Weekly Halacha: Vacation in the North, When Is HaGomel Recited?
Topics of the lesson: when to say Tefillat HaDerech, how long one must remain in a place of danger to become obligated in HaGomel, what danger we are concerned about today on the roads, the differences between customs regarding a traveler from city to city, a traveler on a congested road, a traveler who had an accident at the start of the journey, the proper way to say Tefillat HaDerech before leaving the city, stopping en route for an overnight stay and then continuing in the morning, whether sleeping in a tent differs from sleeping in a fixed place, sleeping in a caravan, and the law regarding a ship with a sleeping cabin.
Last week we discussed the law of travelers who recite HaGomel only after traveling the distance of a parsah. We explained that a parsah is not the point at which danger begins, but an estimate of the time during which the person remained in a state of danger. The very departure from the city to the road is what exposes a person to danger, and in order to become obligated in the blessing, one must remain there for a certain period of time. The reason is that for travelers, the degree of danger is lower than for the other four who must give thanks, and therefore the Sages conditioned the blessing on a significant duration.
This is the difference between travelers and the other cases. In the cases of those who go down to the sea and those imprisoned in jail, the Gemara does not mention any time measure at all, whereas regarding a sick person there are different opinions, some say three days and some say that as soon as one falls ill and recovers, he recites the blessing, but no parsah measure is mentioned there. Why, then, is a time measure required דווקא on the road? Because the level of danger there is lower, and as long as the person remains on the road he is in a continuous state of slight danger, so a period of time is needed in order to define it as a danger that obligates a blessing. This principle is explained by the Ridbaz, as we demonstrated in the previous lesson.
Close to the destination From here we can understand the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 110:7), who ruled that if a person still has a parsah left to travel, that is enough for him to recite the blessing, even though he is already very close to the next city. This is understandable, because the very fact of being outside a settled area is defined as being in a place of danger. Based on this principle, we said that even a person who is not moving but is standing and remaining outside the city, if he stays there in a place of danger for the time of a parsah, he too must recite HaGomel because of the very fact that he remained in that place.
What danger are we concerned about today? Here we come to the big question, what danger actually exists today on the roads. Let us expand on this a little more than we did previously. Our early authorities, the Ridbaz, the Rosh, and the Tur, explained that in their time the roads outside the city were deserted places without settlements, and as a result bandits and wild animals were common there, whereas inside the city they were not found. But today, thank God, reality has changed. There are no wild animals and no highway robbers in most places, except for certain areas defined as security risks because of terrorists, but we are speaking about ordinary roads where there is no such concern. So what exactly is the basis for reciting HaGomel today?
The definition of Or L’Tzion In Responsa Or L’Tzion (Part 2, chapter 14, section 42), a new approach is brought on this matter. He writes that today a person traveling outside the city and covering the distance of a parsah recites HaGomel only if his trip is on a road where the cars are not crowded. His estimate is that if a person drives at night and cannot see the taillights of the car in front of him because there is a large gap between them, the place is considered deserted and merits a blessing. By contrast, if he can see the vehicle in front of him, that is a sign that there is traffic there and the area is not considered desolate.
This definition is puzzling. It is difficult to understand where such a standard came from, since it has no explicit source in the words of the earlier decisors. Rather, Or L’Tzion wanted to preserve the concept of a deserted place where bandits and wild animals might appear, and for that purpose he introduced the measure of the distance between cars on today’s roads.
A blessing for being saved from accidents However, among the decisors we do not find such a definition based on the distance between cars. In Yaskil Avdi (vol. 7, p. 306), he writes explicitly that in our time there are indeed no wild animals and no bandits on the roads between settlements, but the reason for the blessing has changed. כיום we recite HaGomel outside the city because of the danger of traffic accidents, since cars travel there at tremendous speed and it is a place of danger.
