How does one go about arranging an inspiring Shabbos program that brings together Jews from disparate communities who were previously unfamiliar with each other? How is a venue selected that is not too much out of the way for any of the guests? Who should be chosen to serve as baalei tefilah to lead inspiring tefilos? Where should the food come from? And here’s the clincher: Can costs be kept to a minimum to include people living on shoestring budgets, who can’t afford the popular “Shabbos getaways” advertised in glossy magazines? And can walk-ins without reservations be accommodated? One more thing: can the arrival date be the erev Shabbos which is also Shushan Purim?
A rational, logistically-minded person would immediately dismiss these criteria as impossible. But when Divine Will ordains a series of circumstances to fortuitously coalesce, anything can happen. This is the epic story of Shabbos, Parshas Ki Sisah, 16 Adar, 5778 (March 3, 2018) that unfolded in rural northeastern Maryland and environs.
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Thursday evening, when people concluded or, in some cases, recovered from their Purim seudos, those in the NY-NJ region planning to travel to Baltimore or Silver Spring for Shabbos, and vice versa, already knew about the inclement weather warning forecast for the next day. Under normal conditions, many would have decided to travel that Thursday night, and indeed some did. However, most deemed it prudent to wait until Friday morning, when they were no longer “under the influence” of Purim. Responsible travelers amply applied the “double rule,” which states that when driving somewhere for Shabbos one should allot double the amount of expected travel time to account for any unexpected delays.
Friday, erev Shabbos, brought some snow to New York and northern New Jersey. In Baltimore and along I-95 in Maryland, there was no significant precipitation. But there was wind: very strong winds, with gusts above 60 mph, powerful enough to topple two top-heavy tractor trailers traveling in opposite direction on the I-95 Tydings bridge over the Susquehanna River.
The Susquehanna bisects Maryland in its northeastern corner. It must be traversed to reach Baltimore from points north. The other option is to go down the Eastern shore and cut across over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, but that more than doubles the length of the trip. There are only three river crossing points in Maryland for cars: the Tydings Bridge (I-95), the Hatem Bridge (U.S. Route 40), and the Conwingo Dam (U.S. Route 1).
As emergency crews arrived to handle the first flipped truck on the northbound side, around 11 a.m. on Friday, the second tractor trailer flipped on the southbound side. Why wind restrictions weren’t implemented on the bridge earlier and why the bridge wasn’t closed to trucks immediately after the first mishap should probably be the subject of an official investigation. Now the bridge had to be closed in both directions and wouldn’t reopen until Shabbos morning.
A few miles to the south, the Hatem Bridge was closed around 2:30 p.m. after trees fell across multiple lanes on the approaches. It also did not reopen fully until Shabbos day. At some point on Friday afternoon, the bridge was opened briefly and a few cars made it through, providentially arriving in Baltimore close to Shabbos. Parallel to the Hatem is a CSX (railroad) bridge, which was also closed when wind caused four empty railcars to derail and fall into the water.
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Due to the closures, thousands of cars were stuck in long backups, stretching for miles on either side of the river. GPS screens and navigation apps flashed bright red for roadways all around and estimated arrival times jumped, calculating a 40-mile ride to take longer than a trip to Cleveland, Ohio.
Sunset was at 6:01 p.m., with candle lighting at 5:34. Travelers became frantic. How would they reach their destinations in time for Shabbos?
The phone calls then began in earnest. With the clock ticking, barely two hours until licht bentschen, families and hosts were contacted and rerouting became a group effort. Some attempted to make it up north to the Conowingo Dam crossing, which was still open, but because of the heavy traffic it soon proved to be a futile effort. Families traveling from Baltimore to Philadelphia tried to backtrack toward I-83 and cross the Susquehanna at Route 30, in Columbia, Pennsylvania. (One family who did this made it to their destination mere minutes before sunset, spending more than five hours on the road for a trip that typically takes under two hours.)
