[frittig]

With regard to elevators on Shabbat, you have to understand what the prohibition is in order to understand the workaround. There is no prohibition towards using elevators on Shabbat, not is there a prohibition towards going from floor to floor quickly. However, there is a prohibit towards pressing normal electrical buttons. Therefore, using an elevator that is programmed to stop on every floor is not dishonest. It avoids the narrow prohibition of pressing normal electric buttons.

[kelnos]

I do understand that. And that doesn't change my bewilderment one bit. This goes back to what I said about dogma: it breaks people's ability (or desire) to ever ask "why?". Why is there a prohibition on pressing electric buttons? Is it a prohibition on making "fire"? Why? Does that stem from a prohibition on doing "work"? Why?

When you keep going down the "why chain", you just end up with "I dunno, the holy book just says not to do it", or the more creative among believers will invent something they think isn't arguable, like "we do this to show our respect for our god". Which, to me, just reduces to people willingly allowing religious leaders -- fallible, corruptible humans -- to control them for whatever purpose they desire. And no matter how much I see how religious people get to where they are (indoctrination from birth, followed by unconscious fear of being rejected by their in-crowd), it still utterly puzzles me why so many people still go along with these systems of control that are largely there for the benefit of the leaders, not the followers.

[danhak]

Specifically, the prohibition is against doing “work.” And the rabbinical interpretation around electronics is that pressing a button constitutes completing or “building” a circuit i.e. “work.”

[PappaPatat]

Close but the real reason is that you're not allowed to make fire and pushing an button that switches electricity is compared to making a spark, ergo fire, ergo not allowed :)