The road remains dangerous This principle is found in the Jerusalem Talmud, which says that ordinary roads are presumed dangerous. This danger can be understood differently in different generations and circumstances. In the past it was robbers and predatory animals, and today it is the serious traffic accidents that occur outside the city, where drivers travel at high speed and endanger their lives. This is not an added decree of our own making. Rather, the early authorities who spoke of bandits were describing the reality common in their time, and the principle remains fixed, any road that involves danger requires a blessing. בעבר they traveled by horse and carriage, a slow journey that did not involve danger from speed itself, only from isolation. Today the danger comes from the speed itself. In a similar vein, the Gaon Rabbi Chaim Palaggi wrote in Responsa Lev Chaim (part 3, section 54), and Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ruled likewise in Chazon Ovadia, Berachot, that the speed on the roads is what brings a person into danger, and anyone who has been saved from danger must recite HaGomel.
Differences between customs In this connection, we mentioned last week the difference between Ashkenazi and Sephardi custom. The Ashkenazi custom is not to recite HaGomel except for those who travel through deserts, while one who travels from city to city on a paved road does not recite it. By contrast, the Sephardi custom is to recite it on any trip from city to city. The root of the dispute is the prevalence of danger. Ashkenazim hold that only in a barren desert, where wild animals and bandits are common, is there a level of danger that obligates a blessing, whereas on roads between cities the danger is less. Sephardim hold that since danger is also present on roads between cities, one should bless for them as well. Everyone agrees that inside the city itself, where life-threatening danger is very rare, HaGomel is not recited there.
Danger begins upon leaving We therefore learn that danger begins as soon as one leaves the city limits, more than 35 meters from the last house in the city. There is no need to travel a parsah for danger to begin, but one must remain in the place of danger for the duration of a parsah in order to become obligated in the blessing. A person traveling within the Green Line, for example to the north or to Meron, and not passing through Arab villages or hostile areas such as Judea and Samaria, even though there is no security danger there, recites HaGomel because of the danger of fast travel on the roads. Likewise, a person who stopped on the side of the road and remained there for a parsah recites the blessing, for standing by the roadside outside the city is a very dangerous place, and we have already seen serious cases of people who were injured by vehicles that swerved off the road. Of course, if he enters a completely secluded place with no car traffic at all, that is not considered a place of danger and he does not recite a blessing for that stay.
Traveling within city streets Regarding the Gush Dan area, everything is considered one large city in a continuous stretch, Ramat Gan, Givatayim, Bnei Brak, and Petah Tikva, and as long as a person travels within them, he is considered to be traveling inside the city and does not recite HaGomel. A person traveling on the inner streets of Bnei Brak, such as Chazon Ish, Rabbi Akiva, or HaShomer, is still within the settlement. But when one leaves Gush Dan for highways such as Route 1 or Route 4, where traffic moves at high speed, those places are considered outside the city for this purpose.
Traveling in traffic jams Last week we brought a basic condition, one must travel outside the city for the duration of a parsah. If a person enters a highway and is stuck in heavy traffic, creeping slowly the entire way, then the road outside the city receives the status of an ordinary city road. Since today we recite the blessing for the danger of speed and not for wild animals, when there are traffic jams and the drive is extremely slow, there is no life-threatening danger here, and in such a case HaGomel is not recited.
A road that is usually congested For example, on Begin Road in Jerusalem, traffic there is usually jammed and stopped, and it is not possible to travel there at high speed. However, if the situation allows one to drive there at 100 kilometers per hour without interruption, and a person travels there continuously for the duration of a parsah, then the place takes on the status of outside the city and one recites the blessing. The same applies if a person stands on the side of such a road for 72 minutes, which is the time of a parsah, and the cars pass him at tremendous speed of 100 kilometers per hour. That is considered standing in a place of danger outside the city, and he recites HaGomel. Such speed is certainly dangerous, and this is the basic measure to which we attach the other conditions.
An accident after a short stay A question was asked, a person left the city by car, and after only a quarter of an hour or half an hour, he was involved in a very serious traffic accident. By the mercy of Heaven he was saved from the accident and emerged unharmed, or with only minor scratches, even though by the severity of the crash it was a clear case of life-threatening danger. Does such a person need to recite HaGomel or not, after all he was on the road for less than a parsah.
One side says he should bless There is room to say that since we explained in the previous lesson that danger is the factor that obligates the blessing, and here danger actually materialized and within less than a parsah an accident occurred, he therefore encountered the danger face to face and was saved from it, and accordingly he should recite HaGomel immediately.
