The Taxi Station Manager Embracing Shabbat: 'I Feel the Gates of Heaven Have Opened'

In a cave somewhere in the country, amidst endless eucalyptus trees, with a breathtaking view of creation and the Mediterranean Sea spread before him in all its glory, lived a lonely hermit. The conditions in which he lived consisted of the clothes on his back, a windbreaker, and a walking stick. For five years, he lived this way, after deciding that his life was not meant to be lived among normative people. This man's name is Max Butler, and he is now the manager of the 'Gold Standard' taxi station in Rishon LeZion. Max came to public attention when he decided to observe Shabbat following the blatant violation of it by certain city leaders in the country who chose to trample on Shabbat and operate public transport during it. This pained Max so much that he simply informed his clients who wanted to book a taxi on Shabbat that they would need to find another station. "Here, the station is locked an hour before Shabbat starts, and the phones are off until it ends," he tells me in his laconic message to customers.

Thoughts by the Sea

When I went out to meet Max, who moved the people of Israel with the touching video of his commitment to observe Shabbat and stop smoking during it, I met a warm-hearted man, steadfast in his views, and mainly filled with supreme happiness.

After he told me about his cave story, I asked to understand a bit more about what preceded it. "It was after I received three harsh blows in three consecutive nights," he says. "One night they broke into my truck and stole it along with merchandise I marketed to shops, costing 10,000 dollars, without any insurance on the goods;; the second night, strangers broke into my house, put the family to sleep with spray, and emptied the house of all contents; and if all this didn't break me, on the third night, thieves broke into my warehouse at the other end of the city where I live and emptied it of its contents, causing damage totaling tens of thousands of shekels. 'The three blows', as I call them, completely broke me and crushed my spirit, until I concluded that living among people was not for me, and my place was not among living creatures." So, Max left his home one bright day, not taking even food or drink with him, on the way to an unknown destination.

"I spent five years in a cave I found for myself somewhere in the north of the country. Five years I call 'the happiest period of my life'. Boundless tranquility was my lot, free of tomorrow's worries and thoughts about the future. I lived day by day, not dedicating even a single moment to my purpose in the world, wandering like a drunk, without knowing.

"After five years, I found myself walking on the beach at five in the morning. I don't know what happened to me, but I started thinking about the home I had left, about the children growing up without a father. It's not that I didn't care about them, don't get me wrong," he emphasizes, "During the time I lived in the cave, I made a living from the fishing business. I would sit for hours by the sea with a fishing rod in hand, waiting for a fish to come and take the bait. I sold the fish to a regular trader and sent the money to my family." Max continues to describe to me the thoughts he had that bright morning by the sea. "The thought of 'what am I doing here in these lives' started gnawing at my heart. How am I allowing my children to be raised this way? What do I want for my future? Questions of essence and the path put an end to my cave life, and I decided to return home. From then on, my staunch opposition to religion decreased, and I began to take more interest in it.

"Over time," Max reveals to me, "two of my sons returned to religious observance and are today completely observant."

How did you feel about your sons returning to their faith?

"I felt completely fine and accepted their requests to respect the kosher dietary laws. My sons politely and respectfully asked, and we decided to honor these decisions to allow them to bring their children to Grandpa's house. We did this with joy and did not feel imposed upon."

"For the First Time in My Life, I Observed Shabbat"

In the video he shared, we heard Max say that he listens a lot to Rabbi Zamir Cohen from Hidabroot. During our conversation, he explains further: "One day my son came to me and said, 'Listen Dad, I'm giving you a lecture by a rabbi. After you hear him, you'll become addicted to it.' It was Rabbi Zamir Cohen, may he be successful, from Hidabroot. I thought to myself, 'What harm can it do? I'll listen to him.' But as my son said, it happened. I listened and was captivated. His lecture was delivered in a calm, friendly manner, and above all, I understood these were words of truth. Since then, I've listened to thousands of lectures by Rabbi Zamir Cohen, continuously astonished by the vast knowledge and solid content in his talks. Nowadays, I sit at the taxi station, managing my staff on one screen while watching one of his lectures on another. His lesson is my daily nourishment, and I can't do without it".

As mentioned, in recent times, with the increase of Shabbat desecrations around the country, Max decided to close the station on Shabbat, even though the bulk of his income came from weekend earnings. "It was a decisive, perhaps drastic decision, but I didn't feel any difficulty in it. It angered me very much to feel that what Hitler wanted to do to the Jewish people, people in Israel today are trying to do - to uproot the Torah and Judaism from the world. In response, I decided to bring a bit of light into the world, to perform a good deed that will enter people's minds, making them realize that this is the Land of the Jews, which means observing the Torah and commandments."

What reactions did you receive?

"I remember the day I undertook Shabbat observance was the happiest day of my life. I felt like a newborn. Seconds after I released the first video where I announced my decision, I received a flood of calls, endless conversations full of admiration and appreciation for my step. Throughout the night, the phone rang, and I couldn't work as usual due to the number of calls. People encouraged and mainly asked me to strengthen them as well, asking for a blessing from the source of the blessing - Shabbat. The reactions were truly enthusiastic. I didn't receive a single angry or disgruntled response; I discovered the beautiful people of Israel, respectful, empathetic, and supportive of every good deed".

Do you feel you've lost with the station's closure on Shabbat?

"Not at all. On the contrary, I can tell you and declare publicly: I've started earning more. If every month I would end with a certain amount of money, discovering that a significant portion had vanished on unusual expenses and things I don't know of, today, I can testify that I began to earn. All the money entering me is accompanied by blessing. For the first time in my life, I felt I was earning. This is a fact," Max declares, and I feel I'm standing in an exalted moment of a tangible modern-day fulfillment of the promise "Shabbat is the source of blessing". His decisive tone leaves no doubt - more than we observe Shabbat, Shabbat observes us. "On the day of the decision, I told my wife, 'Listen, I feel that the heavens have opened for us, the gates of heaven have opened for us.' We felt on cloud nine, and we see the blessing," Max tells.

Still, this did not reach the exalted feeling of his first Shabbat observance. "Shabbat arrived, and I intended to stand firm on the observance," he recalls. It was not easy at all for him since he was a heavy smoker. "On the first Shabbat after the brave decision, I managed for the first time to refrain from smoking for an entire day. And let me tell you a secret," he whispers, "it wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated. I thought I would collapse midway and couldn't hold on. But lo and behold, it didn't happen. I observed my first Shabbat in its entirety, according to all its laws and regulations. It was the most moving Shabbat of my life. I felt a quiet peace, a lot of satisfaction, and a generally better feeling overall".  

What message do you want to convey?

"My message is one and only: Jews, observe Shabbat. Shabbat brings true light and peace. It unites the family and brings you hours of rest, hours of calm and a break from the endless race of life. Try it; it's very rewarding".

What is your aspiration today in life?

"To reach a point where, when logic ends, my faith will begin to operate. At the life point where my logic ends, I would like the faith within me to give voice, to start believing wholeheartedly in things that don't seem logical".

In conclusion, I bring Max's request to all who read these words: After the station decided to close its gates on Shabbat, it is a commandment and duty to support it and adhere to making travel bookings solely from a Shabbat-observing station. This simple action of supporting Shabbat-observant businesses will surely lead more Jews to imitate Max and close their businesses on Shabbat, and together we can bring Shabbat to every home in Israel.