Shofar in the Afternoon

Question: We were on holiday and had no shofar for shacharis. We only managed to obtain one later in the day. Should we have blown it at maariv?

Answer: The Rema (OC 581:1) writes that the minhag Ashkenaz is to blow the shofar each morning after shacharis throughout the month of Elul. He notes that some have the practice to blow in maariv, too. The Mateh Ephraim (Elef Lemateh 581:8) quotes the Elya Rabba who records that this was the practice in Prague.

However, the Aruch Hashulchan (OC 581:12) writes that one must not blow the shofar at night-time even to practise as that is not an opportune moment for mercy. Therefore, R’ Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe OC 4:21:5) explains that the Rema is evidently referring to those who davened maariv while it was still daytime. He notes that the Chayei Adam (138:1) specifies that some people would blow a second time during mincha which is still an acceptable time.

In conclusion, if a shul did not blow the shofar during shacharis, they should blow it later in the day. However, they should not blow the shofar at night.

Road Trip

Question: We are going on a road trip in a camper-van for a few days. Do we say tefillas haderech every day?

Answer: The Shulchan Aruch (OC 110:5) writes that one only recites tefillas haderech once a day even if one stops off during their journey. The Mishna Berura (110:26) adds that only if one stops off to stay somewhere overnight, do they recite a new beracha when they continue travelling. However, if one stops off for a few hours without properly staying somewhere, they omit Hashem’s name in the beracha when reciting tefillas haderech.

The Chida (Birkei Yosef OC 110:9) writes that sailors should only say tefillas haderech with the concluding beracha on the first day. As there is a safek as to whether one should say tefillas haderech on the following days, one should not complete the beracha (See Kaf Hachaim OC 110:47(.

R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Minchas Shlomo 2:60:4) and R’ Yehoshua Neuwirth (Ishei Yisrael 50:n13) explain that if one stops off properly to sleep then it doesn’t matter where one sleeps. However, one who is on a cruise, should say tefillas haderech when saying shema koleinu in the amida, as that concludes with the same beracha.

In conclusion, if one stops off for a proper night’s sleep then one repeats tefillas haderech the following day upon resuming their journey. If one just stops to rest for a few hours, it is best to include tefillas haderech in their amida.