7C+Justin

I personally would not use World of Warcraft or any other online game to teach Tefilat haDerech. The "journies" in such games are a far cry from today's travelling experiences. While they might, in some ways, replicate the perils of travelling of old, I would want my students to be able to apply Tefilat haDerech to their real worlds, not their imaginary ones. Davening to Hashem should be applicable and usable in everyday life.

Our travels are filled with new "dangers," as the prayer speaks of. We might not have bandits, but (at least in Brooklyn) we have carjackings. We have drunk drivers, we have texting drivers, and we have potholes so deep they cause accidents. We have air traffic controlers who fall asleep, and we have birds flying into jets causing them to land on the Hudson. Tefilat haDerech is of huge importance in our modern age.

If I were required to use WoW to teach this prayer, I would use it to explain the perils of travel in ancient times, using the game as a fictional example. Immediately following I would ask the kids to come up with their own lists of modern travel perils that they experience, and how the list of perils in the prayer is representative of anything that can happen even in our modern age.