similar problems. In the past, disabled Jews were largely cut off from their community, unable to walk to synagogue or hear prayers.

Zomet invented Sabbath friendly wheelchairs, sound systems and elevators that stop on each floor, and developed a Shabbat scooter with Michigan-based Amigo Mobility International.

And the young fundies think we are legalists if we preach against, say, consuming alcohol! They really don’t know what legalism is.

UPDATE: Here’s the description of the Shabbat friendly scooter:

First introduced in 2005, Amigo works in partnership with Zomet Institute of Israel in production of the Shabbat Amigo used by Orthodox Jews on the Sabbath. A toggle switch changes operation from normal to Shabbat mode. With no throttle lever activation by the rider, the module’s timing circuit sets the chair in motion after 7-11 seconds, satisfying the “no work” Sabbath restriction. The Shabbat module may be added to select Amigo brand models as an upcharge (models priced separately.) Each Shabbat Amigo is halachically-approved, individually inspected and certified by a Zomet representative. Now available through Amigo healthcare dealers nationwide.