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FOUR MIL

Chulin 122b:רבי אבהו משום דריש לקיש אמר לגבל ולתפלה ולנטילת ידים

Rabbi Avahu in the name of Resh Lakish said: With regard to a hired kneader, and with regard to prayer 

and with regard to the obligation to wash one’s hands, the distance set by Chaza”l is four mil.

שיעור מיל is the amount of time it takes an average person to walk 2000 אמות

(about one kilometer).

 There are three major opinions how long this takes:1) The Shach (25) explaining the Mechaber says that a שיעור מיל is

18 minutes.2) The Gilyon Maharsha brings the Pri Chadash who that a שיעור מיל is

24 minutes.3) The opinion of the Gr"a (Orach Chaim Siman 459:5) is that a שיעור מיל is

22½ minutes.

גבל Hired kneader 

1.  Rashi: Hired to knead dough for a customer in the customer’s utensil, but the customer’s utensil is

tamei. The kneader must travel to immerse the customer’s utensil in a mikveh up to four mil.

Greater that this amount, the kneader can make the dough in tumah, unless the customer will paythe expenses to travel farther.

2. Tosfos: An individual is traveling and wishes to knead dough but his own utensils are impure. The

halacha requires the individual to travel up to four mil to a mikvah. If the mikvah is more thanfour mil, then the individual need not wait but can knead and eat the food in an impure state.

3.  Rambam: The case involves anyone even in their own home. One must strive to separate Chalah in

a pure state so that a Cohen can eat it. Therefore, if a Mikvah is within four mil, one must go to itin order to make the dough in a pure state. If there is no Mikvah then one may make the dough

and eat it in an impure state.

4. Shita Mebubetzes: The case involves a person who eats his food on a level of purity. He musttravel up to four mil to wash his hands prior to kneading his dough.

5.  Natronai haGaon: The measurement of four mil involves the prohibition of chametz on Pesach. If one lets dough sit for up to four mil it becomes chametz on Pesach and the source of Kores.

תפילה Prayer 

1.  Rashi: A person on a journey and wishes to seek lodging for the night while there is still daylight.

He should continue to travel four mil in order to pray in a synagogue. If there is no synagoguewithin that distance, then the traveler may pray privately.

2. Tosfos: The case involves washing one’s hands prior to praying.

3.  Rabbenu Chananel: The case involves a baal keri and need to go to the mikvah prior to prayer.

4.  Halachos Gedolos: The case involves the need for one that is traveling to pray in a secured placethat one would have a settled mind.

5. Sefer Eshkol: This case involves the need to say Tefilas haDerech (see Berchos 30a).6.  Ran: This case involves when one has to urinate which would make one’s prayer disgusting.

נטילת ידים Washing Hands

1.  Rashi: A person on a journey and wishes to eat bread, but does not have water with him to fulfill

the obligation to wash the hands prior to eating bread. He should continue to travel four mil in

order to find water. If there is no available water within that distance, then the traveler may eat the bread without washing, using instead the method of wrapping one’s hand in a cloth (O.C. 163:1).

2.  Ritva: This case involves the need to wash one’s hands after the using the toilet in order to say the

 blessing of  Asher Yatzer , or to learn Torah.

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Beur Halacha (163:1) states that the critical factor is not distance bur rather travel time. Thus, if one istraveling by some swift means of transportation (automobile, plane) one must continue traveling for the

time it takes an average person to walk four mil (72 – 96 minutes).