In a candid address to talmidim at Yeshivas Oraysa in Yerushalayim, the mashgiach, Rav Dovid Kopp, announced a strict new enforcement policy: any talmid found driving a car during his yeshiva years will face immediate and severe financial penalties.
In a recording of the speech circulated Monday, Rav Kopp described the rise in young men obtaining driver’s licenses and using automobiles during their learning years as a dangerous erosion of the yeshiva framework and the students’ spiritual seriousness. He warned that the practice undermines the sanctity and focus expected in the learning environment.
Under the new sanctions, a talmid caught driving will be fined NIS 1,000 on the spot. Rav Kopp made clear that the fine is nonrefundable and that “no excuse will help” — including claims that the talmid had permission from another member of the administration.
Talmidim who ride as passengers in a forbidden vehicle will also be penalized: each passenger will incur a NIS 200 fine in addition to the driver’s heavier penalty.
The mashgiach framed the measure as immediate, uncompromising enforcement intended to halt what he described as a growing “separation” from the yeshiva way of life. He said the financial penalty is meant both to deter the practice and to send a clear message that the institution will not tolerate behaviors that detract from full-time immersion in Torah study.
The prohibition on holding or using driver’s licenses while enrolled in full-time yeshiva is a long-established norm in much of the Torah world, particularly within many chassidishe institutions. In those communities, the consequences can be extreme: a talmid caught driving or found to be in possession of a car or license may face expulsion and a permanent break with the yeshiva.
At Yeshivas Oraysa, Rav Kopp’s new sanctions add an economic layer to existing communal expectations, signaling a tougher approach to enforcement. Officials said the policy is aimed at preserving the yeshiva’s atmosphere of detachment from worldly distractions and protecting the talmidim’s single-minded devotion to Torah study.
They need to start doing the same thing here in the USA too.
They have to be caught?
I would expect better character from these characters.
I hope this yeshiva has a musser Seder.
Not everyone is as perfect as you are.
May they ride bicycles? I assume not, as it is a Hasidic institution.
My old car can use new shocks.
I feel sorry for anyone who learns in this school. Fines, terrorizing, and bullying people to obey your orders doesn’t work and only backfires.
The boy can choose to learn elsewhere
What is wrong with a licensed driver, driving a car ?
There’s no reason a yeshiva bochur should get a driver’s license.
I still don’t understand. If someone is of legal age and is properly licensed; what is wrong with driving a car, if it’s for a legitimate reason, such as, for example, driving someone else to Yeshiva, or doing a Mitzvah, by delivering something to a Jew who needs it ?