Q&A: Desecration of God's Name by Crossing on Red
Desecration of God's Name by Crossing on Red
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Is there any prohibition against crossing at a red light when no car is approaching?
A: From the standpoint of desecration of God's name, if a secular person sees me.
B: What about "the law of the kingdom is the law"? (By the way, I’d be happy if you could explain where this rule comes from, and whether it is a rabbinic enactment at all.)
C: If small children see me crossing on red, is there a problem that they may come to learn from me?
Answer
There is such a thing as common sense. If there’s nobody there and not the slightest concern about a car, then in my opinion this is an accepted step and there is no halakhic or moral prohibition involved. There is, of course, a legal prohibition. The principle of "the law of the kingdom is the law" does not follow whatever the law formally requires, but rather what the reasonable citizen actually does in relation to the law.
If there is concern that people will see you and connect it to your being religious, then clearly it is not proper to do so. But I don’t think that is usually the case. Almost everyone does it.
As for children, there is definitely a concern, and it is proper not to do this in front of them. Maybe it’s best not to do it at all, except in a pressing situation (when you are in a great hurry for something important).
Regarding "the law of the kingdom is the law," see the overview on Wikipedia:
https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%93%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%90_%D7%93%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%90_%D7%93%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%90
Rabbeinu Tam’s view is that this is a rabbinic enactment, but that seems highly implausible to me. And indeed, that is a minority view.