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How do we calculate a parsah?

There is a disagreement among poskim as to whether a parsah, in the context of Tefilas Haderech, refers to a measure of distance (8,000 amos; approximately 2 2/3 miles) or whether it is a measure of time (72 minutes). If a person would travel by foot, then these two measurements would be the same. An average person can travel 8,000 amos in 72 minutes. However, when traveling by car or train, 8,000 amos can be traversed in a matter of minutes. The Mishnah Berurah (110:30) writes that if one is traveling between cities by train, Tefilas Haderech should be recited with a bracha, even though timewise it is a very short trip. This is also the opinion of Minchas Shlomo (2:60:4) and Shevet HaLevi (10:21:2). However, Rav Ovadia Yosef, zt”l (Yabia Omer OC 1:13) maintains that unless the trip is expected to take 72 minutes, the ending bracha of Tefilas Haderech should not be said. Yalkut Yosef (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 110:2) adds that the 72 minutes can include the distance of a round trip. If one will be driving to another city that is more than 36 minutes away and then returning home, one should recite Tefilas Haderech with a bracha, even according to Rav Ovadia Yosef, since the trip will take more than 72 minutes and one will have traveled more than a parsah away from home.





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