On the Way

Tefillas HaDerech is a long bracha that culminates with “Baruch atah Hashem shomeia tefillah.” Why doesn’t it start with “Baruch atah”? It is seemingly an independent bracha. All independent blessings that are not part of a series should start with “Baruch atah.”

The Maharam MiRotenburg explains that the bracha was intended to be recited after the long bracha of “Ma’avir sheinah.” The proximity of the end of that bracha, “Baruch atah…gomeil lachasadim,” precludes the need for Tefillas HaDerech to start with “Baruch atah.”

When one already said the bracha of “Ma’avir sheinah,” the Mishnah Berurah (O.C. 110) advises one to orchestrate the need to say any long bracha such as “Asher Yatzar,” “Al HaMichyah,” and “Borei Nefashos.” This necessary blessing should then be followed by Tefillas HaDerech.

What the boy perceived as his family’s custom of eating before Tefillas HaDerech was actually just the preparation necessary to say the bracha achronah of Al HaMichyah or Borei Nefashos. This boy only knew he had a mitzvah to eat!

The Chasam Sofer writes in his glosses to Shulchan Aruch that his rebbi used to smell spices before Tefillas HaDerech. Rabbi Nosson Adler, the Chasam Sofer’s rebbi, apparently held that even a short bracha, such as the one recited on spices, recited before Tefillas HaDerech would also obviate the need to start Tefillas HaDerech with “Baruch atah.” Why didn’t he use a bracha on food instead? Why didn’t he recite “Borei pri ha’eitz,” take a bite of an apple, and recite Tefillas HaDerech?

He felt that eating would be an interruption between the bracha and Tefillas HaDerech. Consequently, Tefillas HaDerech would still need a “Baruch atah” opening. Rabbi Nosson Adler felt that smelling spices, however, would not be an interruption. The Chasam Sofer himself disagreed and felt that even smelling spices would qualify as an interruption. The Mishnah Berurah perhaps concurred, and therefore only listed Asher Yatzar and brachos acharonos as possible brachos to use.

However, if this technique is not possible, one should certainly not start Tefillas HaDerech with “Baruch atah.” Rather, he should use the text found in the siddur.

There is a limud zechus why people are not careful about this halacha to even attempt to recite a required bracha before Tefillas HaDerech.

The Rashba opines that once Chazal instituted a blessing, they did not change the text even if it is recited under other circumstances. Shomeia Tefillah is a bracha we recite every weekday in Shemoneh Esrei. Tefillas HaDerech ends with Shomeia Tefillah. Although the contents of these brachos are markedly different, they still conclude exactly the same way. Shomeia Tefillah in Shemoneh Esrei does not start with “Baruch atah” since it is adjacent to “Baruch atah Hashem matzmiach keren yeshua.”

Once our sages instituted that Shomeia Tefillah should not start with “Baruch atah,” all Shomeia Tefillos blessings do not start with “Baruch atah.” (The Tzitz Eliezer takes pains to explain that the logic is not simply that since most times it is recited samuch lachaveirta; it is always viewed that way. Rather, our sages chose to formulate certain brachos as shortened brachos because it is usually samuch lachaveirta.) Therefore, according to the Rashba, there is no need to even attempt to recite another bracha before Tefillas HaDerech. Unlike the Maharam MiRottenburg, the Rashba holds that Tefillas HaDerech was originally formulated to be an independent bracha.

Tosfos in Pesachim (104b) offers a markedly different reason as to why Tefillas HaDerech does not start with Baruch Atah. He opines that the laws of bracha hasemuchah l’chaveirta are not applicable to prayers that are disguised as blessings. Tefillas HaDerech is, in essence, a prayer that is formulated as a blessing. When we recite Tefillas HaDerech, we are praying to Hashem that we should have a safe journey. The fact that Tefillas HaDerech is a prayer has important halachic consequences. Generally, we frown upon changing the standard formulations of blessings. Yet HaRav Shlomo Zalman, zt”l, said that one may add specific requests to the standard text of Tefillas HaDerech. One may insert a specific request to be saved from traffic accidents (Teunas Derachim), from terrorists, or any other peril.

Further, generally one may recite a bracha on behalf of himself and his friend. However, when it comes to Tefillas HaDerech, HaRav Chaim Kanievsky said that it is preferable that one recites it himself. This is in line with the Mishna Berura’s comment (59:16) that when it comes to requests for mercy from Hashem, one should utter them himself and not hear them being recited by someone else.

Despite the fact that Tefillas HaDerech is a tefillah, the Shulchan Aruch and the Mishnah Berurah still rule that one should attempt to recite another required bracha before Tefillas HaDerech. As such, the appropriate response to “Let’s recite Tefillas HaDerech” should be “I’ll bentch to that!”