Because of Him, I Keep Shabbos

Rav Mordechai Becher, a well-known Gateways lecturer and rebbi at Yeshivas Ohr Somayach, shared the following story. A taxicab pulled up, and the driver, who wore no yarmulke and did not look religious, asked Rav Becher whether he learned at the yeshivah, and if so, in which shiur. Surprised, Rav Becher answered that he did, and that he learned in Rav Moshe Shapiro's shiur. "Because of him, I keep Shabbos," said the driver. Rav Becher asked what he meant, and the driver told him the following.

"Rav Moshe Shapiro lives in my building. A few days after he moved in, it was a rainy day, and I saw him going out, obviously in a hurry. He looked like a respectable person, so I called over to him, 'Kevod haRav, come, I will give you a ride in my taxi free of charge.'

"He thanked me and got in. I put the key in the ignition, and as I started the car I felt his hand on mine. 'You don't drive on Shabbos, do you?' Rav Moshe asked. There was something in the way he said it. I could tell that if I answered yes, I would hurt him very much.

"I could not bring myself to say, 'Yes, I drive on Shabbos,' to this Rav, though the truth was that I did. But I also felt I could not lie to him. It was raining outside, his hand was on mine, and I paused. At that moment I took a mental oath, a shavua, that from then on I would never again drive on Shabbos. And so I was able to tell him truthfully, 'No, I do not drive on Shabbos.' That is why I keep Shabbos today. Because of Rav Moshe Shapiro."