Q. There was the following report in the news in Eretz Yisroel. A woman who was supposed to be for Shabbos at her fiancé made a wrong turn and ended up somewhere else. Unfortunately, when she arrived at another house, it was Shabbos already and too late to call. Her parents were informed that she did not show up at her fiancées house and alerted the police. Police searched for her car with the aid of a helicopter. An alert was issued on television, radio, etc. One of her relatives commented that the girl didn’t desecrate the Shabbos, but everyone else did while looking for her.

Aside from her first mistake in leaving too late before Shabbos to allow for mistakes, is there anything that she could halachically have done. And how should this incident be viewed?

A. Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit”a opinion is that after the shkiah (sunset) but prior to tzeis hakochovim, she should have called police and inform them of the details of her predicament (calling home may have been futile, as they may have not answered the phone anymore).

The call should have been done with a shinui (proper alteration from the normal way of doing it). Such as first removing the handset from its cradle with the elbow and then dialing with the knuckles. This would constitute a shvus (Rabbinical prohibition) done during Ben Hashmoshos (the twilight period after sunset). Rabbinical prohibitions at that time are permitted in a case of great need or while performing a Mitzvah (O.H. 307,22 – 329,19 – Mishna Berura 342,1 – Kinyan Sholom 11).

Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a