CAN KINDLES EVER BE KOSHER FOR SHABBAT?

Dr Harry Freedman’s piece ( Judaism, June 15) on using a Kindle on Shabbat illustrates a fundamental inconsistency in religious orthodoxy.

As a progressive Jew, I can respect those, such as the Amish, who choose an archaic way of life and refuse to compromise their principles for the sake of convenience, but I find it difficult to respect Jews who profess to abide by the ancient rule of halachah yet seek to evade its inconveniences through the use of technology.

Israel has a sizeable industry producing Shabbat-compliant automata designed to allow the Orthodox to observe the letter of the law while offending against the spirit of the law. Surely, if you really believe that God forbids you to carry, or light or switch or push or pull on the Sabbath, then you should not do these things.

It is more than a little ironical that the Orthodox accuse progressive Jews of practising a Judaism of convenience, which indeed many of us do, but so do they — ours is at least consistent with our proclaimed principles. Zvi Friedman Fairways, Milton Keynes

I was bemused by Dr Harry Freedman’s article about future Kindles that the religiously observant might be able to access on Shabbat via the invention of a “Shabbat compliant e-reader”.

How much credibility can we give to the restrictive regulations in the first place if, at the same time, we seek so many circuitous “kosher technology” routes round them? I suggest we stop looking for yet more ways to evade the inconveniences of another Shabbat constraint, and instead view the resultant gizmo-free day once a week as a blessing in disguise. Adele Gingold argie5921@btinternet.com

I , as many others, have a Shabbatpermissible Kindle. It is called a book. Rev Bernd Koschland Vincent Court, Bell Lane, NW4