The Sages’ condition remains But the answer is as we explained, the very fact of leaving the city means entering a place of danger, even if no accident actually occurred, since the Holy One, blessed be He, saves a person at every moment on the roads. In order to recite HaGomel for the journey itself, it is not enough that the person is in a dangerous place, rather the Sages ruled that a certain period of time is required, namely the time of traveling a parsah, that is 72 minutes. In our time, when travel is fast, we do not measure distance but the amount of time spent on the road. If time is the decisive measure, what difference does it make whether an actual accident occurred or not. The fact that an accident occurred within half an hour only illustrates and sharpens the fact that this is indeed a dangerous place, as we said at the outset, but it does not cancel the halachic condition established by the Sages, who required a full period of time in order to become obligated in HaGomel.
Not obligated in the blessing Therefore, under the law of travelers he cannot recite the blessing, since he did not remain on the road for the required time. And if you wish to obligate him to recite HaGomel for the rescue from the accident and the miracle that was done for him, then we return to another issue, whether HaGomel is recited for every miracle and rescue from danger, or only for the four specific cases instituted by the Sages. According to this view, a person who was in a severe accident and his car was completely wrecked, even inside the city itself, and there was a real concern for life-threatening danger, and he was saved, would need to recite HaGomel.
The dispute among the decisors There is a very large dispute among the decisors about which miracles are subject to a blessing. But the view of the Shulchan Aruch is that HaGomel is recited only for the four cases listed in the Gemara and not beyond them. With God’s help we will expand on this approach and its reasons in the coming lessons, and see how to rule in practice in these cases, but the rule is that one should not add blessings on our own beyond what the Sages established.
The time for Tefillat HaDerech After clarifying the law of HaGomel outside the city, we now turn to the commandment that precedes it, namely Tefillat HaDerech. When exactly should one say Tefillat HaDerech? The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 110:7) rules in these words: "One says it after he has entered the road, and he does not say it unless he has to travel a parsah, and if it is less than a parsah, he does not conclude with 'Baruch'." The Shulchan Aruch uses the wording "after he has entered the road." From the words of the early authorities it appears that the intention is the moment when a person actually leaves the city limits. But as long as he is at home or in the streets of the city, he is not considered to have entered the road, and only upon leaving the city can he pray this prayer. This is also understood from the language of Rabbeinu Yonah there, and the Meiri and others, all of whom wrote that one blesses after entering the road, implying that he has already gone out.
The custom of Maharam of Rothenburg At first glance, someone might try to bring the opposite proof from the custom of Maharam of Rothenburg as cited by the Tur. The Tur says that Maharam of Rothenburg, when he would set out on a journey in the morning, would say Tefillat HaDerech immediately after the blessing of "Yehi Ratzon" that concludes the morning blessings, in order to attach it to the blessing of who bestows lovingkindness upon His people Israel, and thereby gain the advantage that Tefillat HaDerech would be a blessing adjacent to another blessing and would not begin with "Baruch."
From here they brought proof that Tefillat HaDerech may be said already in the synagogue or at home during the morning blessings, before actually leaving on the journey.
A common custom This custom is widespread among many people, as brought in Responsa Be’er Sheva (section 45), that many on the day they leave for a trip precede and say Tefillat HaDerech in the morning at home or in the synagogue in order to attach it to the morning blessings, following the custom of Maharam, even though they plan to leave only after finishing the entire prayer service, an hour or more later. It turns out that they say the prayer when they are still very far from departure time, and while they are still fully within the city in the synagogue.
A misunderstanding of the Tur However, in Responsa Be’er Sheva he strongly objects to this custom and explains that it stems from a misunderstanding of the Tur. These people in their imagination connected the word "in the morning" to the expression "he would say it," as if Maharam always said the prayer in the synagogue in the morning in any case. But in truth, the word "in the morning" is connected to the phrase "when he would set out on a journey." Be’er Sheva explains that they are completely mistaken, because Maharam did this only in a special case when he would set out very early in the morning before he had prayed, and since he needed to say the morning blessings on the road, he took advantage of the opportunity to attach Tefillat HaDerech to the blessing of lovingkindness. He never said it while sitting at home or in the synagogue and planning to leave only after some time. A prayer should be said before the action, as close as possible to the action itself, and one who says it an hour before leaving and within the city has not yet truly "entered the road." Maharam simply delayed his morning blessings until after he left the city, and there he recited them all together in order to gain the benefit of adjacency.
