Bachurim Asked To Stop Hitchhiking

hitchhikePD were called to the area of a local Yeshivah moments ago after receiving reports of Bachurim Hitchhiking on the road. We ask our readers to remind your children or family members, that besides for it being illegal, it poses extreme dangers to Hitchhikers and Motorists. The law in NJ reads ‘No person shall stand in a highway for the purpose of or while soliciting a ride’.

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51 COMMENTS

  1. #3, perhaps after you get a ticket for doing so you will stop!! Its people like you that keep the boys standing on the corners. Let the parents organize carpools so that the boys won’t be on the streets. I have seen many times yeshiva boys trying to hitch a ride with people who most probably have music with bad taste blasting…… Vihamaivin yovin! Be responsible and take your kids to school!!!

  2. AS long as THE BOCHURIM stand on the side of the road I will continue to give them rides. Cold weather could get them sick from walking to yeshiva for their avodas hashem . And its a middas sedom as #2 said not to pick them up and let them freeze

  3. #3 – you are the guy who slams on his brakes in front of me to “safely pull over” to get a buchor a ride.. you are the guy who stops his car in middle of the road where there is no shoulder , to discuss with the bochur where he is going, and if it is “shayich” to take him.

  4. NO yeshivah should have any kind of classes, especially night seder unless they have an organized way of transporting these children home. Do we have to wait until someone is kidnapped or struck and killedbefore we do something about this terrible practice?

    The worst is when i am driving down a dark road and i see this green strip floating in the air, as if by magic.. only as i get closer do i realize it is a bochur , dressed completely in black, and using his reflector as some sort of beacon

  5. it may be dangerous, but leaving them there without a ride doesnt make it safer for them.
    The holier than thou atitude is your yezer hora speaking.
    Help get the tzaddikle to the Bais medrash ASAP (likely, he missed the bus and is late!) so he can learn heilige toireh!

  6. #6 we live in gulus and we must stay quiet, every time in history we rose we fell, when god choices for us to rise again in the time of moshica then we will. until then the chillel hashem that when i cop see’s and say look at that jew that dosnt care about any law!!!! is it worth it? is it really a mitzvah? dont do it out of spite cause your breaking the law!! when u get pulled over and say u didnt know! are u allowed to lie? maybe ask a question b4 u act so!!! maybe get them a coat if there cold. thats mitzvah!!! middas sedom, maybe but we are in gulus and we must follow suite, will i pull over when no one is around YES but is it right? im not a rabbi!!! but we are still in gulus and we must ask out holy rabbi’s

  7. It’s very challanging in Lakewood because there is no public transportation like in NY. Not saying that i agree with hitching, just that it’s not so easy for bachurim to get around.

  8. people should know how to hitchhike with a little brains it wouldnt be a problem, but some people think that just because the kid is hitching they must stop they dont even look if its safe you want an example ok the corner of central and sunset you have people hitching right by the light instead of waiting 150 into sunset they wait by the corner or 20ft in and the foolish drivers just stop to pick them up, then i come making a left turn into sunset and have to slam on my brake because hes doing a big mitzvah! dont hitch like a fool and dont pickup people like a fool, i happen to pick people up all the time but i dont just do it because they are hitching i am aware of my surroundings and only do it if its 110% safe and i wont do it either if it will inconvenience other drivers in the slightest bit

  9. I try to give them rides but I must say that most of the time it is very dangerous for the bochorim to stand on the road the way they do on ridge ave.

    I don’t see any reason why the yeshiva can’t provide transportation for them.

  10. At what age do parents say “go hitch”?? I take my children to school when there is no bus and or we carpool. Why should the parents all decide to let their 13 yr olds stand on the corners and hitch?? Get in your car and drive them!

  11. Obviously to all, this was posted at 1:06. I hardly think it was someone late for classes. Perhaps, it was during a break when it is very common to see the students hitching a ride or walking three abreast on Cross Street &/or Mass. Ave. I have brought this up at township committee meetings more than once and was told & I was told the Rabbi would be told . IIt is such a danger to these students. I personally have seen students cross Rt#70 in midwinter without a jacket and they just run presenting a danger to themselves and the motorist. AREN’T THESE THE SAME YOUNGSTERS THE LAKEWOOD TAX DOLLAR BUSES TO SCHOOL BECAUSE OUR STREETS ARE DANGEROUS?
    It is time to decide if the streets are safe enough to allow the students to walk and hitch on break, Then perhaps the bussing should end.
    This case reported is not an isolated instance, I see it everyday and am thankful it is not my grandchildren playing roulette with danger.

