Pushing My Buttons
We have a devout Jewish patient staying with us. It's a bit of a challenge to take care of him because there are so many times when he can't use anything electronic. I understood about Yom Kippur, Rosh Hahanah and the Sabbath, but this week there was some kind of mystery holiday that also had the electronic restrictions. I can't find this holiday on my calendar and none of my Jewish friends have a clue either.
During these special times, since he can't use his call light, he expects us to check on him every 30 minutes around the clock to see if he needs anything. We really can't do that, so a rabbi was found to tell him that God wants him to use his call light. He wasn't convinced. So now he has family staying with him and they come out and tell us if he needs anything.
He can't turn the lights on or off or use his bed controls, but he can ask us to do it for him. This puzzles me. I'm not sure that I see the distinction between his pushing a button and us doing it because he asked us to. Maybe when it comes to matters of faith my form of logic doesn't apply, but I just don't understand and I would like to. Why is it okay to tell someone to do something for you, but not okay to do it yourself? Lawyers would call this a distinction without a difference. What am I missing?
Food, not unexpectedly, has also been an issue. We have Kosher food for him, but he doesn't like it. This I understand. I've eaten some of his leftovers and it is bad. It's like a very bland, salty, greasy TV dinner. So, his family has been bringing food from home. This is fine, but they're not happy about storing it in the refridgerator with everyone else's non-Kosher food. They decided that if their food was wrapped in two plastic bags it would be okay, but now they have their own ice chest. They're not happy about using our non-Kosher microwave, but they are able to get by with the two plastic bag trick. Of course we push the microwave buttons for them when they can't use electronics. (I gave him some medicine made from a pig and didn't tell him. Was that a bad thing to do?)
At their special times, they also can't use the phone, so we have to make calls for them and deliver messages. The person on the other end can't pick up the phone, but listens to the messages we leave on the answering machine. They also can't drive during the holidays, but somehow they get here. They live about 10 miles away. I assume that they ask someone to drive them. Can anyone explain?
Written by Melissa on 11:41 AM
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Melissa blogging from sunny Santa Clarita, Southern California, United States.
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8 Comments:
Some of these achaic rules defy common sense or explanation. At Cedars we had a lot of jewish patients and of course they can't use electronics at certain times. Well the elevator certainly falls within that category. They aren't allowed to touch the buttons so during these "special" times the elevators are programmed to automatically stop at every floor and the doors open and close so these devout folks can use them. Keep in mind there are stairs in the bldg, and lots of them, granted some elderly and handicapped don't have this option but it just seems like it's a way to get around the rules. If they are supposed to be in prayer on the sabbath why do they need the TV? It defeats the whole spiritual intent of the restriction.
Oy. The idea, as I understand it, is that on a "day of rest" you're supposed to give the beasts of burden a day of rest as well. Some rabbi, in his infinite wisdom, decided that this extended to electro-mechanical "beasts of burden" too.
I guess if an elevator is already going the right direction anyway, it's okay to take advantage of it, but you can't "summon" an elevator to do work for you. You can't turn on a light for your own use.
I've never undestood why it's okay to use non-Jewish humans as a beast of burden, but not a true beast of burden. But then, I'm not a rabbi. Maybe you can ask why it's okay for you to get treated worse than the ox?
http://www.ou.org/chagim/important.htm
http://www.ou.org/calendar/2005.htm
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday0.htm
That's interesting, Dave. I like the idea that beasts of burden get a day of rest also. The days of rest are so much work for humans, though. A lot of thought, planning and energy goes into figuring out how to use electricity without actually being the one to hit a button. It's so much work.
Brandy, thanks for the sites. I will look at them tomorrow when I'm more awake.
I read the sites. The number of rules is exhausting to just read. It appears that my patient and his family broke some of the rules, but I guess that they're only human. When rules get in the way of what you want to do they tend to be broken.
It certainly is interesting (and also challenging to talk about without making fun.)There are many apparent contradictions which I lack the wisdom to understand.
I wonder if they were Orthodox Jews. I had a patient who was one, and he couldn't use electronics. It's a very interesting and very strict sect of the Jewish community, according to a non-Orthodox family memeber.
What if he needed a heart and a human one wasn't available but a pig's heart was and the operation could only be done on the Sabbath.
Things that make you go Hmmmmmm.
GG
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