Q&A: The Traveler’s Prayer and the Blessing of HaGomel Nowadays
The Traveler’s Prayer and the Blessing of HaGomel Nowadays
Question
I wanted to ask the Rabbi’s opinion regarding the Traveler’s Prayer and the blessing of HaGomel in the context of travel and flights.
I’ll start with the blessing of HaGomel:
The blessing was instituted for travelers and seafarers, who were considered to be in a dangerous situation. Today, flying is not considered something dangerous. I once saw that statistically, traveling by car is more dangerous than flying on a plane.
So it would seem that nowadays this is an unnecessary blessing.
If the Rabbi thinks this is some kind of enactment that cannot be repealed, does it apply specifically to a flight over the sea? What about traveling between countries by car, or even traveling by car from France to England (those who go down to the sea) through the undersea tunnel or by ferry?
As for the Traveler’s Prayer:
The chance of encountering calamity or wild animals on a trip from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is lower than the chance of running into them inside the cities themselves… Is there still any point in continuing to say the Traveler’s Prayer?
And finally, is there any connection at all between the blessing of HaGomel for travelers and the Traveler’s Prayer? After all, nobody says HaGomel after an intercity trip.
Thank you very much!
Answer
There is an article by my friend Rabbi Nir Weinberg explaining that the blessing of HaGomel was instituted not for dangers, but for returning to civilization.
Discussion on Answer
Why do you say it doesn’t address it? The definition is leaving civilization. What exactly counts as leaving it can’t really be determined precisely. So it makes sense to accept the criteria of the Sages. I think a prison and a plane are both not part of civilization, even if they are full of people. These are people in a situation outside ordinary life.
According to this, it has nothing to do with the Traveler’s Prayer. That really does deal with dangers, and I wouldn’t say it in a place where there is no significant danger.
Since the accepted practice today is to recite HaGomel only after an intercontinental flight, if a plane constitutes leaving civilization, then what difference is there between a flight to the U.S. and a flight to Eilat?
Does the Rabbi mean that in the overwhelming majority of trips and flights there is no need to say the Traveler’s Prayer?
Correct
Thank you very much.
I read the article, and it does indeed propose something along those lines. It seems a bit forced to me.
But it doesn’t address the points about traveling by car to a distant place. Is a drive to Eilat for several hours on a dark road considered leaving and returning to civilization?
On the other hand, a flight on a large passenger plane with hundreds of people is no different from the example he gives of someone released from confinement in a secure prison in Israel.
I’d also be glad to hear a response regarding the Traveler’s Prayer.
More power to you!