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In the last years, bicycles became very popular in Israel and in Jerusalem in particular (especially electric bikes because Jerusalem is very hilly) and they have been adopted as a cheap means of transportation.

The Ministry of Transportation issued numerous laws regarding driving bikes (helmets, traffic laws, etc.), but many otherwise observant Jews (adults AND kids) allow themselves to openly bypass traffic laws, such as crossing a red light before other drivers.

Imagine a central junction where tens of cars stand still and a visibly observant Jew crosses on the red light.

How serious is such a transgression and what Rabbis speak specifically about observing traffic laws even in Israel?

Al Berko
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  • Why are you bringing up dina demalchusa when there's shefichus damim involved? – Heshy Jul 04 '18 at 14:45
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    Why does it matter whether they're Haredi? What if it was a hiloni on the bike crossing the street on the red light? – ezra Jul 04 '18 at 14:50
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    @ezra chilul Hashem ? – mbloch Jul 04 '18 at 15:00
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    @ezra I guess the OP is worried about chillul Hashem. But I edited the question to reduce the anti-Charedi tone. Al Berko - you can reverse the edit if you wish. – Avrohom Yitzchok Jul 04 '18 at 15:01
  • Possible duplicate of How, if at all, can "frum" Jewish men justify their consorting with prostitutes? – Heshy Jul 04 '18 at 16:33
  • If the OP is worried about chillul Hashem, how does publicizing it to me & everyone else here help? Especially assuming those specified bike riders probably don't have internet. – user6591 Jul 04 '18 at 16:42
  • Note that the answer will be different between eretz yisroel and chutz laretz –  Jul 04 '18 at 17:50
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    Yes, public Hilul Hashem is one thing, but the silence of the Rabbonim is concerning me even more. And when I said דינא דמלכותא I mean they do it proudly to demonstrate that "the laws of the State do not apply to them", overlooking the Laws of the Torah. – Al Berko Jul 04 '18 at 19:48
  • @mbloch Is it not a chillul Hashem if a secular Jew doesn't obey the traffic laws? – ezra Jul 04 '18 at 22:48
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    Agree 100% with @AlBerko - Why aren't the Rabbanim heard in condemnation of the disregard for the (secular) law and safety (venishmartem meod lenafshoteichem). It is very worrying - it appears that all sectors seem to be selective - just different sectors, different priorities. – Epicentre Jul 05 '18 at 05:53
  • FYI The Yeshiva World published an article headed “Israeli Chief Rabbis Take A Stand On Road Safety” in Jan '11. It included the following paragraph, “Another initiative approved by the Rabbinate Committee is the publication of a halachic document on correct driving which addresses issues like driving when tired, driving while texting and using a cellular phone and driving over the speed limit in order to make it home in time for Shabbat.” I have not seen the document. – Avrohom Yitzchok Jul 05 '18 at 08:19
  • @AvrohomYitzchok FYI The Israeli Chief Rabbinate is a governmental institution, not religious, it has no Samchut power in the Haredi world whatsoever! – Al Berko Jul 05 '18 at 12:24
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    Is this a question about Judaism or a statement attempting to raise awareness about a behavior pattern you've seen among Jews and oppose? – Isaac Moses Jul 05 '18 at 14:06
  • @AlBerko "they do it proudly to demonstrate that the laws do not apply to them" - how do you know this is their motivation? – Rish Jul 05 '18 at 14:57
  • @Rish I live here and I talk to them. (Shh, sometimes I cross myself on Shabbos on the red light from the same reason - don't tell anyone) – Al Berko Jul 05 '18 at 14:58
  • @AlBerko ... You stop them after they go through a red light to ask if that was about convenience or about making a point rejecting the state laws? – Rish Jul 05 '18 at 15:00
  • @Rish I didn't say at was exclusively a protest, and it is convinient, but if you ask them about the law they will say - what law? And how does it obligate me? Besides R' Moshe in the USA that is not recognized להלכה in Israel, what Poskim talk about the traffic laws? – Al Berko Jul 05 '18 at 15:05

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It is known that Rav Elyashiv ZTL & Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita and other Rabanim often refrain from giving public Proclamations regarding subjects about which they have reason to believe that many religious people will blatantly disregard. They rely on the fact that those who care enough to take heed of the Halacha will verify on their own what the proper way is, and often making it into a major proclamation by the rabanim will cause the disobedience to be an even greater chilul Hashem. Obviously, this decision, whether or not to publicize an outcry against a halachic violation has to be decided by the great halachic authorities themselves.

It can very well be that the case of obeying traffic violations may be one of those instances where the Rabanim feel that a public proclamation of issur may cause greater chilul Hashem then not doing so.

There have been seforim written on the subject of road safety which carry the haskamos of the great Rabanim of the generation.

RibbisRabbiAndMore
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  • I didn't understand the second paragraph, I think the opposite, that such a public condemnation would make it clear that those are offenders and they are not backed by the community. BTW what the American Rabbis say - is it more lenient among gentiles? – Al Berko Jul 05 '18 at 15:16
  • @AlBerko True, but sometimes denouncing Jewish offenders publicly can cause greater Chillul Hashem. I'm not sure whether chilul Hashem is worse among Jews or gentiles. Often things which are more severe "befarhesia" are cited as "bifney asara miyisrael. – RibbisRabbiAndMore Jul 05 '18 at 15:36
  • @ShmuelBrin It is for this reason which i added that "decision, whether or not to publicize an outcry against a halachic violation has to be decided by the great halachic authorities themselves." They decide when the pros outweigh the cons & vice verca. – RibbisRabbiAndMore Jul 05 '18 at 17:26
  • Let's be clear: these people are endangering lives. Are you saying the rationale is because chilul Hashem is yeihareig ve'al yaavor in some cases? Is this one of those cases? – Heshy Jul 05 '18 at 17:29
  • @Heshy That is not what i meant. – RibbisRabbiAndMore Jul 05 '18 at 17:32
  • When you say "They decide when the pros outweigh the cons & vice verca" - what can outweigh danger to lives, besides the ג' חמורות and that kind of chilul Hashem? – Heshy Jul 05 '18 at 17:48