There are generally two types of elevators - traction and hydraulic. A traction elevator is a type of elevator that uses a system of ropes and pulleys to move the elevator car up and down. A hydraulic elevator works by pressurizing hydraulic fluid with an electronic pump and forcing it into a cylinder. The pressure created pushes a piston that moves the elevator upwards. To lower the elevator, this functions in reverse with pressure decreasing, lowering the elevator cab. The traction elevator is less expensive to run and is the typical elevator in use in the residential buildings in Israel. The cost to use the elevator to ascend four flights in a residential building in Israel is around one kilowatt hour - about 18 cents.
An essential part of acting with integrity is to be meticulously honest when using other people’s resources. Once, Rav Avrohom Genechovsky ZT”L the Rosh Yeshiva in Chebin, arrived at someone's apartment door in Israel, out of breath and perspiring heavily. It was obvious that Rav Avrohom had taken the stairs rather than the elevator. The apartment owner asked Rav Avrohom, "Why didn’t you take the elevator?" Rav Avrohom said, "The elevator is for the residents of the building, or for people who are here to benefit the residents of the building. As an example, one who is delivering groceries to residents of the building may use its elevator. I am here to visit you, not for your benefit but rather to fulfill a personal need of mine. It would not be right for me to place the expense of the use of the elevator that is being used for my personal needs, on the public."
Question and Answer: Lying for a Good Cause?
QUESTION: I am a father of identical twin babies. They were both sick with what could have been a bad cold or perhaps something more serious but not life-threatening. We were unsure and wanted them both examined by our pediatrician. We really like and trust our pediatrician. However, one thing we do not like is that he is a stickler for protocol. I tried to make an appointment for both of the twins, but he said that he only had one slot available and would therefore not be able to see the other twin. I ended up bringing both of them to the appointment anyway, in the hope that he would relent and examine them. Would I have been permitted to lie and say that I am not sure which of the twins had the appointment as I can’t tell my identical twins apart and therefore, would the doctor examine both babies?
ANSWER: There are numerous cases where it is brought down that one is at times permitted to veer slightly from the truth to fulfill a Mitzvah (Shaarei Teshuvah OC Siman 482). There is certainly a Mitzvah in ensuring that both of your children are healthy. If it is a matter of Pikuach Nefesh (saving a life) or even possible Pikuach Nefesh, one is certainly permitted to lie. However, you mentioned that the illness that your children had did not appear to be life threatening.
Even if it is a health issue, there are caveats to when and how far one can veer from the truth. Rav Elyashiv ZT”L says that cases cited in various Gemorahs where one is permitted to lie generally deal with lying to prevent bad actors from causing harm which is not the case here. In your case, Rav Elyashiv would hold that it would be prohibited to lie. Accordingly, it would be advisable not to tell a lie and say that you cannot tell your twins apart, but rather to imply that identical twins are quite difficult to tell apart, particularly for fathers, and then ask if the pediatrician could see them both.
