“The Creepy Taxi Driver”
A Moral Dilemma for the Shabbos Table
By Rabbi Yitzi Weiner
The following true moral dilemma relates to someone who had a question over whether he was obligated to pay his taxi driver for his service.
Donny was a well-dressed American businessman who arrived in Israel. He flagged down a taxi to get a ride to his hotel. The taxi driver quoted him a very high price of $70 for the ride, when the ride normally cost the equivalent of $20. Donny pulled out a $100 bill, showed it to the driver and asked him if he had any change. “No, I don’t have any change” the driver said brusquely. Donny had an intuition that this driver was not honest. They arrived at the hotel when it was already dark. Donny started rummaging around the seats in the back. “I dropped the $100 dollar bill under the seat”, Donny said. “Do you perhaps have a flashlight to look for the $100”. “No! No flashlight”, the driver said impatiently. Donny asked the driver if he can wait a minute while he gets a flashlight from the hotel. Donny walked into the hotel lobby holding his handbag. As soon as Donny walked in, the driver quickly sped away, intending to keep the entire $100 in his car. It turns out that the driver was indeed dishonest.
Donny, however watched the taxi pull away and chuckled slyly to himself.
It turned out that Donny outsmarted the driver. Donny never truly lost the $100 bill. After he dropped the bill, he put it back in his pocket. The driver, driving away trying to steal from him, ended up losing the entire fare.
That night, in the hotel, Donny told this story to his wife. Donny’s wife seemed horrified though. She argued to him that he had a responsibility to try to track down the driver and pay him for his fare. “Even though he drove off, trying to steal from you, he did it because you tricked him. You still have a mitzva to pay him for his service.”
Donny wasn’t sure his wife was right. He was happy to pay the driver but the driver drove off without asking for payment. The driver fooled himself.
Who is right? Does Donny have a mitzva to track down the driver and the cab company to pay the driver for his service of driving him home from the airport?
See Veharev Na Volume One page 82
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Answer to last week’s moral dilemma:
(click here to review the question)
A similar story is discussed in Veharev Na Volume One page 363
Rabbi Zilberstein answered that it appears that Aliza should win the entire prize, because it was her initiative that allowed her to win it. Nonetheless it is proper, but not obligatory to share some of the winnings with her friends, because they helped her win it.
Have a wonderful Shabbos!
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