By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

The news has recently announced that actor Bobby J. Brown, an actor has trafically passed away in a barn fire at the age of 62.  I do not know who he was exactly, but there are nine Mitzvos plus something else that his tragic death can teach us.

His daughter confirmed his death to the media, saying he died after getting caught in a barn fire in Maryland. The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that he died from diffuse thermal injury and smoke inhalation. His death was determined to be an accident.

According to the news reports, Brown’s death occurred while he was trying to jump-start a vehicle inside a barn. At some point, a blaze got ignited. He reportedly yelled out to a family member for a fire extinguisher, but the 50-by-100-foot structure was already engulfed in flames by the time they reached him. His wife also suffered severe burns while trying to save him.

What Likely Happened

While we may never know the exact details of what transpired in that barn, it is this author’s supposition that the fire was likely caused by an improper jump-start connection.

In all likelihood, the positive cable was connected to the positive terminal and the negative cable was connected directly to the negative terminal of the dead battery. While many people think this is the correct way to jump-start a vehicle, it is actually extremely dangerous – and can cause a catastrophic explosion and fire.

Most people do not know this. They assume, quite logically, that positive goes to positive and negative goes to negative – directly on both batteries. This is incorrect and potentially deadly.

This author’s father, Dr. Nathan Hoffman z”l, whose yartzeit is in less than 7 weeks, was a well-regarded physicist and metallurgist who warned about this danger constantly. He would explain the science behind it to anyone who would listen, and was deeply concerned that the average person had no idea of the explosive risk involved in improperly jump-starting a car battery. His warnings, are sadly as relevant today as they ever were.

The Science Behind the Danger

Here is what he would explain: A standard lead-acid car battery contains a solution of approximately 35% sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and 65% water. Inside the battery, lead dioxide (PbO₂) positive plates and spongy lead (Pb) negative plates are immersed in this electrolyte solution.

During the chemical reactions that occur when a battery is being charged, jump-started, or is in a weakened state – the water in the electrolyte undergoes a process called electrolysis. This breaks down the water molecules into their component gases: hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂).

Hydrogen gas is colorless and odorless. It is also extraordinarily flammable. The explosive range for hydrogen in air is between 4% and 75% concentration by volume – meaning that even a relatively small accumulation of hydrogen can create an explosive atmosphere. A dead or weak battery, in particular, can emit elevated levels of hydrogen gas.

When you make the final connection of a jump-start, there is almost always a spark. If that final connection is made directly on the dead battery’s negative terminal – right next to where the hydrogen gas is venting – that spark can ignite the hydrogen gas.

The result can be a violent battery explosion that sprays sulfuric acid in all directions, or, in an enclosed space like a barn with other flammable materials, it can ignite a fire that spreads rapidly and uncontrollably.

This is especially dangerous in an enclosed structure such as a barn, where hydrogen gas can accumulate in the still air around the battery, and where hay, wood, gasoline, and other combustible materials may be present.

The Proper Way to Jump-Start a Vehicle

The correct and safe procedure for jump-starting a car is as follows:

Step 1: Connect the RED (positive) cable to the positive (+) terminal of the dead battery.

Step 2: Connect the other end of the RED cable to the positive (+) terminal of the good (donor) battery.

Step 3: Connect the BLACK (negative) cable to the negative (–) terminal of the good battery.

Step 4 – THE CRITICAL STEP: Connect the other end of the BLACK cable to an UNPAINTED METAL SURFACE on the engine block or frame of the car with the dead battery – NOT to the negative terminal of the dead battery. This ensures that any spark produced by the final connection occurs far away from the battery and its hydrogen gas emissions.

When removing the cables, reverse the order: remove the ground connection first, then the negative from the donor battery, followed by both positive connections.

Additionally, one should never attempt to jump-start a vehicle in an enclosed, unventilated space. If one must do so, all doors should be opened as wide as possible to allow hydrogen gas to dissipate. One should never smoke or have any open flames near a battery. And if a battery appears swollen, cracked, or frozen, it should never be jump-started at all.