Bear in mind that, as many relatives and friends in Baltimore were busy with their own Shabbos preparations (expecting lots of guests!) – while trying to keep the travelers calm and navigate the situation, and also taking breaks to recite tehilim for the safety and well-being of their loved ones – they suddenly lost power! The high winds downed electric lines throughout the city, affecting hundreds of frum homes. People scrambled to transfer food from electric appliances to gas, if available, prepared for loss of refrigeration, and set up candles around the house. Even if a neighbor had power, bringing food over wasn’t an easy solution since the chezkas kashrus (presumed kosher status) of the city’s Eruv was compromised, and people were urged to not carry outside on Shabbos. Power would not be restored until after Shabbos began. Some areas did not have power the entire Shabbos, and a few blocks didn’t get their lights back on until the middle of the following week!
In our house, once it was determined that our son’s car (driven by a fellow yeshiva bachur – his first major road trip upon obtaining his driver’s license!) wouldn’t arrive in time bederech hatevah, a call was placed to the warm and generous Chabad shluchim in Bel Air, Maryland, Rabbi and Rebbitzen Shusterman. They were more than willing to put up 5, 10, 20, 30 – whatever the number of people – for Shabbos at the last minute. But since Bel Air was on the other side of the river, with an hour left until Shabbos, that plan was abandoned when it became clear that the Hatem Bridge was staying closed indefinitely.
Travelers who were still further north on I-95 when they learned of the bridge closings made it to Rabbi Flikshtein’s Chabad of Wilmington or to Chabad of Newark, Delaware, where they spent a delightful Shabbos. A family headed from Lakewood to Baltimore tried the Route 1 option but couldn’t get around the traffic. They drove further north into Pennsylvania to find the Norman Wood Bridge crossing blocked by a fallen tree, and eventually landed at Chabad of Lancaster. (Bonus: with their arrival, the community had a tenth man for a minyan!) A few cars of yeshiva bachurim made it to Philadelphia, where they had the good fortune of spending Shabbos in the homes of eminent talmidei chachamim from the Philadelphia Yeshiva. For the majority of frum travelers stuck in endless traffic, however, none of these were viable options.
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Throughout the ordeal, Baltimore rabbanim selflessly put their own Shabbos preparations on hold to help the travelers navigate this messy state of affairs, dealing with the weighty halachic issues that arose. Since this was not the first time such a situation has arisen in recent years, many of the relevant halachic rulings had already been worked out. Rabbi Dovid Heber’s article in the 5773 winter edition of Kashrus Kurrents[1] lays out the general principles and deals with many potential scenarios.
Physical safety is a paramount concern in halacha, and one must take precautions to avoid being in places constituting severe danger (piku’ach nefesh). Accordingly, on late Friday afternoon, one may not justify staying on the road hoping to arrive on time based on hazardous maneuvers such as excessive speeding or driving on the shoulder. Besides the risk of being stopped by law enforcement, which would further delay the trip, this could create a chilul Hashem to boot. Nor is it permitted to drive as far as possible and at sunset pull over to the side of the highway – considered a dangerous location – and wait to be rescued. Rather, once it’s determined that one won’t reach his destination in time for Shabbos with normal safe driving, even if there are still a few hours left until Shabbos begins, he must change plans and seek out a nearby Jewish community or check into a hotel. (See the Kashrus Kurrents article for further details.)
In other words, when encountering travel delays on erev Shabbos, one may not adopt an attitude of “let’s cross that bridge when we come to it” – especially when the bridge itself is blocked!
This is exactly what a responsible couple from Baltimore did around 4:00 p.m., when, after consulting with Rabbi Heber, they exited the highway and reserved the last two vacant rooms at the Days Inn of Perryville, Maryland, taking one for themselves, and another for a travel companion.
As the time for licht bentschen drew closer, more travelers bailed out. Jews and gentiles, yeshiva bachurim, and families, all gravitated toward the Days Inn. The kind motel staff turned away no one. Although all the rooms were reserved, they weren’t all occupied, so if a reservation was cancelled, the room would be given to the next waiting customer. Soon enough, the lobby and waiting rooms were packed with travelers, and luggage sprawled in every corner.
With less than half an hour left until Shabbos, seeing that there were no rooms for them, some bachurim deemed it best to seek out more comfortable lodgings in the area. Voices of reason tried to dissuade them. Ultimately, a resourceful bachur approached the front desk and asked if the motel conference room was taken for the weekend. The helpful staff said it was not and it could be rented at the rate of $75 a night. This bachur then turned to the others and announced, “I’m renting the conference room for Shabbos and anyone else who wishes to join me is welcome!”
