A Jewish Credit Card
I know, it sounds like the setup to a bad joke, but this is real. One of the largest banks in Israel has started using a credit card that respects the Orthodox Jewish Sabbath.

Now, a little disclaimer here. I'm not Jewish, so if I'm wrong about any of the orthodoxy, please feel free to correct me. My knowledge is just based on a general interest in comparative religion.

Apparently, the credit card will be refused if it's used on the Sabbath. For those who don't know, it is forbidden in the Torah for Jews to work on the Sabbath, and they have a pretty comprehensive description of 'work'. The description is "Any act in which man interferes with nature and shows his mastery over it." For instance, you cannot turn on a light on the Sabbath (however, if a light was on before the Sabbath, you cannot turn it off).

So obviously, you cannot buy or sell on the Sabbath. The interesting thing is the questions that this credit card opens up. For instance, why not take this a step further? Every time you use the credit card on the Sabbath, the bank would refuse the card, and at the same time, send a letter to your rabbi?

My wife pointed out that this would have to be based on the bank's clock, which poses a problem for people outside the city. You see, the Sabbath begins on Friday night at sundown. But what if you happen to be vacationing in Spain? Local sundown is going to be at a different time (good thing they aren't sending a letter to the rabbi, then). Or, and this would be even cooler, have the bank's computer find out where the charge is coming from, look up that local time online, and check weatherchannel.com to find out whether the sun has set where the charge has been made. Now that would be really cool.

- posted by BrandG @ 1:43 AM