Blessing upon leaving the city Therefore, it is clear that as a matter of law one should say the prayer only upon leaving the city, as Rabbeinu Yonah, the Meiri, and the Rosh also wrote. A blessing must be adjacent to its subject, and the subject here is the departure into danger.
There are dissenting opinions However, the matter is not entirely unanimous. In Sefer Elef HaMagen (Orach Chayim 110, subparagraph 14), and in Birkei Yosef of the Chida (subparagraph 3), they cited the Otzarot Zekenim and other decisors, that the concept of "entering the road" does not require a complete physical exit from the city. According to them, the moment a person has firmly decided to leave and has taken actions demonstrating it, such as getting ready, packing items, and even entering his car, he is already considered to have entered the road. The Chida rules that Tefillat HaDerech may be recited still within the city, provided that the preparations for travel have already been completed and the departure is clear and imminent. As a practical halachic ruling, it is certainly proper and right to wait until one has left the city limits, but one who said it earlier while ready to depart has what to rely on.
When should one recite it today? Today a serious practical issue arises for drivers in this regard. As is well known, when a person recites a blessing or prayer, he may not be occupied with anything else, and he must be fully focused on his speech before the Creator, whether it is the blessing over trees or Tefillat HaDerech. A driver on a highway is fully occupied with driving and road conditions, so how can he say Tefillat HaDerech with proper intention without it being considered involvement in another matter?
He should stop the car at the side The simple solution is for a person to leave the city limits, pull his car over safely on the side of the road, say Tefillat HaDerech with concentration, and then continue on his way. However, today stopping on the shoulder of a highway is itself a major life-threatening danger, and reentering the fast-moving lane from the shoulder involves significant risk, so this solution is not always advisable.
When there is another person in the car If the person is not traveling alone but has another passenger with him, the simplest solution is for the passenger to recite Tefillat HaDerech aloud and the driver to hear it and intend to fulfill his obligation, since one who hears is like one who responds. In this way the driver does not need to take his attention off the road in order to recite the blessing.
Traveling on a quiet road In cases where the driver is alone and has no safe option to pull over, if this is an open and empty road with little traffic, where driving is smooth and does not require overtaking, slowing down, or complex maneuvers, he may drive a little more slowly and say the prayer while driving.
Traveling on a busy road But where the road is busy and complicated, and driving requires constant alertness for overtaking and turns to the right and left, the driver has no way to recite it while driving. In such a situation there is no choice but to rely on the view of the Chida, Elef HaMagen, and Otzarot Zekenim, and say Tefillat HaDerech at home or in the car before departing, immediately upon completion of the preparations for travel. In such a case of necessity, it is better to say the prayer earlier and rely on these views than to say it on the road with distraction and lack of concentration.
Saying Shehakol near Tefillat HaDerech In order to gain the virtue of a blessing that begins with "Baruch," some people recite "Shehakol nihyeh bidvaro" over a cup of water or some food, and immediately afterward say Tefillat HaDerech. In this way they gain that Tefillat HaDerech is adjacent to the preceding blessing and therefore does not need to begin with "Baruch," similar to the custom of Maharam of Rothenburg who attached it to the morning blessings, except that here this is done at any time of day. In any case, this solution is not obligatory, but rather an enhancement for one who wishes to be stringent regarding adjacency.
Heavy traffic Last week we saw that if a person makes a very long trip but the whole way is jammed and at a standstill, so that he did not even have half an hour or a period of 72 minutes in which he could travel at high speed outside the city, the ruling is that he recites neither Tefillat HaDerech nor HaGomel. Speed itself is the factor of danger in our time, and since he did not travel at speed, he did not encounter that danger and therefore has nothing to bless over.