  12. ADDITION to #13. I always sign my name whether it is to compliment someone or write an opposing opinion. I would be very happy to go to a township committee meeting again if necessary to express my views. ALL CHILDREN SHOULD BE SAFE AT ALL HOURS.

  13. They never wait at a safe place! Its the Bochur fault if he is late! Dont give me this Sdom business, people are a lot of the time in a big rush and dont have the time to stop and then the kid is looking for a ride to a place three miles away!

  14. if a bochur is standing alone in the cold at night am I to ignore him and make a cheshbon that the school should have organized a bus? or blame the parents one has nothing to do with the other ..think about what would happen if your fancy leased car broke down and we just pass you by……

  15. The real danger is when you don’t wear a reflector. Giving someone a “tremp” is part of the chesed that was passed down to us.

    If he missed the bus, what should he do?

  16. To all those of you who are happily taking your children to yeshivah every day, as long as he does not hitchhike, How come I never met one of your sons in my yeshivah? Every bachur one time or another has to hitch to get somewhere . Not every parent can drive at 7:30 and pick up at 1:00 on a Friday ( even if it is a holiday) . And if you can always drive your son anywhere, can you please give me a ride ( by picking me up by my house .)

  17. Answer to #21
    Thanks for theinformation qualifying that today was a fast day and early dismissal. I was unaware of this BUT the fact remains that I have personally seen this on too many days for them to have all been fast days. I have seen the students making purchases in convenience stores and either wlaking or hitching back to school SO VERY DANGEROUS. So the fact that tofday was a fast day does not make HITCHING LESS DANGEROUS.

  18. ooh! lets get the yashiva guys there always up to no good who would belive they would fall to hitchhiking bypassing so many other aveiros like chilul shabbos ex.

  19. WOW! so many dayos How about getting some word from Daas Torah on what should or should not be done? Everyone with a computer today becomes a Posek! Shain Zet Men Oys!

  20. I say that it’s a mitzvah of chessed to give the needed ride. Just make sure it’s done safely. With a little effort to find a good place to pull over, you can get tons of zechusim. You’ll get even more zechusim if you take the person to where they need even if it’s not in your way.

    For those who have such nice excuses not to give rides, here’s three points to ponder.

    1) Are you always so careful to fully stop at every stop sign and never speed, etc. etc.

    2) Are you actually willing to go out of your way before your better judgement kicks in, or are you just looking for an excuse.

    3) If you passed your own son on the road, would you find a way to give him a ride home. I believe you would. You do it for your son. Do it for HaShem’s son.

  21. The fact that Lakewood has no public transportation has no bearing on the situation. Every talmid and every parent knows that there’s no public transportation so they have to give themselves that much time to get to Yeshiva. YOung kids can walk. Just leave enough time. And if the destination is really far, it’s up to the parents to find a way to get them there. My kids are grown now, but when my bechor had to get to cheder minyan, and I had a house full of small children and my husband worked in the city, I found a neighbor to drive him. We never thought of hithching.
    When I lived in Brooklyn as a student and had public transportation, the buses never ran on time. We ended up walking many many times. We were young and perfectly capable of walking!
    It is not KOVOD HATORAH for a yeshiva bochur to stand on the street with his arms out asking for a ride. And the chillul Hashem is compounded when there are many bochurim doing it a one time.

  22. 1. Before you say no, to hitching, you have to come up with a reasonable way for bochur to get around.Most parents and yeshivos don’t let bochurim get a driver’s license; why? too dangerous (and other reasons). Next, hitching? also too dangerous.Drive you? your mother or father are not available ;and then they are are left with either hitching or being left stranded If you have another solution besides for hitching, tell us; but excluding all three options, leaving bochurim stranded is not practical. 2. For all you stricken with paranoia, maybe you you shouldn’t drive. Statisticly, more people get hurt in traffic accidents than getting kidnnaped by a goy who was dressed up as a jew. the whole thing is uncommon,and it’s ridiculous to worry about it. 3. I can’t help myself from laughing at these people sitting in their nicely heated car, and see a bochur standing in the freezing cold, but b’roiv tzidkus they don,t give him a ride. the more I think about it the more ridiculous it sounds. 4. The main point is instead of saying “no”, come up with a solution, because saying “no” is not a solution.

