Rabbi Eliezer Havivi's Message

"Stop Doing It. Today."

I'm going to stop doing it. Today.

It's my most important new year's resolution. Because it could save my life, or someone else's.

It's the cell phone. In the car. Yes, I have a hands-free bluetooth earpiece. But I can't tell you how many times I've looked down, even for a split second, while driving, to check a number, or an incoming call, or press a button, or, I'm embarrassed to say, look at a text and respond, and then looked up at the road and found myself veering into the wrong lane, or with a stopped car "suddenly" in front of me. And I say to myself, each time, that I'm going to stop doing that while driving, but I never do. Until now.

The Torah tells us that we have to guard our lives and our wellbeing - v'nishmartem me'od l'nafshotaychem - and the later the Talmud gives examples of avoiding foods or drink that might harm us, or wandering around near ruins that might collapse on us. Maimonides expands on this in his 11th century Code, to shun what is dangerous and harmful to the body, and to cultivate life-preserving habits. And the Shulchan Aruch, in the 1600's, says that we are forbidden to harm ourselves or knowingly put ourselves in situations of sakanat nefashot - danger of bodily harm.

Of course, there are exceptions - saving someone else's life, or going to war, or donating a kidney. But calling the kids, or the office, or returning a few calls to save time while on the road, is not one of those exceptions.

In December, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a recommendation to ban all cell phone use while driving, what they call "distracted driving." In 2010, 3,092 people died in accidents in which distracted driving, notably cellphone use, was a factor. I've had too many close calls myself.

It's unlikely that any state will totally ban cellphone use while driving in the near future. But we all know that it's dangerous, that it distracts us, we've all had those close calls.

So, I'm not waiting for the NTSB, or for the State of North Carolina, to ban cellphone use while driving. I don't want my own kids, or yours, to be distracted by cell use while they are driving, so I am going to stop myself. I'll have to struggle. It'll be tempting to make those calls when I have time in the car, or just take a look and see who is calling or texting me. But if theTorah and the Talmud, and Rambam and the Shulchan Aruch all tell me that if I'm convinced that it's putting myself in danger, then I shouldn't do it, that 's enough convincing for me. I'm stopping. As of today!

I invite you to join me in this new year's resolution.

And if people ask you why you didn't call or text them back right away, you can always say ...

"My rabbi told me it's forbidden!"

Wishing all a safe and healthy 2012,

Eliezer Havivi