We follow the majority At first glance, one might worry not to recite Tefillat HaDerech lest the road be congested and there will not be a period of 72 minutes in a place where one travels quickly. The answer is that we do not fear this, because unexpected traffic jams that completely prevent fast travel לאורך a long road are not common, and in halachah we follow the majority and what is common. If a person knows in advance and with certainty that the road is completely jammed, for example when he is traveling at fixed rush hours and knows that there is always a severe traffic jam there, then this has become common for him, and in such a case he certainly should not recite Tefillat HaDerech with God’s name and kingship, since it is clear to him that he will not reach the speed of a place of danger.
Today the congestion is known in advance Today a person can know in advance, and with great accuracy, the traffic conditions on the road. Therefore, if he sees that the road is clear and he has the required duration of fast travel for a parsah, he should recite it. The best advice for a driver who wants to recite the blessing safely is to stop for a moment at the first gas station at the start of the trip, where the stop is completely safe and permitted, and there he should say Tefillat HaDerech with concentration and continue on his way.
Stopping overnight in a city From here we move to another issue in the laws of HaGomel. A person who set out on a long journey and has a distant final destination, but on the way passes from city to city and stops for rest or an overnight stay in several towns along the way before continuing the next day to his destination. Today this is less common in Israel because the distances are short and the trips are fast, but it is very common in trips abroad, and also in Israel for someone who travels at leisure and stops along the way. The question is whether in each city where he stops to rest during the journey he must recite HaGomel for the portion he traveled, or whether he should wait until he reaches his final destination and only there recite the blessing.
The sides of the doubt On the one hand, it is reasonable to say that as long as the person has not reached his final destination, he is still defined as being in the midst of the process and still considered a traveler, and therefore he should not bless until he completes the entire journey. On the other hand, when he enters a city to sleep there, he has temporarily exited the place of danger outside the city and is now in a place of safety, and the Holy One, blessed be He, has already shown him kindness and saved him from the road he traveled, so why should he not thank Him and recite a blessing immediately?
A precise reading of Rashi Here it is necessary to note the wording of Rashi in Berachot 54b. Rashi writes that the four who must give thanks do so "when they come out of danger." At first glance, Rashi’s words are puzzling, what is he adding by these words, since it is obvious that a person who is still in the midst of danger cannot recite HaGomel, because the blessing is in the past tense, over the kindness that has already been completed and the salvation that has already taken place.
Only temporarily out of danger It appears rather that Rashi is teaching precisely the foundation of our question. Rashi means that only when a person has come out of danger completely and absolutely does he recite HaGomel. But a person who has come out of danger only temporarily, such as someone descending to the sea who has stepped ashore for a moment but intends to continue immediately by ship to another destination, or a traveler who entered a city to rest and plans to continue his journey the next day, since he has not yet reached his final destination and is still defined as part of the journey, this is not the definition of "coming out of danger" that Rashi was referring to.
A seeming proof from Rashi From these words of Rashi we apparently have proof that in any such case of doubt, where the person has not yet reached his final stop and is still in the middle of the journey, he does not recite HaGomel at the intermediate stops, but must wait until he reaches his destination and has completely left the danger of the road, and only then recite one blessing for everything.
The decisors rejected the proof However, there are those among the decisors who rejected this proof and explained Rashi differently altogether. To understand this, we must first recall what we explained at the beginning of the discussion regarding the view of the Raavad. The Raavad holds that one does not recite HaGomel merely for being in a place that is liable to danger, but only in a case where the person actually encountered a concrete and real danger. According to him, those who go down to the sea recite the blessing only if a storm rose against them and they encountered a powerful sea storm, as in the verse, "He commanded and raised a stormy wind, which lifted up its waves," and travelers in the desert recite the blessing only if they became lost and were saved. But one who crossed the desert or the sea without any unusual event does not recite at all.
He recites when he completely exits danger According to this, it is possible that Rashi also follows this view, and his words "when they come out of danger" refer to a specific case in which a person actually encountered real danger in the journey, such as a great storm at sea or getting lost in the desert, and afterward the storm subsided and the sea calmed. In that situation, there would have been room to think that the person should recite immediately when the waves calm down even though he is still on the ship in the middle of the sea, and Rashi teaches us that he must not recite until he has completely left that dangerous region and has reached the safe shore and settlement.
