Q&A: Driving a Soldier Son Who Was Called Up on Shabbat
Driving a Soldier Son Who Was Called Up on Shabbat
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I heard a story about a mother whose soldier son was called up on the Black Shabbat, and she drove him to where he needed to go. Is the mother allowed to drive back home on Shabbat after she drove him?
Best regards,
Answer
Simply speaking, no. Even for doctors, where the permission is essential (without it they cannot get there), they permit it only via a non-Jew.
Discussion on Answer
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See here for an overview.
In the case of driving a soldier, it is even more problematic, because he personally is not really in the category of a rescuer, and his mother even less so. This is not a typical situation where there is concern that in the future it would lead to danger to life. It reminds me of my responsum about someone who was locked out of the house during a siren—whether he is allowed to activate the code. See there the distinction between specific cases and a general case.
Why is the soldier not in the category of a rescuer? After all, he appears in the Mishnah as the classic example of a rescuer:
“All who go out to rescue may return to their place.”
“And when they save their brethren, they are permitted to return with their weapons to their place on Shabbat, so as not to cause them to fail in the future.”
And regarding his mother—if she is driving him, she is a kind of combat support, which could also be considered rescuing.
First of all, as I wrote, even for an actual rescuer most halakhic decisors did not permit Torah prohibitions.
Beyond that, there are many differences. Here we are talking about one soldier out of an army. This is not a random group going out to save a particular person, as was customary in the past. A person who is called to the army will not refuse to come if they do not permit him to return, because he has no such option. He is obligated to report for service. The rescuers back then were volunteers whose continued availability had to be ensured. The mother is indeed driving him, but usually he can also get there without her, even if less conveniently. In short, there are many differences.
Is there no concern that in such a case people will refrain from driving others in a life-threatening situation?