My husband went to Boro Park last night to be Menachem Avel. He assumed he will find a ride back to Lakewood from the Shomer Shabbos Shul. He went there at 10:15 and waited for over two hours. (Unfortunately, there are no buses to Lakewood past 9:30 P.M.) Finally, he, along with eight other individuals got a ride to Fort Hamilton, right before the highway, where they all finally got rides. However, he did not get home until 2:00 A.M.!!!
PLEASE, PLEASE do an easy mitzvah and if you are in Boro Park and have room in your car, stop in to the Shomer Shabbos shul, corner 13 avenue and 53rd street, and offer rides to Lakewood. It’s a tremendous Chesed to those desperate to get home! Remember one day it may be your family member seeking a ride home!!
Thank you and Tizku Lmitzvos!
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i agree but understand sometimes its not so easy
the woman is 100% right as weve all been in that position at one point or another needing a ride
though a suggestion i would make is to designate and stand in a certain area perhaps on nutrec ave which is less busy then 13 ave as its near impossible to find a parking spot to go in and offer a ride to someone
Not i am there a lot but i can’t give rides because my car is my office. I am on the phone a lot discussing private matters. I don’t think i am the only one.
Tips to get this to be more successful
Let the community know of a telephone number either of the gabai or someone at shomer shabbos to let them know that your going to Lakewood now and will be pulling up to shomer shabbos in a few minutes. So people waiting for a ride can go out and be ready to jump into the car so the driver doesn’t need to park and look around.
All people waiting for a ride go to the gabai and tell him so he can help you as soon as someone calls that he’s heading over to pickup people looking for a ride to Lakewood.
Its really not so hard it takes 2 people and cooperation.
Riders go to gabai
Drivers call gabai that your coming
Gabai notify all communities of telephone number for letting him know their heading over to Shomer Shabbos
Of course don’t forget to thank your ride and Thank Hashem too for making such a free service of klal Yisroel helping each other out
That is not the gabbai s job…
TY for tips. Just one point, I believe it is generally accepted to offer $5-10 for a trip. Some decline, but many do take it, as it helps; especially if they go often. The best thing is to take out the money and hand it to the person – even better than asking; if you’re putting it into the person’s hand, it’s more likely he’ll take it.
I travel alot, but dont give rides. There is a reason. I am on private calls, or need some peace of mind and a quiet car.
Think about the other side. dont rely on others for a ride… Plan ahead.
Please post your phone number here if your going to or from Lakewood past 9:30 PM so that people doing mitzvos do NOT have to arrive home so late. PLEASE PLEASE do this GREAT GREAT mitzvah.
Fort Hamilton
parkway and 78th Street is a place known, that people wait there for rides there is even a bench to sit down, My son goes there and has had a lot of hatzlacha finding a ride. This is much easier for drivers that they can just drive by and if they see someone than they can stop, instead of going into the shul and asking.
And if you get a ride please give the driver 5 dollars to show your hakaras hotoiv. Not that it makes a huge difference but when I drive you to your door it’s the least you can do.
Please do not go to Brooklyn without a planned ride back and assume that someone will pick you up at a time and place that is convenient for you. If you don’t have a ride back, don’t go. Otherwise, be prepared to wait.
Some of you commentators are getting all bent out of shape regarding calling a number so on and so forth. Hitching a ride is exactly that you are hitching and sometimes you’ll find and sometimes not. I can say about 90% of the time that people wait for rides in shomer Shabbos get a ride to wherever they need to go to. Last night you were that 10% thst couldn’t find a ride. Hatzlacha
guess what? Her husband actually did get a ride, but he had to wait longer than he wanted to!
Giving a ride is modern hachnosas orchim…not hosting some highflying choshuva person in your home…listen to r nissim kaplan this week parsha 4 doors of avrahams tent =4 doors of car…
You have got to be joking. He assumed!!!!! Why would one ever assume??? Unfortunately there are a lot of crazy people out there. I don’t blame anyone for not stopping. I have even taught my kids to never assume. He should have left Lakewood early to catch a bus back.
Let’s not be so judgmental. Many men enjoy and need some “down time” by driving back alone. It’s not about being lazy to pick somebody up.
I rarely travel to Brooklyn but I do remember that the gabbai (Hillel) gave his number 718-916-1372.
He would take calls from drivers and he announced in shop about it.
Its been a long time so I don’t know if he still had this number
Are some ppl feeling guilty or what?
All it says in the letter is it’s a tremendous chessed to offer someone a ride(it is, so no need to argue that one!), if you are able to,please do!
No need to explain why you personally can’t or why he should have taken the bus or made other arrangements!
