car service for shabbos?

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> New York related Inquiries

Car service for shabbos?

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

avigail

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 10:44 pm

I was told by my rav that if I go into labor on shabbos or yom tov the best way to get to the hospital is by calling a jewish car service. but the only jewish companies I know are shomer shabbos. are there any car service companies in brooklyn that have drivers who are jewish not shomer shabbos?

doctorima

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 10:57 pm

Sorry, don't know of any such car companies, but just curious, why is it better to specifically have a Jew drive you to the hospital instead of a non-Jew, especially if he's not Shomer Shabbos and isn't doing it because of pikuach nefesh, but simply because he drives and works on Shabbos?

joy613

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 2:01 am

Are you sure you heard right? It sounds a little funny to me that a Rav would say davka to use a Jewish driver. It is a much bigger violation to have a Jew desecrate Shabbos for you than a non-jew.

ROFL

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 2:43 am

I would clarify that. Is it possible that you misunderstood? I was always told that a non jewish person should do the driving to a hospital.

busydev

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 5:12 am

I agree with the above posters. it doesnt make sense he would tell you to use a jewish driver. call back and ask again.

groovy1224

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 6:22 am

Hatzalah can give you a shabbos taxi card for just this purpose. It's basically a postcard with a number to call of a local car service that they have an arrangement with, so when the car comes you give the driver the card and he fills out the info and bills hatzalah so you don't have to pay on shabbos. It also gives you a few other halachos for what to do if it's false labor, etc. Very helpful. They actally gave me 2 in case I went to the hospital and had to go home on shabbos also.
If you go to the Hatzalah website, or call the office in your area they'll tell you where you can pick up one of these shabbos taxi cards.

avigail

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 9:49 am

No, he was very clear. A jewish driver who is working on shabbos is being mechalel shabbos for work. If he is taking someone to the hospital, it is mutar, perhaps a mitzva. If he is going to be driving anyway, better he should drive me to the hospital than someone else to do errands.

joy613

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 9:57 am

It still sounds off to me. I never heard of such a psak.

Why do you have to worry about the Jewish driver's mitzvos/aveiros and how he follows halacha? That's not your issue. What you have to worry about is your own following of halacha which says that it's better to have a non-jew to melacha for you than a jew.

Also, how do you know if when you call the Jewish driver, he is taking your call instead of driving people to do errands. Maybe at that time he would be sitting in the store drinking a coffee.

greenfire

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 11:31 am

how about if you clarify with the rov ... a jew should never do malacha unless it is their very own emergency

Page 1 of 1