Jewish law in the polar regions
Encyclopedia
The observance of Jewish law (halakhah) in the polar regions of Earth presents unique problems. Many mitzvot, such as Jewish prayer and the Jewish sabbath
, rely on the consistent cycle of day and night in 24-hour periods that is commonplace in most of the world. However, north of the Arctic Circle
(and south of the Antarctic Circle
) a single period of daylight can last for a month or more during the summer, and the night lasts for a similar length of time in the winter. The question for Jews that live in, and visit these regions, is how to reconcile the observed length of days in the polar regions with common practice elsewhere in the world. Should a "day" be defined solely based on sunrise and sunset, even if these events do not occur for long stretches of time; or should the definition of a polar "day" be consistent with the length of a day in the rest of the world?
The problem was first identified in the 18th century, when Jewish émigrés began to immigrate in greater numbers to the northern parts of Scandinavia
. A number of different opinions on the question have been presented in responsa
and are reviewed in a recent essay.
and other Jewish holidays.
in Megillah
. (Many of these mitzvot, as part of the sacrificial service in the Temple of Jerusalem, could not be performed in the polar regions.) In addition, a lender is required to return clothing used as collateral to a poor borrower if he needs it to sleep at night, and an employer must pay a day laborer his wages on the same day that the work is done.
, Mussaf
and Minchah are also limited to certain hours of the day. The evening Shema and Ma'ariv
, though acceptable at any time of the night, should preferably be done in the first half of the night. It is possible that during very long days of the polar summer, evening prayers are not recited, and during very long nights of the polar winter, daytime prayers are not recited.
on every seventh day. During the polar summer, hundreds of hours can pass without sunset, and it is possible that this entire period is just one day of a week. However, since Shabbat is observed on the same day throughout the world (allowing for differences in time zone
s), it stands to reason that Shabbat should be observed simultaneously even in polar regions.
, Talmud
, and individual pre-modern Jewish writers do not address this issue because Jews did not visit the polar regions and were not aware of its distinctive nature before modern times. However, the section in Talmud regarding the "desert wanderer" has been used by modern authorities to analyze this issue. The Talmud contains the following discourse:
The law is in accordance with the first opinion, that a confused desert wanderer keeps six "weekdays" followed by one "Shabbat", but he may not perform activities forbidden on Shabbat on any day except to aid his own survival. The law is based on a principle that a person who is unaware of reality should create his own Sabbath while acting out of concern that the real Sabbath may be on a different day.
, writes that in polar regions there is a 24-hour day, as evidenced by the fact that the sun rotates in the sky from a high point at noon to a low point near the horizon at midnight. He does not offer a means of measuring the passage of a 24-hour day during the polar winter when the sun is invisible. He advises that a Jewish traveler observe the beginning and end of the Sabbath based on the clock of the location whence he came. It is unclear whether this refers to his residence or his port of embarkation.
A result of this view is that two Jews who leave from different cities will always observe Shabbat on Saturday, but at different times. A Jew who leaves from America will observe the Sabbath according to the clock of his hometown, while a Jew from Europe will use the clock of his European hometown, which begins and ends Sabbath about five hours earlier than in America. Thus, there is no uniquely identifiable beginning and end of the day in the polar regions.
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
, rely on the consistent cycle of day and night in 24-hour periods that is commonplace in most of the world. However, north of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
(and south of the Antarctic Circle
Antarctic Circle
The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs south of the Equator.-Description:...
) a single period of daylight can last for a month or more during the summer, and the night lasts for a similar length of time in the winter. The question for Jews that live in, and visit these regions, is how to reconcile the observed length of days in the polar regions with common practice elsewhere in the world. Should a "day" be defined solely based on sunrise and sunset, even if these events do not occur for long stretches of time; or should the definition of a polar "day" be consistent with the length of a day in the rest of the world?
The problem was first identified in the 18th century, when Jewish émigrés began to immigrate in greater numbers to the northern parts of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. A number of different opinions on the question have been presented in responsa
Responsa
Responsa comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them.-In the Roman Empire:Roman law recognised responsa prudentium, i.e...
and are reviewed in a recent essay.
Scope of the problem
The definition of a "day" in polar regions affects mitzvot that must be performed during the day, or at a particular time of day. It also affects the passage of time in the Jewish calendar for the purpose of observing ShabbatShabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
and other Jewish holidays.
Mitzvot performed during the day
A long list of mitzvot must be performed at any time during the day but not at night, or vice versa. These are listed in a mishnahMishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
in Megillah
Megillah (Talmud)
Megillah is the tenth Tractate of Mishnah in the Order Moed. It and its Gemara deal with the laws of Purim and offers exegetical understandings to the Book of Esther. It also includes laws concerning the public reading of the Torah and other communal synagogue practices...