By the completion of the transaction, the price to rent the conference room rose to $90, but under the circumstances it was still quite reasonable. Similarly, a gas station next door, as it was running out of gas changed the cost of a gallon of regular from $2.47 to $3.99, before putting up a “No Gas” sign later on Friday night. After Shabbos, the price was back to $2.47. Maryland is one of the minority of states without any price-gouging law.
With no time to spare, 30 men, including 12 bachurim, set themselves up in the conference room. (One man couldn’t find a comfortable spot and ended up in the crowded lobby.) Motel staff offered tablecloths to use as sheets to lay over the carpet, and some, but not all, were given pillows. Muktzah was stowed away, questions of reshus hayachid and eruv chatzeiros (laws regarding the permissibility of carrying objects from one domain to another on Shabbos) were decided, candles were lit, and a makeshift amud was placed in front of a musically-talented bachur, who commenced a heartfelt Carlebach-style Kabbalas Shabbos, finally bringing serenity to the weary group.
At the seudah, lechem mishnah (two challas) were not to be found.[2] One bachur, who had managed to get to a nearby Food Lion before Shabbos, bought a loaf of kosher sliced bread, and two slices were used. “Soup” was provided by a family who had purchased ice cream and ice pops at the store that were melting fast since there was no available freezer. The main course was an assortment of leftover snacks from mishloach manos. Erudite Torah scholars delivered divrei Torah, and melodious zemiros filled the room. The curiosity of non-Jewish guests and staff were provoked by the marvelous sight. The evening was rounded out by a full learning seder, all in the conference room-cum-dining room-cum-shul/beis medrash-cum-sleeping quarters.
At night, when it was time to go to sleep, the considerate motel staff shut the lights in the conference room. The aforementioned responsible couple who had rented two rooms graciously gave them to the ladies. As rooms opened up over Shabbos, the ladies secured additional rooms. More Yidden somehow arrived at the motel over the course Shabbos itself, adding to the amalgamation of various types of Jews across the spectrum. Meeting one of the criteria at the beginning of this article, final price per person for accommodations was about the cost of a burger, fries, and soda.
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Shabbos morning, Shacharis began at 8:45 a.m. The tefilos proceeded slowly as no one was in a rush, and were as beautiful as the evening before. Alas, there was no sefer Torah. Although there was a non-Orthodox synagogue in Havre de Grace, directly on the opposite side of the river from Perryville, and a non-Jew was available to transport one, it was beyond the techum (Shabbos limit) and it would not be permissible to ask him to bring it.
The plan for the lunch seudah was to ask motel staff to open the breakfast room, which stocked kosher cereals. Even though it was after the official breakfast time, this request was cheerfully accommodated. But just as davening ended, seemingly out of nowhere, in walked a (non-Jewish) driver from Hatzalah of Baltimore laden with copious amounts of Shabbos food!
The Hatzalah team was very involved from late Friday afternoon and through Shabbos day, consulting with Rav Heinemann up until sheki’a and beyond, making sure everyone was in a safe place. Drivers were sent to pick up people who were stuck in places that were considered dangerous. One example was a chassan and kalla, celebrating their sheva brachos, who found themselves beginning Shabbos at a bar in Elkton, Maryland. Since the bar closed at 2:00 a.m., whereupon they would be forced to find refuge in an unsavory neighborhood, Hatzalah sent someone to pick them up. Because of the heavy traffic delays, Hatzalah didn’t arrive until 1:15 a.m., and they did not make it back to Baltimore until 6:00 a.m. – for a drive that normally takes only an hour! (Once they were in the car, their psak allowed them to travel all the way back, even though they were passively going past their techum.)
Therefore, when Hatzalah was dispatched to the Days Inn to pick up an elderly person, they also loaded up with food donated by wonderful families on the 4000 block of Fallstaff Road, near Reisterstown Road. A young child in one of those families gleefully shared with this author how he happily selected special treats from his private cache of mishloach manos to share with the stranded Yidden! (In the end, the elderly person felt fine and insisted on remaining at the motel until after Shabbos.)