The Torah Obligation of Safety

This tragic incident underscores a matter that is not merely one of practical wisdom, but one of serious halachic obligation. The Torah places extraordinary emphasis on the preservation of life and the obligation to take proper safety precautions. There are numerous Torah-level (d’Oraisa) mitzvos that relate to the obligation to safeguard oneself and others from danger:

1. Venishmartem Me’od L’nafshoseichem – “You shall greatly guard your souls” (Devarim 4:15). The Rambam and many other Poskim understand this as a Biblical commandment to take proactive measures to protect one’s health and physical safety. This includes being informed about potential dangers in everyday activities, including something as seemingly mundane as jump-starting a car.
2. Lo Sa’amod Al Dam Rei’echa – “Do not stand idly by the blood of your fellow” (Vayikra 19:16). This is mentioned in Shulchan Aruch (CM 426:1) and in the Rambam. One who knows of a safety hazard and does not warn others may be in violation of this negative commandment. Sharing this life-saving information about proper jump-starting procedure is itself a fulfillment of this mitzvah.
3. Hishamer Lecha U’sh’mor Nafsh’cha Me’od – “Beware for yourself and greatly guard your soul” (Devarim 4:9). The Shulchan Aruch (CM 427:8) applies this verse to the prohibition of placing oneself in any dangerous situation. The Rambam (Hilchos Rotzeiach 11:4) writes that anyone who leaves a dangerous hazard and does not remove it has negated this positive commandment and violated “lo sasim damim.”
4. Lo Sasim Damim B’veisecha – “Do not place blood in your house” (Devarim 22:8). This is the prohibition against maintaining any dangerous condition in one’s property. It is derived from the mitzvah of building a fence around one’s roof (ma’akeh), but the Rambam and the Shulchan Aruch extend this to all safety hazards. Keeping improperly maintained equipment or failing to understand safe procedures for dangerous tasks falls within this prohibition.
5. The Mitzvah of Ma’akeh – Building a Fence (Devarim 22:8). While the literal commandment refers to placing a parapet around one’s roof, the Rambam (Hilchos Rotzeiach 11:4) extends this to the general obligation to remove all hazards and dangerous obstacles. Taking the time to learn proper safety procedures for common activities is a fulfillment of the spirit and the letter of this mitzvah.
6. Hashavas Aveida – Returning a Lost Object, Including One’s Very Life (Devarim 22:2). The verse states, “Vahashaivoso lo – and you shall return it to him.” The Gemara in Sanhedrin (73a), however, includes within its understanding of these words the obligation of returning “his own life to him as well.” For example, if someone is in physical danger, there is an obligation of “Vahashaivoso lo.” It is highly probable that it is to this general mitzvah that the Shulchan Aruch refers in Orach Chaim 325. Informing others of the proper and safe way to jump-start a vehicle is a direct fulfillment of this mitzvah.
7. Lo Suchal L’hisalaym – “You cannot shut your eyes to it” (Devarim 22:3). There is yet another negative commandment associated with the positive commandment of Hashavas Aveida, and that is this verse which comes directly after the mitzvah of Hashavas Aveidah. The Netziv (HeEmek She’ailah) refers to this mitzvah as well. One who is aware of a life-threatening safety issue and “shuts his eyes to it” – who does not bother to share the information – violates this commandment.
8. V’Chai Achicha Imach – “And your brother shall live with you” (Vayikra 25:36). The Sheiltos (Sheilta #37), based upon the Gemara in Bava Metzia 62a, understands these words to indicate an obligation to save others with you. The Netziv in his He’Emek She’ailah understands it as a full-fledged obligation according to all opinions. He writes that one must exert every effort to save his friend’s life – until it becomes pikuach nefesh for himself.
9. V’Ahavta L’Rei’acha Kamocha – “And love your neighbor as yourself” (Vayikra 19:18). The Ramban, in Toras HaAdam Shaar HaSakana (p. 42–43), understands this verse as a directive to save others from danger as well. Although he discusses the issue of medical danger, it is clear that this is but an example, and it would apply equally to physical danger. Even without the Ramban, however, it is clear that defending and protecting someone from danger is a fulfillment of this mitzvah. When we see someone about to jump-start a car incorrectly, we are obligated to speak up.

The Chofetz Chaim, in his Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar, emphasizes that the obligation of “venishmartem” applies to every type of danger, not only spiritual ones. The Chazon Ish similarly ruled that one is obligated to take precautions in matters of safety just as one is obligated in other areas of halacha.

We thus see that there are no fewer than nine Torah-level mitzvos – both positive and negative commandments – that obligate us to be informed about matters of safety, to take proper precautions, and to share potentially life-saving information with others. Ignorance of a common safety procedure like the proper way to jump-start a car is not merely a gap in practical knowledge – it touches upon multiple d’Oraisa obligations.

The death of Bobby J. Brown is an unspeakable tragedy. But it is our responsibility to ensure that such a tragedy is not repeated.

Please share this information with your family, friends, and community. Print it out and keep it in your glove compartment. The knowledge of how to properly jump-start a car is not merely good advice – it is a matter of pikuach nefesh, the saving of a life. And there is virtually nothing in the Torah that overrides pikuach nefesh.

The author can be reached at [email protected]