Parshas Korach 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Monetary, Interpersonal Laws and Din Torah (36)
Cars and Automobiles: Erev Shabbos Traveling. Regarding traveling on Friday, there are four things to consider. 1) The worry of the Gemara (1) that a traveler will not have enough food to fulfill the mitzvos of Shabbos. 2) Having enough time to wash and change for Shabbos. 3) Not coming to chilul Shabbos. 4) What to do if sunset arrives and he has not reached his destination.
Food and Washing. Chazal say (2) that a person should not travel on Friday more than three parsaos. This is approx. one third of a day’s traveling. This means he should finish his trip by the first third of the day (3) so that those at his destination will have enough time to prepare food for him. Nowadays when he can call ahead by phone, this reason does not apply. Also the M.B. (4) says that today people prepare extra food before Shabbos, and there is enough for a surprise guest. This reason would not apply when traveling with a large family, but the first reason (informing by phone) applies. Still, one has to be careful to arrive in time to wash up and dress properly for Shabbos.
Avoiding Chilul Shabbos. When planning to travel on Friday, one must take into account the worry of not desecrating Shabbos. Driving after sunset has multiple issurim occurring every moment he drives with his foot on the gas and with each tap of the brakes. He has to take into account the possibility of traffic jams and other road delays. There is even a worry of a flat tire or other mechanical delays. There is no finite deadline in halacha. Some Rabbanim advise to drive in such a way that according to regular driving time he should arrive two hours before candle-lighting. In Eretz Yisroel, certain groups have a custom to allow twice the time of a normal trip. Some Gedolim have their own chumra not to travel after halachic midday. Similarly, when traveling by plane, one must calculate travel time and what could go wrong. Also, if one is at the airport and he sees repeated delays, especially due to a plane coming in from elsewhere, or stormy weather, he should just go back to where he came from and not risk chilul Shabbos, even if he will lose his non-refundable ticket money. One should also remember the luggage complications that could occur.
(1) סוכה מד: (2) שם (3) משנה ברורה רמט:א (4) שם:ג