1. If its not a safe spot don’t pick them up!

2. this has happened to me many times just last week I was on Central Ave an I almost slammed into a car that just stopped without signaling or pulling to the side to pick up someone. in my mind its I would say its a bigger chesed not to stop even if there is a slight chance or danger.

3. this is a big problem the boys you mentioned i think are from keren Hatorah and it must stop

4. It is clearly a case of Sakanas Nefoshos. The only way to stop it and prevent a future tragedy is for the drivers not to pickup hitchhikers under any circumstances.
   BTW it is illegal as well.

5. you are right 100%

6. some people don’t get it but the truth is that its a bigger chesed not to stop

7. Aside from the danger of bochrim standing on the streets trying to hitch, many times they try to stop you in illegal places for a hitch such as on madison ave by the lake. I saw a few times thta if you don’t give them a ride they lift their hands in disgust in anger. Where are the parents & hanhala???

8. and how about the hitcher who had the nerve to complain the music was too loud & the ac was too low?

9. there is no mitzvah to put yourself in danger to pick them up so if you feel like it might be dangerous you have no obligation to do so, i would like to know if anyone has a halachik psak on this

10. these Bochrim hitch without using their seichel and people stop for them in places without using their seichel too.I have no problem giving a ride but please stand in a safe place where I can pull my car over safely and not risk an accident.and if your hitching it should be because there is no other option like no bus etc..or you have to get to yeshiva or back home but for a joy ride to exxon and back there is no mitzvah

11. I got a ticket for picking up a passenger on Clifton Ave 2 weeks ago statute # 39:4-65 and the passenger got a ticket as well.

12. While the safety issues are the most important reasons not to pick up hitchikers (safety issues for the bochurim themselves also. How can they trust the person who picks them up?) , there is another reason I don’t like hitching. When you drive down a street and there are many groups of “our” children hitching, it gives a big sense of hefkerus. Girls don’t do it because it’s not tzniyusdig. Well, there is a measure of lack of tznius even when the bochurim are doing it. It’s just not “Bechavadik” and it creates a chillul hashem too.
    The previous post was right. The adults have to take responsibility for their children and talmidim.Zero tolerance for hitching!

13. girls dont do it because nobody will offer them a ride. I know, I have walked lots of places and rarely ever get offered a ride. I once picked up a couple of boys 11:30 at night wondering why these tenth graders were out so late. It was the week before purim. I heard bottles clanking. They had been out buying booze for purim. I was pretty shocked.

14. girls don’t hitch because they make the bus.

15. It is Illegal to Hitch Hike in Nj!!!!!!!! If this was any other town besides Lakewood people would be getting tickets and being investigated left and right!!!!! LPD should really crack down on this!!!!! this is a public safety hazard!!!! instead of burying their heads in the sand!!!!!!!

16. The worst is when someone in front of you stops in the middle of the road!!!!!!!!! and there are cars behind who are waiting!!! To do a mitzvah oif yenems cheshben is not a mitzvah, at least pull to the side of the road.

17. Those who are trying to hitch a ride should at least stand in a place where someone can legally pull over to stop, not in the middle of Madison Ave. or other place like that. If you don’t want to get a ticket don’t stick out your thumb, I don’t think it is illegal to pick someone up if he was waiting for you.

18. I”ve told many Mesivta boys walking in the middle of Forest Avenue if You have Bitochon you get a ride on the side walk, if you walk in the road & danger your life & others I don’t give you a ride, just a big honk.
    If more of us would make a policy of giving rides only to those who use side walks & don’t hitch in the most dangerous spots, then people would use the sidewalks, same way as they use the benches outside Whispering Pines. JMHO

19. mitzvah habah beavera

20. How about the guys who flag you down and are onyl going a block or two? I don’t mind being nice if I am saving you a long walk but I resent enabling your laziness.

21. just spoke to a very prominent rav and he told me bzeh lshon. IF THE PEOPLE OR PERSON HITCHING IS CAUSING EVEN A SMALL DANGER TO THEMSELVES OR TO TRAFFIC THEN ITS AMITZVA TO CALL THE POLICE. not telling anyone to follow this psak but I surly will.THIS IS A WARNING TO ALL HITCHIKERS.

22. all u people shall not jepordize the some guys who hitch yes like animals yes I am a bochur and sometimes drive but if I am in a safe place please stop and pull over safely btw I hitch at squankum and if u are kind enough to stop u shall also pull over all the way to the curb not in the lane or just by the white line neighbors get upset I have even seen the cops and thanks to rabbi ort who lives @************for always telling the guys to let the car pull over and fyi most of the guys who hog the cars are from yeshivas that forgot that its derech eretz kodma l torah and oh if u don’t want to have middos just don’t tnx for posting