  23. In response, to golus yid #27:If you are worried about kovod hatora ,do you think it’s kovod hatora to leave the bochurim there?especially in the cold. secondly, if you are worried about chillul hashem than get them off the road before anyone sees,the longer they’r on the the road the longer the chillul hashem. also , It’s also impractical to tell someone to walk to the other side of town especially when yeshivos are located in industrial park, which could be an hour walk, and expect him not hitch, regardless of what you did. It won’t happen. Thirdly, you don’t need to hitch as much in brooklyn, because stores, shuls, etc. are usually close by.

  24. ok i think everybody should calm down …people only hitchhike in some places in israel ..its not something that should be worried about its just that america loves to make problems where none are neccasary if i can hear 3 storys of hitchhiking problems in israel then i would also be against it but since its a matter of convinience i dont see the problem in any way

  25. hey 26, so ur saying if you do 1 thing wrong u might as well become a shaygits? so if i broke my fast yesterday( i fasted the whole thing just an example) i can go and kill someone today???? are u nuts?? like the excuse im going to *ell either way!!!

  26. In response to # 32, you take one thing I said, you think you understand it, and you call me nuts. You seriously need some help in ahavas Yisroel.

    First, see all the points I made.
    Second, my point was that people are just making excuses if they all of a sudden come up with them when it involves someone else. When a person is not making an excuse, they can find ways to do it safely.

  27. There should be a list of yeshivos and the address or like a nearby cul de sac where it is safe for them to wait and for the car to stop and then anyone going that way could go one block out of their way to see if someone is waiting there to pick them up. like the yeshiva on cross street and massachusets ave. i pass there many times and I want to pick them up and I feel so bad that I can’t because it’s illegal and obviously unsafe. I think about them the rest of the way home and more. Each mesivta should figure out a place that works for them and the lakewood scoop can publish it and for all the people who are rodef chesed they will have the opportunity. and for those that are not – they will not have the zechus.

  28. like # 34 said we should have safe designated “tremp” spots thru out town where we can pick up the boys who seemingly missed their bus but the way we do it now and we all mean well is truly unsafe boys r waiting at busy intersections sometimes without sholders at night without reflectors and when we stop it can really cause an accident

  29. Never in my wildest dreams would I allow my children to hitchhike! I have small children at home as well and if I couldn’t find someone to give them a ride, I would be there to pick them up! Hasn’t anyone heard of carpools????

    ” Shaking my head in Jackson”

  30. TO “Be Practical”–As I said in my earlier post, when my kids were small here in Lakewood, not Brooklyn, I found a neighbor to drive my older boy to Yeshiva. Guess what! IT’s the responsibility of the parents and the menahalim (if the bochur is an out of towner) and not my responsibility after the parents shirk their responsibility. THe parents (and Menahalim) should be taking care that the bochur is not out in the cold in the first place!
    BTW, hitching takes place in all seasons, not only winter.
    Also, I have seen many dangerous situations when peopls stop in the middle of the roand to pick up hitchikers. It’s not paranoia. I’ve seen it with my own eyes and have had near misses myself.
    I know Hillary Clinton says “it Takes a Village” to raise childeren, but first and foremost, the parents have to make sure their child has a safe way to get to his destination. It is not anyone else’s responssibility.

  31. A person’s responsability is their cheshbon. Even if everybody acted fully responsibly, there would still be situations beyond one’s control whereby they or their son will need a ride. Sometimes the car is by the mechanic, etc. etc. When lemaysah someone needs a ride, it’s not your cheshbon to make cheshbonos about someone else shirking their responsibility. It’s your chesbon to do a needed chessed if you are able to. Besides, if people would do chessed b’ahava, there would be no bickering about it in the first place. Be glad to help someone out. How much trouble is it already to give a ride to a person who is going in your direction.

