A Yid who often travels by bus related the following: Throughout the years, I waited for the mehadrin revolution to take place – men in the front and women in the back. I waited for this to be an established fact that would save me from many nisyonos in my travels.
Baruch Hashem, in recent years there has been much advancement in this area, and I thought to myself that it’s interesting how this happened. I met an askan who is very involved in this matter, and he pointed out an amazing fact. Many years ago, gedolei Yisrael urged travelers to be careful with safeguards for tznius while on the bus: Men should get on from the front door and women from the back door. Then the bus would automatically be divided into the men’s section and the women’s section, and everyone would travel in a kosher and secure way.
There was a lot of hisorerus about this after the terror attack on the number 2 bus returning from the Kosel, and since then there has been constant talk about the importance of this matter.
Then the judges of the courts got really angry. People with an agenda against any spiritual advancement put a stop to the revolution. They made all sorts of allegations and claims, until the high court ruled that it is forbidden to open the back doors of the bus. Thus, the buses continued traveling as usual.
Until corona.
That very frightening corona accomplished something very good. The drivers wanted to decrease the danger of their catching the virus, and the bus companies agreed to start opening all the doors so the passengers could get on while maintaining a distance.
With the invention of the mechanical bus pass (rav-kav), a machine to validate it was placed near the back door. As a result, women get on from this door and do not have to go to the front of the bus at all.
“You see,” he told me, “corona was indeed a difficult nisayon, but along with it, it’s important for us to notice Hashem’s hashgachah. Because of corona we got something very good, because since it came to the world, the drivers open the back doors on the buses.”
May Hashem help, and may we be zocheh to travel in the way that is proper and pleasing to Him. May He bring us to our desired destinations, to life, to joy, and to peace.