Generally, the laws of techum preclude not only a person traveling beyond a certain distance on Shabbos, approximately 3/5 of mile past the city limit (the halachic parameters of a “city” are not defined by municipal boundaries), but also objects he owns may not be sent past this limit. In this case, Hatzalah was permitted to send food for the sake of people whose state of health was precarious. For example, there was a traveler stranded at a Royal Farms who had not digested a meal in three days. (Ta’anis Esther; Purim, when the contents of his stomach were regurgitated; and Shushan Purim, when he was too sick to eat.)
Granted, the standard ruling in Shulchan Aruch states one may not eat food that exceeded its techum established at the onset of Shabbos. Here, although nobody was actually starving, they did crave proper Shabbos meal foods. For extenuating situations, there is room for leniency. (See Mateh Efrayim 625:58, Nishmas Shabbos V:22) With the upgraded daytime seudah, the atmosphere of oneg Shabbos in the Days Inn was elevated further, and the group came even closer together.
By the time Shabbos was over, everyone spontaneously broke out in joyful dance and song, thanking Hashem for the ability to spend an inspiring Shabbos together. Instead of the dreadful conditions that many anticipated just an hour before Shabbos began, they experienced kedushas Shabbos and achdus, unity, among disparate types of Jews, in a way that far exceeded their expectations. Upon returning to Baltimore, bachurim were treated to a delicious melaveh malka, where they recounted the incredible events of the previous 36 hours. (For those wondering, because they had enjoyed so much meat donated by the Fallstaff families, they requested milchigs. Custom-filled homemade calzones were served.)
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This is all just part of the story. Besides this Perryville group, there were at least two more hotels full of Yidden who spent Shabbos together, in addition to many more episodes of hashgacha pratis and Divine benevolence experienced that Shabbos.
What happened at the Perryville Days Inn brings the words of Rambam to mind. In his Introduction to Mishna, he asks why are fools granted wealth to build luxurious palaces and castles? How do these grand edifices fit into the scheme of Creation? He answers that, unbeknownst to their owners and builders, they may exist because, one day, a tzadik exhausted from his travels will search for a place to spend a moment of respite. He’ll chance upon the shade provided by the tall palace walls and discover nearby delicious wild fruit and a freshwater brook to satisfy his hunger and thirst. The intention of the baron who commissioned the building was surely not for this purpose. However, Divine Will afforded him the desire and means to build it just so the righteous few who fulfill His Will could enjoy a few moments of gratification.
The builders of the Days Inn in Perryville certainly did not intend it as a venue for hosting a Shabbos retreat, but evidently, Divine Will did.
It cannot escape observation that there was a heightened sensitivity and awareness of kedushas Shabbos that week not only for the travelers, but back in Baltimore as well. The power outage granted a rare opportunity to review section 275 in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim, dealing with the rabbinic enactment against reading by candlelight. Also, people who are used to automatically carrying outside became conscious of the melachah of hotza’ah (prohibition of transporting objects from one domain to another) which is commonly ignored in communities with an eruv. Heating up food with improvised methods generated many questions about the laws of warming food on Shabbos, shehiyah, hachazarah, and amira lanochri.
The following Shabbos, at a yeshiva in Lakewood and in a shul in Flatbush, a reunion of sorts was held, when our erstwhile travelers gathered again to form their own minyanim to make up the kriyas haTorah (Torah portion reading) missed the previous week. We can safely assume that not many others volunteered to join as they leined a total of four parshiyos: Ki Sisah, Vaykhel, Pekudei, and Parah!
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 97a) says that three things come with hesech hada’as, meaning unexpectedly, without advanced planning: Mashiach, finding a lost object, and scorpion bites. This extraordinary Shabbos retreat, unifying different Jews of various backgrounds, took place with hesech hada’as. In fact, such a special event, meeting all the criteria, can only come together unexpectedly. Perhaps, it served as a harbinger, on a micro level, of the Great Shabbos of Unity that is yet to come upon the world, which will also result from Divine choreography and not human design.
[1] https://www.star-k.org/articles/kashrus-kurrents/89/erev-shabbos-gridlock/
[2] It’s advisable for anyone traveling on Erev Shabbos to always pack a few rolls and some grape juice.
