Jewish Truck Driver In 100 KPH Tefillin Bomb Scare

An Australian Jewish truck driver, Shmuel Potash, led police on a high speed chase after they thought the tefillin he was wearing were bombs.

 

An Australian Jewish truck driver, Shmuel Potash, apparently pulled over to the side of the road on the Monash Freeway to pray. He put on tefillin and was, apparently, well into his morning prayers when police stopped by to see if he was okay.

Potash refused to answer them verbally, apparently containing himself to grunts and gestures.

Police thought the tefillin were bombs.

Potash refused to leave his truck and then fled, going the wrong way down the freeway at, at times as fast as 100 kilometers per hour, at oncoming traffick.

Police had to evacuate the freeway.

Postash eventually stopped, appeared incoherent to police, and is now in a psychiatric hospital until at least Monday.

Comments

[Jewish Cynic]

Is doing 62mph on a freeway really "high speed"?
Though when you're doing it in the opposite direction to traffic it's a closing speed of about 120mph... guess he believed those tifillin had magical powers.

[Grant]

Lolololololololol I guess at some point he got tired of trying to explain himself without talking and was just like "ah, fuck it". Funny stuff.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Apologies to the Runaways (Cherry Bomb):

Can't stay at home, can't stay at shull
The rabbi say, ya poor little Shmuel
Down the street I'm the Yid next door
In the truck you've been chasing far

Refrain:
Hello Rebbe, hello Cops
I'm your te te te te te tefillin bomb
Hello world I'm your mild churl
I'm your te te te te te tefillin bomb

Iron age book and strange sounds too
Come on copper, let me daven, nu?
Friday nights cause'n Shabbos blues
Get down Yidden, with some Kedem booze

Refrain (2x)

Hey tough Goy, why the bile?
Your dead end chase gone on for miles
I'll give ya something to live for
Tie phylacteries until you're sore

Refrain

Tefillin bomb (5x)

[Moshe in Israel]

Wonderful quote from the linked article.

"He appeared to have some form of mental condition that was affecting his ability to speak with us," he said.

That pretty much sums up living in a world of בן אדום למקום with a total disregard for בן אדום לחברו. It's a mental condition.

He obviously does not understand that הכל דוחה פיקוח נפש.

[Barry]

"The difficulties that one experiences in life with regard to children, health and parnassah derive from the sin of speaking during Tefillah." Piskei Tshuvos 124:7, Igeres R' Dov Ber

See what can happen when you try to follow halacha by refusing to talk and instead communicate by grunts and gestures. You get 'Baker Acted'!! So much for the claim that you cannot come to harm whilst performing a mitzvah.

[AE]

I hope this person gets the psychiatric help he clearly needs.

[Jeff Marker]

I remember decades ago arriving early in the morning in Cleveland Union Terminal (train station). I found a quiet corner to doven and police came over and got somewhat upset because I wouldn't speak to them while I was in the middle of the amidah.

[Jeff Marker]

I remember decades ago arriving early in the morning in Cleveland Union Terminal (train station). I found a quiet corner to doven and police came over and got somewhat upset because I wouldn't speak to them while I was in the middle of the amidah.

[WoolSilkCotton; I must be seen to be believed]

"...He appeared to have some form of mental condition..."

True for all frumma.

Jeff Marker, I've also been in those shoes, but at some point in life I realized that I committing a far worse offense against God by causing the police to think that a religious Jew is either nuts or not cooperating for some sinister reason. Interrupting during prayer in those circumstances is something that God ought to be able to understand. Maybe a rabbi would agree, maybe not, but I made my decision.

[David]

This is not the first time police have thought the tefillin might be a bomb or some other menacing device. The mental condition of this person aside, I would have thought most reasonably well balanced and informed non-Jews such as the police would know what tefillin are? Surely they would have seen them somewhere in their life-experience?

And I really don't like the attitude of some frumma who feel when they are in public places like airports etc. (or in this case in a truck or beside the road.) that davening has to be as "in the face" of others as possible. They just need to find a quiet out-of-the-way place where they won't confront or disturb others.

WSC - good point. I'm sure G-d wouldn't mind an interuption to davening in order to avoid a chillul Hashem.

[WoolSilkCotton; I must be seen to be believed]

David, another idea would be for the frumma to wake up a little earlier, and daven at home or at shul.

However, that requires self-discipline, in order to wake up earlier and do the right thing. Self-discipline is not a frum trait.

[Aussie]

IDIOT...he could of pulled off at any of the many exits to daven....
We all know that if you stop on that freeway emergency response van or cops will come to see what you doing....