The Chida’s ruling in practice It seems that the Chida in Birkei Yosef on Orach Chayim 110, subparagraph 3, ruled stringently that only when one has reached his destination does he recite HaGomel, but as long as he is traveling from city to city until he reaches his destination, he should not recite.
It depends on mental disengagement The reasoning is that it all depends on the person’s state of mind. One who travels from city to city until he reaches his destination is still considered to be on the road, since he has not yet arrived. But when he has reached his destination, even if he will remain there only for a few days and then return, in the end he has now mentally disengaged from the journey until the time of his return, and therefore he should recite HaGomel when he arrives, and when he returns he will recite HaGomel again.
A temporary stop or a destination stop It is clear that there is a difference between one who travels from city to city and merely passes through them as temporary transfer stations on the way to the goal, and one who has reached the destination itself and is staying there. Therefore, if a person travels for fundraising or for any other purpose to a certain city in Israel or abroad, and intends to stay there for a week and then return home, it is clear to everyone that as soon as he arrives there he must recite HaGomel. Even though his permanent home is in Israel and his stay there is temporary, he is no longer considered to be "on the road." His journey ended the moment he reached his destination, and therefore he blesses immediately, without waiting until he returns home. This is true even if he stays at the destination for two days or even just one day, since in terms of his inner feeling, his trip has been completed. The Maamar Mordechai also testified that this is the custom.
Going on vacation Accordingly, a person who goes with his family on a long trip to the north or south to stay there for several days recites HaGomel immediately upon arriving at the vacation destination. He should not say, I still have to return home in a few days, so I will wait to recite the blessing until I come back home. Rather, once he has reached his destination and mentally disengaged from the journey, the status of "traveler" has fallen away from him, and he must thank the Holy One, blessed be He, and recite HaGomel immediately.
The cabin becomes his home Accordingly, when a person goes on vacation, rents a cabin in the north, and arrives at his destination, the moment he gets there the cabin becomes his home for the time being for the next three or four days, and for this trip he recites HaGomel as explained.
Going out for trips and returning to the cabin When during the vacation days he leaves that cabin for trips, visits, or various hikes in the area, and returns to it at the end of the day, since the cabin is now considered his home, each time he leaves it for a trip outside the city he is למעשה beginning a new journey. Therefore, if the trip or drive lasts the duration of a parsah, that is, 72 minutes of fast travel outside the city, he will be obligated again in Tefillat HaDerech when leaving, and again in HaGomel when returning. The place where he stays serves as a new starting point in every respect.
Going out and returning the same day When a person goes out and returns on the same day, and stays at his destination for several hours without overnighting, this is considered one continuous journey. Staying several hours at a place of work or on a trip in a stream, when the person knows that he intends to return home soon, does not remove from him the feeling that he is in the midst of a day of travel. He has not fully disengaged from the journey, so the entire day is considered one trip, and he will recite HaGomel only once at the end of the day, when he returns home.
Overnight stay defines the sequence Halachically, it is the overnight stay that indicates a certain permanence and interrupts the sequence of the previous trip. Staying during the day or taking a light rest for several hours is not considered an interruption, but once a person sleeps overnight in an inhabited place, he has ended the status of the previous journey, and the next day when he continues traveling it is considered a completely new trip.
Leaving the danger A person traveling from place to place, but arriving every night at a certain city and sleeping there in a hotel, hostel, or yeshiva, has left the danger of the road and entered a fixed and orderly place of safety. Such an overnight stay in a city is considered a complete interruption and an exit from the road, and therefore he must recite HaGomel at each stop. This is speaking of a case where in every place he reaches, that is his destination and from there he continues to another destination.
Sleeping in tents Young men hiking in the field with backpacks, who open a tent at night in a campsite, in a forest, or even in the parking area by the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Meron, are in a completely different category. A tent in the field is entirely temporary, and the person has no sense of permanence or complete safety there. He is sleeping in the wild, and there is no greater road than this, and he is still in the midst of the route and remains on the road.
