Letter: Rules which play tricks on God

Sir: The Jewish religion forbids travel on the Sabbath, with one or two exceptions (Faith and Reason, 31 May).

One exception is travelling over water, because sailors in Biblical times may not have known exactly when the Sabbath began or ended, nor would it have been easy to stop travelling while at sea. Nowadays, some pious Jews sit on a water-filled cushion in their cars so as to allow them to drive on the Sabbath, and God is tricked.

The eruv debate is on the same level. Make a set of arbitrary rules. Tell everybody that God made them. Then fiddle your way round them. It has no more to do with religion than Scrabble or football.

Concepts such as monotheism, compassion, intellectual freedom, love of your neighbour (no restrictions on whether he is Arab, Buddhist or Christian), and "do-unto-others", which were developed by Judaism and the religions which followed, are all submerged by the antics of these arrogant beetle- browed trickers of God, who know all the answers, but none of the questions.

FABIAN ACKER

London SE22