Rabbi Zilberstein Issues Strong Message: "Does the Road Belong to Your Grandmother?"

The issue of traffic violations, illegal parking, and fines is among the most contentious in Israel these days. Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein, member of the Council of Torah Sages and rabbi of the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood in Bnei Brak, addressed the halachic aspects of this issue in light of the following case that recently came before his Beit Din (religious court):

Person A lent his car to Person B for the day to visit the graves of tzaddikim (righteous individuals) in the north. When B arrived at the grave of the Rambam in Tiberias, he couldn’t find a parking spot and decided to park the car in a no-parking zone on the side of the road.

When B finished praying at the Rambam's tomb, he was surprised to find a 500 NIS ticket on the windshield of the car for obstructing traffic. At the end of the day, B returned the car to his friend and gave him 500 NIS to cover the cost of the parking ticket he received.

Person A managed to have the ticket canceled but refused to return the 500 NIS to his friend. The two men presented their case to Rabbi Zilberstein, who surprisingly ruled that A is not obligated to return the money to his friend despite the fact that the ticket was canceled.

Rabbi Zilberstein explained his ruling and noted: "The individual who borrowed the car is a wild person. How can you park in a no-parking zone? How can you interfere with people driving on the road? Does the road belong to your grandmother? The road is public property. The public has the right to drive in a normal place."

The rabbi further added: "Person B didn't just receive the ticket. After receiving the ticket, he is no longer a 'borrower' who borrowed his friend’s car. Instead, he became someone who used the vehicle without permission, since he violated traffic rules in a car that isn't his. According to religious law," the Rabbi continued, "he should pay a 1,000 NIS fine because he drove the car without permission."