A sequence of temporary stops Therefore, for such travelers, whose entire trip is one continuous sequence of temporary living in the field, one does not recite HaGomel every day, since the journey has not ended and the danger has not passed. Only when they complete the entire route, leave the field, and return home or to a fully settled place, only then are they considered to have completely left the road, and they recite HaGomel once, which covers all the days of the route that have passed.
A mattress inside a cabin A person sleeping on a mattress inside a house or cabin structure is clearly considered to have left the road. The fixed structure provides protection and a sense of settlement, and therefore such lodging is a complete interruption and requires a blessing.
The tent complex Even if the tent complex is enclosed and equipped with showers and restrooms, as long as the person sleeps under a temporary tent sheet, the feeling and reality are one of temporariness. He has still not reached a fixed place, and this lodging is considered part of the travel sequence, without a break, and therefore he does not recite HaGomel there.
Sleeping inside a private car A common phenomenon, for example during the Meron celebrations or similar events, is that people who wish to save money sleep inside their private car for several days and eat in hospitality compounds. A private car, despite being enclosed, is not a living structure. Sleeping in a car is a clear form of temporary lodging, and a person feels that he is sleeping right in the road itself. As long as he spends his nights in the car, he is considered not to have left the road, and he is defined as a "traveler" who does not recite HaGomel until he returns to his fixed home or reaches a real cabin or hotel.
Caravans and living trucks Large vehicles, caravans, or trucks that contain a complete internal living area, including a fixed bed, kitchenette, and real home conditions, depend on the situation. If the vehicle is in motion, with one person driving and another sleeping in back, this is comparable to sleeping on a ship or train. The person is in motion and remains in a place of danger the entire time, and therefore there is no interruption here and he is still on the road.
Parking the caravan at the roadside But if the caravan or living truck is parked on the side, and the living vehicle is standing still for the night’s sleep, then the interior feels and appears like a home in every respect. In that case, the place is fit for sleeping and creates a sense of protection and disengagement from the journey. Such lodging is like sleeping in a cabin, and it is considered leaving the road and creates an interruption that requires a new blessing the next day.
In summary In summary, a folding bed or mattress in the street or in a tent means the location is the road, and therefore the person is still considered to be on the road. But a mattress inside a house or fixed structure, or parking a caravan intended for living, means the location is a home, and therefore he has left the road. Anything temporary in the field keeps the person within the category of travelers and he blesses once at the end, whereas anything permanent and settled creates a break and mental disengagement and requires a new blessing.
A ship with a sleeping cabin On a ship, a person has a room, a luxurious bed, and a lounge, and apparently excellent comfort conditions. But the answer is that a ship is like a caravan or truck that is actually in constant motion. As long as the ship is sailing in the open sea, the person is continuously within the very place of danger, and therefore he has no possibility of reciting HaGomel until he reaches safe shore and comes to a settled place.
Soldiers in operational activity and drivers Soldiers engaged in fighting in the north, conquering place after place within Lebanon, since they are within the place of danger throughout the journey, there is a constant threat, and they have still not left their trouble. As long as they are in enemy territory and have not returned to safe places within the borders of the Land, they are considered to be in the midst of danger and cannot recite HaGomel at all.
A driver transporting people away from danger A similar law applies to drivers responsible for evacuating or transporting people from a place of danger. The people who arrived at the safe destination and completed their leg of the trip recite HaGomel immediately. But the driver himself, who knows that he still has many more trips to make and has not yet completed his work, does not recite HaGomel until he finishes his full round of trips and returns home or to his fixed base.
Practical conclusion To conclude, a person traveling to the north or any other place in the country for several days recites HaGomel immediately upon reaching his destination, such as a cabin or hotel, because during that stay he has mentally disengaged from the journey and reached his intended destination. When he finishes the vacation days and returns home, he must recite HaGomel a second time for the return trip.
Two separate blessings There is no connection between the two blessings, and one does not need to wait until returning to his permanent home in order to thank for the salvation of the outward journey. The very stay at the destination and the mental disengagement divide the trip into two separate journeys, and require HaGomel to be recited twice, with blessing and joy.
Next lesson With God’s help, next week we will continue to the next topic among the four who must give thanks, and discuss the law of one who is imprisoned in jail, when he recites the blessing and when he does not, thereby completing the sugya.
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