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Judge Cites Shlichus for Letting Rabbi Off the Hook

Cambridge News

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The rabbi for Cambridge has appeared in court for using his mobile phone while driving. The spiritual leader who works at Addenbrooke’s and Papworth hospitals as well as Cambridge University pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared before magistrates.

Aaron Reuven Leigh already had nine points on his licence for three speeding offences, and therefore faced disqualification from driving.

The rabbi from Castle Street, in Cambridge, was caught by a police officer at a roundabout off junction 11 of the M11 on June 30.

Laura Mardell, prosecuting, told the court: “The police officer was alerted to Mr Leigh as his car was not moving as he waited at the junction of the roundabout, although there was no traffic he needed to give way to.

“He could see Mr Leigh talking into a phone held to his right ear.”

The officer then watched the rabbi drive all the way around the roundabout with his phone still held to his ear.

Defending himself, Leigh said: “I am the sole resident rabbi in East Anglia and chaplain to many services in the region.

“I am requested to visit Waylen Prison and a mentally ill patient in Peterborough.

“I will not lose my job if I lose my licence, however my role as a communal rabbi means these are my responsibilities and I will not be able to carry them out without it.”

When asked by the presiding magistrate, Marisa Johnson, if anyone else could provide these services, he replied “No”.

Mrs Johnson said: “We do find there are exceptional circumstances in this case that would cause hardship, not just to yourself but to many others if you were to lose your licence.

“We are not going to disqualify you from driving but I have to warn you, you cannot use the same argument you have given today in another hearing.

“You really need to take a good look at your driving.”

For using a handheld mobile phone while driving a motor vehicle on a road, Leigh was ordered to pay a £60 fine, £70 court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

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14 Comments

  • fellow shliach

    its not worth it.

    9 points for speeding???? asei leman your family… dont kill yourself.
    and talking??? i almost drove in 65 miles an hour because my STUPID cellphone.

    ITS NOT WORTH IT.

  • big deal, happen to be lucky...

    nothing to be proud of. A shliach should be carefull not to do anything that may end-up in a Chilul Hashem. And keep the law of the land.

  • Chanoch Sufrin

    As a Shliach I think we need to be careful not to use our positions as an excuse.
    I DO NOT THINK RABBI REUVEN LEIGH USED HIS POSITION AS AN EXCUSE.
    He pleaded guilty, he did the wrong thing, will certainly learn from it, and it was simply reported in the local press, because it was newsworthy to the locals.
    RABBI LEIGH, HATZLOCHO RABBO… and take care of yourself, talk-driving is DISTRACTING and therefore dangerous.

  • basic perception

    #8, your proposed idea of chillul Hashem is warped.

    Unlike the social application of the term, halachically chillul Hashem is something quiet different.

    Or by such standards, making a shturem in the public square to promote public menorahs is a chillul Hashem.
    or aspiring to Torah, but acheiving like a fallible human being would be.
    One can even say that saying the brocha “mechaye meisim” is a chillul Hashem in mor secular congregations, or failing to refill a parking meter in time, or simply standing up for what’s right instead of “going with the flow”.

    Chillul Hashem is actually (in the following applications):
    1: transgressing one of the 3 aveiros which are ‘yaharog ve’al ya’avor’
    2: contributing to an initiative having the purpose of eroding Torah
    3: something so unbecoming the ‘individual’ that even a friend (the likes of which would bury a body for you) would be embarrassed to be known to you.
    The general socially employed “chillul Hashem” reference is an invention of elementary school morahs, and personally image-conscious tweens.

    It’s biggest failure is that it’s a judgement of an individual in reference to how they measure up to the collective, not to how they measure up to their individual maalos and kochos, and as perceived by one void of self-interest (the true friend, of which some have one, and even more have none).

    The biggest injustice of the social chillul Hashem charge is that it actually takes Hashem (and humility) out of the equation, and makes it all about image and political correctness if you will. In addition there is the element of judging people against a common social standard and standing, instead of in light of their individuality.

    And his being a Rabbi only makes it one more reason why you have less of a place to judge him, for while the standards of chillul Hashem are not dependent on his occupation, the requirement that you have some respect is.

    Last but not least, along the (incorrect) social definition of chillul Hashem, everyone who uses the term in such a context is guilty of the charge for they promote the subjective perspective that because someone is a Jew, or a Rabbi or a teacher, that therefore they are less of a fallible human being, and therefore when in error (if even) could and/or should be prayed upon by the likes of you, morahs, tweens and self-righteous or denegrative seculars and/or non-Jews.

    May the truth finally be publicized.

    And may the innocent finally be free of so much self-righteously indignant ayin hara.

  • TO NUMBER 11

    What are you talking about? you have not got a clue what you are saying, for a jew to end up in court in this situation is a chilul Hashem PERIOD. Go and relearn what it says about chilul Hashem for you have it all wrong my freind.

    In this situation it is a sad story and i am sure this was the last thing that the Rabbi wanted, however to say it is not a chilul Hashem is simply incorrect.

    So stop writing misleading sermons that people might think are correct. Or sign your name and quote where you base what you are writing from so that people can prove you wrong.

    Yours sincerly Michoel

  • Milhouse

    #11 is right, “chilul haShem” does NOT mean making goyim upset. Chilul haShem is when you act in public against the Torah. If what you are doing is not against the Torah then there is no chilul haShem, no matter what the goyim think.