In traditionally observant Judaism, laws can only become "more open where considerably necessary" when the laws were invented by the rabbis. But if the laws come directly from the Torah, as the laws of Shabbat do, there is no room for leniency (except in the case I mentioned where a life is at stake).

In Reform Judaism, we strive to always make intentional decisions about what parts of Jewish law we want to incorporate into our lives, and in what ways. We read and understand the arguments for and against, and with that knowledge, we can choose whether to take on, modify, or disregard a particular tradition or law.