I’m sitting at a Shabbat table, surrounded by new acquaintances. When they learn that I’m a student at Yeshivat Maharat, a rabbinical school for Orthodox women, I usually get the following question, “Why did you want to become a rabbi?” For me, it’s not a simple answer. I grew up in an interfaith family, far from the tight-knit center of Jewish life and learning where I now make my home. And in the middle of a thriving career in urban planning, I made a radical pivot: from bicycle and pedestrian transportation planning to Jewish leadership. Instead of spending my days planning future bikeshare systems, or transportation design guidance, I am poring over ancient texts. The inevitable next question is, “How do you bring urban planning into your rabbinic life? What do the two have in common?” 

Both professions look at the world as it is and image a more perfect world. From my experiences in both, it’s clear that insights from urban planning, and active transportation (bicycling and walking) can shed light on and enrich our Jewish experiences. As one example, the concepts and practice of bicycling and urban planning adds to our understanding of Shabbat.  

Traditionally, the vast majority of Jewish communities do not drive, take transit, or bicycle on Shabbat. Some of these modes of transportation are powered, in the traditional mind, by “fire” or electricity, which are forbidden on Shabbat. For bicycling, the question is a bit murkier. Some Jewish sources are........

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