  32. To GIve A RIde–We are not talking about whether or not I should give a ride. Who are you to make chesbonos about how much chesed I do? We are talking about whether the bochurim should be hitching in the first place. It is a chesed to them not to hitch so they don’t put themselves in harm’s way and it’s a chesed to the oilam not to inconvenience or endanger other drivers on the road.
    Would you feel confident to let your son stand in the middle of a road with his hand out waiting to get a ride with a perfect stranger(Frum or not)? I would not.

  33. My son gets rides once in a while. I give rides to kids and adults all the time. Sometimes I go to places I wasn’t planning on. Sometimes people have given me rides when my car was by the mechanic, etc. Generally, I find it rather hard to get a ride (on the few times I need it), and if I have to walk, I do.

  34. The biggest problem with hitching are the bochrim themselves. I was sitting at a red light, and a young boy actually opened my door to get in. As a female, I was shocked, and troubled at the same time. I did not make eye contact with this boy, nor did I give any indication I would give him a ride. For him to just open my door because I was a frum women was pure chuzpa. The most troubling part was that he wanted me to take him 4 blocks. I truly worry what messages the youth of today are getting from our society. Children have no rsspect for authority, they take no responsibility for themselves, and feel that everything should be handed to them freely. The world is run on “instant ” everything, and the children expect just that. We have become a lazy, and self centered world.

  35. Right on # 43 ! CHUZPA , CHUZPA , CHUZPA. Where is the chochma in this town. Why can’t we create designated spots that these bochurim can go to to kop a ride ? ( Minimum destination 1mile) Where people can ride past an offer a ride in an orderly fashion . It is an absolute disgrace that a bocher should beg for a ride on Central @ Sunset for a ride to Columbus, etc.

  36. To 43.You can’t judge from one case. the fact is most bochurim don’t do that.secondly, a bochur in his teenaged years, starts getting a little more independant. Get used to it.You wrote lazy and self centered, are you reffering to people who are too lazy to pull over to the side of the road, or they’r waiting by a light, but are too lazy to lower they’r car window; so instead of saying they’r too lazy to give him a ride, they say they’r a tzadik for not giving him a ride

  37. To Golus yid: You said it’s not your responsibility after parents shirk their responsibility.In short what your saying is, that you shouldn’t help him out, because his parents were irresponsible. secondly, where in halacha do you see you don’t have to help out someone who is under those circumstances, because of his irresponsibility.We see that we have to give tzedaka, regardless of whether he works or not.

  38. To number 45 Independence is not a given. Independence is a privilege given to a mature person.. A 2 year old baby also tries to assert his independence, and as a parent we are suppose to teach him appropriate behavior, and not “get used to it” Yes, I wrote lazy and self centered, and I would love to explain myself. An attitude of “get used to it” is part of the reason our teenagers are turning out so self centered. If we as parents continue to make excuses for bad behavior, and expect nothing from them, we will only be perpetuating this kind of attitude.

  39. if you are afraid about safety than instead of saying no, tell them to hitch safely.Tell them where they could hitch and where not,how to hitch and how not to etc.

  40. To #48-The only way to hitch safely is not to hitch at all. That is what I’m trying to say.
    Also, If the parents and talmidim see that they will always get a ride from someone, why should they exert themselves to make sure they have a ride before they start out? When they are hitching, it usually means that was the plan to begin with.
    ANother point they we are all forgetting that was made in the original article is that HITCHING IS ILLEGAL. Even those who don’t see that hitching is wrong should not be teaching or encouraging kids (or adults) to do something illegal.(And for those who will ask if everything I do is legal, the answer is yes, I try very hard to stick to the law).

  41. SADOM, The ppl that reside with a cop, over the heilga shliach mitzva who give our bachurim rides back and forth for the sake of limud hatorah? Chas V shalom I will continue to give rides to bouchrim as long as they stay on the side of a road and give me a good olace to pull over and get them. Put yourself in the Bachour’s shoes and imagine standing out their in the freezing cold or rain or heat and a hundred cars are passing by you and going the same way. Its Chutzpa to prob. those anti yeshiva bachour Bale Batim who say to get a Bike or to get a cab. Rabbonim have always said its midas Sadom not to pickup a bachour or an elderly person or anyone for that matter. Look Balei Batim Who do you need now in a time of crisis when things aren’t going well ? It’s not going to be the Balei Battim who bring Moshiach or put in end to this criss and you all know what i’m talking about. Thank You

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