Tizku lemitzvos!!
thats a fairly new aveirah ” feeling guilty”!!!!! our rabbeim never spoke about this “aveirah”! theres nothing wrong with what the ppl wrote. in fact its in line with their parents and ancestry. baishanim rachmanim v’gomlei chasadim ! please try not to let the liberal/leftist ani torah views pentrate your jewish heart!
Maybe the Lakewood bus can have busses running at later hours? People who go into Brooklyn for simchas are usually not ready to leave at 9:30.
I commute regularly to a place with no Jewish community and I pass that area. There are often people waiting for a ride and they must be disappointed when I drive by, but it doesn’t make sense for me to pull over just to tell them that I’m going to Yehupitz, NJ. So please remeber to דן לכף זכות when someone doesn’t pick you up.
I was in Brooklyn last night and went to look for hitchers, at Ft Hamilton. There no one there. I never go to Shomer Shabbos to look for hitches. How can I find a Potential hitcher, should I klap on the bimah ? And where should I park while I run in ? It doesn’t make sense. If ur husband or son or whatever, is looking for a ride from Brooklyn to Lkwd, they should go to 78th and Ft Hamilton. Period. I’m not fighting Center-of-BP traffic, then park, then run Inside, then find a hitcher, to give a ride. That’s nuts.
That’s just me. Sorry
Yehuda,
The system at Shomer Shabbos already works the way you are saying it should. The Gabbai’s phone number is 718-916-1372.
Everyone stop bashing..if you can’t take ppl, then dont. This was to alert those that can and are happy to do the chesed, that if they can, they should pop in. Some nice suggestions were raised here, kol hakavod. Noone needs a speech about planning ahead or not going. And noone needs to explain why they cant help. That wasnt the point of the letter…
When there is someone who is stuck late at night with no way to get home, and you are thinking about wanting quiet down time? I tend to think you are a bit self centered. Or chesed is ‘not your type’
Hitchhiking is illegal
Sorry, but its’ not hitching; these are prepared rides; arranged by Avraham Avinu (see ‘four door’ comment above!!!)
I often stop there to daven maariv before heading back. And at times I do and at times I’m not in the mood.. Some of these passengers – and btw I never ever charge even when I was a bochur many years ago I’d never charge… 5 or 10 bucks is not gonna make a whole difference- I’ve had all types of unpleasant experiences like the yungerman that was literally on the phone to his wife the whole trip back to Lakewood. Yes it is very annoying to have to hear his entire conversation with wife as they discuss everything all the while I’m trying to relax after a whole day especially when I whatsapp my wife because I don’t feel comfortable having a conversation when others are in the car. And how about the yungerman that was maavir sedra on a Friday afternoon once the whole trip. Of course he asked me if I mind. What am I supposed to say I do! So it goes both ways. It’s not an easy mitzvah for a lot of people…
yes if you mind you should say so. certainly better than not taking someone because of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If everyone would pay $10 and not make the driver feel guilty for taking it, alot more people would stop !!!! It’s only mentchlich.
If you were stranded one time on the side of the road and watch people driving empty cars whizzing by you, you would stop every time.
I have a business as well and there are plenty of calls you can make with a bochur in the back and save that “private call” for an hour later.
How would you feel if it was your son stranded?
Unexpected situations turn up
People get stuck without rides
Please think twice and call the gabbai 5 minutesser before
You get there
My wife once missed the last bus by seconds
She called me several times every halg hour that she for sure has a ride
Never worked out
I ended up leaving Lakewood
3 Am to pick her up
If more people would stop
She definitely would have had a ride
If more people would stop
I travel between lkwd and bp at least 3 times per week. I always stop at the Ft Hamilton & 78 stop to pickup people waiting there. Yes I like to listen to the news or radio talk shows on the way home, it helps me relax but I would gladly forgo it to help a fellow yid.
As far as shomer shabbos, driving thru bp to get there, finding parking will add you at least 1/2 hour to drive home during rush hours and that’s already a big ask at the end of the day when my nerves are already frayed. ( I wasn’t aware about the Hillel’s, or is it Mr. Metzger, phone number. I will BLN make use of it when I’m in the area.)
BTW for my fellow ride givers, I have a code with my wife when she calls and I have people in the car. When I pick up the first thing I tell her “Honey you’re on speaker” to prevent uncomfortable mistakes.
To the hesitant drivers I would like to point out that doing chesed with your car is a big shemira. And we all know how much shemira we need on the road. So paying insurance is also a big inconvenience. And remember Lfum Tzaare Agre. The harder the deed the bigger the reward.