Rabbi Yehoshua’s Wisdom
Horayot 10a tells of Rabbi Yehoshua being prepared for a rare celestial event that could delay his travels (from the William Davidson edition of the Talmud): “Rabban Gamliel and Rabbi Yehoshua were traveling together on a ship. Rabban Gamliel had sufficient bread for the journey. Rabbi Yehoshua also had sufficient bread, and, additionally, he had flour. The journey lasted longer than expected, and Rabban Gamliel’s bread was finished. He relied on Rabbi Yehoshua’s flour for nourishment. Rabban Gamliel said to Rabbi Yehoshua: ‘Did you know from the outset that we would have such a substantial delay? Is that the reason that you brought flour with you?’ Rabbi Yehoshua said to Rabban Gamliel: “There is one star that rises once in 70 years and misleads sailors at sea—causing their journeys to be extended.” And I said: ‘Perhaps that star will rise during our journey and mislead us.’”
Experienced travelers identify with Rabbi Yehoshua’s wisdom. Whether the astronomical event he describes fits with modern astronomy is irrelevant. The lesson Rabbi Yehoshua imparts is timeless: the unexpected happens, and one could pay a steep price if he is unprepared. One should always bring reserve food for his travels since he might be delayed and unable to find kosher food.
Traveling on Erev Shabbat
The lesson is particularly important for Erev Shabbat and Erev Yom tov travels. It is foolish to leave no room for error, mishaps, bad weather, traffic or, all of the above, to delay one’s travel. One should prepare for the worst, for the worst occasionally happens when traveling. Chillul Shabbat or Yom Tov results when being unduly optimistic about one’s travel outcomes.
The Mishna Berura (249:3) writes that many Acharonim warn about traveling too close to the onset of Shabbat and/or Yom Tov. Rav Moshe Heinemann (cited in www.star-k.org/articles/kashrus-kurrents/89/erev-shabbos-gridlock/) wisely advises doubling the time necessary for travel. For example, if Waze predicts it would take an hour to travel from Teaneck to West Hempstead to arrive in time for Shabbat, leave at least two hours in advance. As Rabbi Yehoshua knew, travelers must expect and prepare for the unexpected.
Too often, rabbis receive calls from frantic congregants caught in heavy traffic close to Shabbat, seeking guidance. In these cases, the congregants most likely did not allow adequate time for their Erev Shabbat travel.
The Aruch Hashulchan (Orach Chayim 249:3) asserts that on Friday, “HaSatan mekatreig—Satan instigates trouble.” The Aruch Hashulchan writes this when addressing a new travel method of his time, train rides, on Erev Shabbat and Erev Yom Tov.
Airplane Travel
Rav Heinemann also teaches that “one should not take the last pre-Shabbos flight (i.e., the last Friday afternoon flight that reaches one’s destination before Shabbos) or flights that arrive too close to Shabbos. Traveling too close to Shabbos to work a few more hours or save some money with a more economical flight is, generally, not the correct thing to do.”
This advice does not comport with the current reality. Given the vagaries of air travel, one should avoid flying on Friday. Despite the inconvenience, taking an overnight Thursday flight is much better than taking the risk of traveling on Friday. If one must take a Friday flight, he should take the earliest available trip. For example, planes scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. have much less competition on the runways to take off, and travelers do not have to wait for their plane to arrive from another city. Connecting flights are a very bad idea on a Friday, and all flights become even more unpredictable in the winter.
Traveling Across Time Zones
And International Dateline
The Star-K sets forth more airplane travel smarts to negotiate crossing time zones and the international dateline: “‘Last flights’ before Shabbos on some airlines may be much earlier than one realizes. For example, during much of the year, the last pre-Shabbos flights on Southwest Airlines from the West Coast to the East Coast leave early Thursday afternoon. If there is a mechanical or weather delay, there is no way to make it home before Shabbos unless one pays a huge sum of money to a different airline for a “walk-up fare” on a flight that leaves Thursday night. Southwest has no “red-eye flights” and will not transfer passengers to other airlines.”
“When flying overseas (e.g., to Israel or Europe), it is advisable to leave by Wednesday night to arrive at one’s destination by Thursday. Exercise caution when booking reservations—especially when changing planes en route. A missed connection may mean spending Shabbos in a foreign city, causing much aggravation and expense. Furthermore, some Wednesday night flights to Israel stop in Europe for lengthy periods, and one does not arrive in Israel until Friday. When traveling to the Far East or Australia, note that the Wednesday night flights arrive on Friday. Tuesday night (or earlier) flights are advisable.”
Conclusion
“Yishma chacham veyosef lekach—a wise person receives counsel and derives further lessons,” (Mishlei 1:5). Readers should learn from others’ difficult experiences, take these lessons to heart and apply them widely and wisely.
Rabbi Jachter serves as the rav of Congregation Shaarei Orah, rebbe at Torah Academy of Bergen County and a get administrator with the Beth Din of Elizabeth. Rabbi Jachter’s 18 books may be purchased at Amazon and Judaica House.
