As I write this column, it is just days prior to the Bar Mitzvah celebration of our younger son, Jonathan. Coincidentally, our older son, Gabriel, is about to reach the other great milestone in the life of a Jewish teenager--receiving his first driver's license.

While driving a car is not an overtly Jewish act, we must remember that every aspect of our lives can be approached uniquely as a Jew. Even an act as mundane as going to the bathroom is an opportunity to say a prayer of gratitude to God. How much more should we have religion on our minds when it comes to an activity as miraculous, yet potentially dangerous, as driving a car. About ten years ago, Rabbi David J. Meyer wrote a book called The Rabbinic Driving Manual (Torah Aura Productions, 1997) in which he teaches lessons derived from Jewish texts which all drivers, including teens should be aware of. Of course, neither the Torah nor the Talmud could explain how to start an engine or parallel park, but our literary history nonetheless contains great words of wisdom.

A teacher of mine once remarked, "Having children helped me truly gain a better understanding of God. Now I know what it is like to create something over which one has no control!" Watching our children get behind the wheel is like God watching Adam and Eve in the garden, or watching any of us in our daily lives. God lets us make the choices, and hopes that we choose correctly.

We want our children, when they drive, to think safety first. The Mishna of tractate Bava Kamma teaches that when two are walking in a public place, each carrying a potentially breakable item, they need to look out for one another to prevent damage. The mishna is teaching nothing less than the concept of driving defensively. Similarly, the Mishna cautions one about digging a pit in a public area lest it cause injury to a passing animal or person. Deuteronomy 22:8 instructs a new home owner to make sure the roof is surrounded by a guard rail. In other words, prevent accidents before they happen.

Though the Torah cannot know about drunk driving, the Torah is very clear, beginning with the story of Noah, that alcohol impairs control and judgment. The overriding message of Judaism, that staying alive takes precedence over just about all else, must be driven (no pun intended) home to our children from early in life, so that it will guide them as they assume the responsibility of possessing car keys. For all the talking we do to our children about becoming more responsible, few lessons are more instructive than literally being behind the wheel. They are forced to face life's challenges without our support. Just imagine what it was like before the days of cell phones and GPS!

Every great Jewish story involves a journey. A Chasidic story is told about Rabbi Nachum who catches his students avoiding their studies, and instead, playing checkers. Rabbi Nachum, rather than admonishing the students, uses this opportunity to teach them a lesson or two about life. He explains to his students the rules of Checkers--1. You only get one move at a time; 2. You can only move forward, not backward; 3. Once you have reached your destination successfully, then you are free to move in any direction.