The Month of Elul

104. One who will be traveling during the month of Elul should not forget to take along with him a shofar and a Selichos.

105. One whose custom is to say “Ledavid G-d ori” after Minchah who is davening in a shul where this is said after Ma’ariv should say it quietly at Minchah according to his custom. At Ma’ariv [while everyone else is saying “ledavid G-d ori”] he should say a mishnah or two, so no one should realize that he is not saying it1.

106. One whose custom is to say “Ledavid G-d ori” after Ma’ariv who is davening in a shul where this is said after Minchah, should say it quietly at Ma’ariv according to his custom and during Minchah he should say a perek of Tehilim so no one should realize that he is not saying it. [If he wants, he can still say with them “Ledavid G-d,” since this is in Tehilim and say it again at Ma’ariv as is his custom.]2.

107. If one will be saying Selichos without a minyan, then he should not say the 13 Midos Harachamim — the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy — or any references to them, such as “uzechor lanu hayom bris shelosh esrei.” He also needs to omit the requests which are in Aramaic, such as “Machei umasei.”

However, if he will read the 13 Midos Harachamim with the proper cantillation as if he were reading it from the Torah, he is permitted to say it. The other above-mentioned sections should still be omitted3.

According to some opinions, the only section in Selichos that should not be said by an individual davening alone is the 13 Midos Harachamim4.

Private and Decreed Fast Days

108. While traveling, one should not fast a “private” fast, such as the one that individuals observe for the yahrzeit for a parent5.

109. If in his city a fast was decreed and he was there when it was accepted, and then during the day he travels to a different city where they are not fasting [and he intends to return to his city], he must nonetheless complete the fast. The same applies if in his city there is a yearly fast on a certain day commemorating some tragic event [such as the fast of 20 Sivan]; he must fast on that day even if he finds himself on that day in a city where they do not fast6.

110. If one arrives in a city where there is a fast, he may not eat while there, even though he has eaten earlier in the day. However, when he leaves the boundaries of the city, he is permitted to eat again7.

111. It is questionable whether a visitor who has intentions of returning to his city and is fasting a local fast would have to say “Aneinu” at Minchah8.

The Talmud (Berachos 31a) states that one should not take leave of his friend except through words of halachah, for through this, he will remember him.

The Migdanos Eliezer explains this in the following manner: By having his friend speak with him a matter of halachah before taking leave, the traveler will continue thinking about this matter while he is traveling and thus the Torah that he will be thinking about will protect him along the way.

A yet deeper way to understand this statement is based on the statement of our Sages that after the destruction of the Temples, G-d locates His Divine Presence within the four cubits of halachah. By discussing halachah right before the departure this friend has caused the Divine Presence to dwell at the point of departure and when the traveler leaves, the Divine Presence will continue with him.