23. Just in- would it be possible for you to publicize this Rav’s name (ask him first, obviously)?
    I personally never pick up hitchers as I feel it is dangerous for them and for me. I have even stopped a few times (when there was a safe way to do so) to tell these boys that what they are doing (standing in the street, getting into cars with strangers) is dangerous and stupid. Usually they just yell at me for not giving them a ride and tell me to mind my own business.
    I think that if every so often a cop stopped by and possibly even gave one of them a ticket it might change their attitude.
    However I will not call the police unless I know what Rav said to do it. I could call another Rav but if you already spoke to “a very prominent rav ” then maybe you could save me that phone call by just sharing his name…

24. Anonymous says:
    October 27, 2009 at 11:11 pm
    Just in- would it be possible for you to publicize this Rav’s name (ask him first, obviously)?
    I personally never pick up hitchers as I feel it is dangerous for them and for me. I have even stopped a few times (when there was a safe way to do so) to tell these boys that what they are doing (standing in the street, getting into cars with strangers) is dangerous and stupid. Usually they just yell at me for not giving them a ride and tell me to mind my own business.
    I think that if every so often a cop stopped by and possibly even gave one of them a ticket it might change their attitude.
    However I will not call the police unless I know what Rav said to do it. I could call another Rav but if you already spoke to “a very prominent rav ” then maybe you could save me that phone call by just sharing his name…
    888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
    If you are so concerned as you say you are but you need to hear it from a rav then pick up the phone and ask your rav just like you would when it comes to other important shaylos. Why wait for someone elses rav to convince you that its ok

25. To Asken 11:19 just for the records that was the most stupid comment I have ever seen, there was absolutly nothing productive with it besides to bash the other comment.
    And now that we are done with that ! In regards to the hitching issue I am totally for it it is scary how dangerous it is for the pedestrians and for the cars ! People just slam on the brake out of nowhere, and I believe our great mayor meir lichtenstein wrote an article about this a little while agoso I think it is time to take it to the next step and get parents and schools involved.

26. As per” ICEMAN “”
    (aka hershel HERSHKOWITZ)
    now that the winter is coming up we have to be extra carefull when hitching in wet and ICEE weather

27. Personally, I feel it is a mitzva to give people rides. Obviously, it must be done with seichel. The best situation is where there are designated spots for stopping. Otherwise, one must be able to pull to the side of the road, without disrupting traffic.
    Sometimes, people even go out of their way to give a person a ride to a place they were not planning to go. We have to think of others. What would you appreciate if you needed a ride. So if you’re in the supermarket and someone needs a ride, why not take them. Go a little out of your way, and HaShem will go out of his way for you. If you have a cheshbon that’s fine, but if you blindly pass by without a care, you’re headed in the wrong direction!

28. It is Illegal to Hitch Hike in NJ & a tremendous Chillul HaSh-m! If this was any other town besides Lakewood people would be getting tickets and being investigated left and right!!!!! LPD should really crack down on this!!!!! this is a public safety hazard!!!! instead of burying their heads in the sand!!!!!!!

29. We will be coming out shortly with an official statement concerning the hitching issue. Stay tuned..

30. just spoke to a very prominent rav and he told me bzeh lshon.

    and I spoke to an even more prominant (and more anonymous…)Rov and he didn’t agree, but I don’t remember his exact loshon so maybe I’m mistaken…

    If you are holding by calling the polce I think you should first stop yor car and explain to those involved the danger of what they are doing.Not knowing how t drive many probably don’t realize.

31. And sometimes you pick someone up and they start talking pn a cell phone! Bochurim feel it is coming to them for you to pick them up!

32. Anonymous says:
    October 28, 2009 at 9:41 am
    just spoke to a very prominent rav and he told me bzeh lshon.

    and I spoke to an even more prominant (and more anonymous…)Rov and he didn’t agree, but I don’t remember his exact loshon so maybe I’m mistaken…

    If you are holding by calling the polce I think you should first stop yor car and explain to those involved the danger of what they are doing.Not knowing how t drive many probably don’t realize.
    ========================================
    If you are holding by posting on a blog, then at least learn how to spell and use proper grammer so that we can understand you better!

33. Firstly, I will like to say yasher koach to the mi`ut of you who DO stop and pick me up [from case and 14th or from the blinking lights or Bmg or my mesivta which will remain anonymous for obvious reasons and many other places in town] Yesterday my bus came 5 minutes earlier than usual and I walked out 1 minute late. so after 5 minutes later than the regular time, i was still on the sidewalk waiting on if i missed it or it was just like. Than a car passed by and pulled into the shoulder without me even sticking out my hand and offered me a ride to somewhere a lot closer than yeshiva . I got in still wondering if I taka missed the bus and it is ke`dai to hitch or the bus was just late. After going down forest ave. I saw 5 other bochurim from my yeshiva waiting so i assumed the bus still did not come i got out there. it turns out the bus came earlier than all of us and somebody from my yeshiva with a van passed by and picked us all up. an i got to yeshiva by ashrei. ..
    Either way my point is if you feel it is dangerous for you to stop don’t stop. If you feel it is unsafe for the bochurim pick them up and give them a ride so somebody else won’t hit them .
    And yasher koach to those who go out of your way to drive me to yeshiva

34. I think it’s wonderful that people stop and give rides to bocherim it must be safe to pull over though

Comments are closed.