Setting out on a journey in Jewish tradition — prayer, customs and responsibility

Leaving home confronts a person with the uncertainty of the road. This is why journeys have a special place in prayer and the literature of customs. Travelers ask to reach their destination safely and to return home in peace. This plea accompanies them even when a journey is well planned.

Tables of days and hours in books of customs

Ancient literature contains tables attributing different qualities to weekdays, days of the month and hours. Some concern setting out on a journey, trade or beginning work. The rules are not identical in every book, and traditions sometimes contradict one another. This calls for careful reading, without presenting a single table as guidance accepted by all Jews.

The halakhic discussion of divination, auspicious times and customs is complex. Anyone wishing to follow a particular tradition should clarify it with their rabbi. It should not be taken to mean that travel is safe on one day and dangerous on another, and urgent treatment must not be delayed because of a table of segulot.

Another person must not be treated as a bad omen

Various folk sources also mention signs associated with encounters with people or animals. Such descriptions must not be used to undermine someone’s dignity, avoid them because of a disability, or view a woman passing on the road as a sign of failure. Human dignity does not depend on interpretations of omens.

The traveler’s prayer and heartfelt intention

The traveler’s prayer asks for protection and success on the journey. The rules for reciting it, its timing and the wording of its blessing depend on circumstances and custom; when in doubt, clarify the halakhah. The text can be prepared beforehand, and it should not be read in a way that distracts the driver.

The intention is not to close our eyes to risk, but to join faith with responsibility. Adequate sleep, checking the vehicle, wearing a seat belt, choosing a suitable route and following guidance are part of the effort required.

A journey of kindness

A journey can begin with a good deed or charity according to one’s means, while patience and respectful conduct should also accompany the road. Those traveling with family or a group can help plan breaks and consider others’ needs. In this way the prayer’s plea for peace gains practical expression.

For study: Berakhot 29–30, the traveler’s prayer; Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 110; Yoreh De’ah 179, laws concerning divination and customs.