Tefillat HaDerech - The Wayfarer's Prayer (Part 1)
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Lao Tzu – Chinese Philosopher
Introduction
Bon Voyage!
The Talmud (Brachot 29b) relates that Eliyahu HaNavi said to Rabbi Yehuda the brother of Rav Salla Chasida, “Do not become angry and you will not sin; do not get drunk and you will not sin; and when you set out on the way, consult with your Creator, and then set out.”
The Talmud asks, “What is the meaning of ‘consult with your Creator, and then set out’?’”
The Talmud answers: “Rabbi Yaakov said in the name of Rabbi Chisda: this refers to Tefillat HaDerech - the Wayfarer’s prayer.”
The Talmud continues: “And Rabbi Yaakov said in the name of Rabbi Chisda that anyone who sets out on the road must recite Tefillat HaDerech.” So before we explore Tefillat HaDerech itself, I think it is incumbent upon us to analyze these words of our Sages and try to understand what, exactly, they are teaching us.
Many commentaries express surprise that Eliyahu HaNavi added his advice about setting out on a trip together with his exhortation about avoiding anger and over-drinking. What do drink, anger, and travel have to do with one another? And whilst the first two items on his list share much in common, and they both - more often than not - lead to sin, it seems as if travelling shares no commonality with them at all.
Among the many brilliant approaches to this question is that of the Maharal in Netivot Olam (Netiv Ha’Avodah), where he offers a particularly thought-provoking insight: In general, writes the Maharal, people want to be good; their intentions are to be thoughtful and kind to those around them. The problems begin when a person loses control of himself; it is then that a person behaves in a destructive and hurtful way. Eliyahu HaNavi teaches us that the most common causes for such destructive behavior are anger and drunkenness. There is, however, a third, much more subtle trigger, which is when a person changes their environment. The disruption of moving from one place to another, even if only temporarily, can throw a person’s routine off to the point that they might be capable of behaving in a way that they would never normally do.
Eliyahu HaNavi is thus actually teaching two fundamental lessons about how a person should retain their emotional equilibrium: Firstly, a person should always try to avoid getting angry and drinking too much. For most people, this does not require drastically changing their lifestyle and can be done with relative ease. Secondly, travel, which is completely normative and can not always be avoided, requires constant mindfulness. That is why Eliyahu HaNavi describes Tefillat HaDerech with the somewhat abstruse phrase “consulting one’s Creator”, because when travelling, a person should concentrate on praying to Hashem that throughout their journey that they be successful and safe because they are not following their regular routine.
Note: Tefillat HaDerech should not be confused with the “HaGomel” blessing which is recited after a person has safely passed through a dangerous situation; and although we will not be going through the Halachot pertaining to Tefillat HaDerech, which are detailed and complex, we will mention that Tefillat HaDerech is obligatory even for a regular journey that does not seem to be inherently dangerous.
To be continued…