. (Many of these mitzvot, as part of the sacrificial service in the Temple of Jerusalem, could not be performed in the polar regions.) In addition, a lender is required to return clothing used as collateral to a poor borrower if he needs it to sleep at night, and an employer must pay a day laborer his wages on the same day that the work is done.
Time of day
The most familiar mitzvah that depends on the time of day is Jewish prayer. The morning Shema must be read between dawn and three variable hours after sunrise. ("Variable hours" are each one-twelfth of the time between sunrise and sunset, or according to another opinion between dawn and the appearance of stars at twilight. Variable hours are longer than 60 minutes in the summer, and shorter than 60 minutes in the winter.) The prayers of ShacharitShacharit
Shacharit is the the daily morning Tefillah of the Jewish people, one of the three times there is prayer each day.Shacharit is said to have been established by the patriarch Abraham when he prayed in the morning...
, Mussaf
Mussaf
Mussaf is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to the regular services of Shacharit, Mincha, and Maariv.During the days of the Holy...
and Minchah are also limited to certain hours of the day. The evening Shema and Ma'ariv
Jewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
, though acceptable at any time of the night, should preferably be done in the first half of the night. It is possible that during very long days of the polar summer, evening prayers are not recited, and during very long nights of the polar winter, daytime prayers are not recited.
Days of the week
The passage of days from one to the next most prominently drives the observance of ShabbatShabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
on every seventh day. During the polar summer, hundreds of hours can pass without sunset, and it is possible that this entire period is just one day of a week. However, since Shabbat is observed on the same day throughout the world (allowing for differences in time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
s), it stands to reason that Shabbat should be observed simultaneously even in polar regions.
Pre-modern background
The BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, and individual pre-modern Jewish writers do not address this issue because Jews did not visit the polar regions and were not aware of its distinctive nature before modern times. However, the section in Talmud regarding the "desert wanderer" has been used by modern authorities to analyze this issue. The Talmud contains the following discourse:
- Rav HunaRav HunaRav Huna , a Kohen, was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the second generation and head of the Academy of Sura; He was born about 216, died in 296-297 ).-Youth:...
says, if a man is wandering in the desert and he does not know when is the Sabbath, he should count six days [as weekdays] and keep one day as the Sabbath. Hiyya bar Rav says he should keep one day as Sabbath, then count six days [as weekdays]. ...
- RavaRava (amora)For the third generation Amora sage of Babylon, with a similar name, see: Joseph b. Hama .Abba ben Joseph bar Ḥama, who is exclusively referred to in the Talmud by the name Rava , was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora, born in 270. He is one of the most often-cited Rabbis...
says, on each day he may do whatever he needs in order to survive, except for his Sabbath. But should he die on the Sabbath? He could prepare extra food the day before his Sabbath, but that might be the real Sabbath. So every day he may do whatever he needs in order to survive, even on the Sabbath. How is the Sabbath recognizable to him? By kiddushKiddushKiddush , literally, "sanctification," is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.-Significance:...
and havdalahHavdalahHavdalah is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and holidays, and ushers in the new week. Shabbat ends on Saturday night after the appearance of three stars in the sky...
[which he performs on his Sabbath but not on other days].
- Rava says, if he knows which day he departed on the journey, he may do work on the same day of the week [i.e. 7 or 14 days after he departed, because he certainly would not have departed on a Sabbath].
The law is in accordance with the first opinion, that a confused desert wanderer keeps six "weekdays" followed by one "Shabbat", but he may not perform activities forbidden on Shabbat on any day except to aid his own survival. The law is based on a principle that a person who is unaware of reality should create his own Sabbath while acting out of concern that the real Sabbath may be on a different day.
Rabbi Israel Lipschutz
Rabbi Israel Lipschutz, in his commentary Tiferet YisraelTiferet Yisrael (commentary)
Tiferet Yisrael is a commentary on the Mishnah written by Rabbi Israel Lipschitz....
, writes that in polar regions there is a 24-hour day, as evidenced by the fact that the sun rotates in the sky from a high point at noon to a low point near the horizon at midnight. He does not offer a means of measuring the passage of a 24-hour day during the polar winter when the sun is invisible. He advises that a Jewish traveler observe the beginning and end of the Sabbath based on the clock of the location whence he came. It is unclear whether this refers to his residence or his port of embarkation.
A result of this view is that two Jews who leave from different cities will always observe Shabbat on Saturday, but at different times. A Jew who leaves from America will observe the Sabbath according to the clock of his hometown, while a Jew from Europe will use the clock of his European hometown, which begins and ends Sabbath about five hours earlier than in America. Thus, there is no uniquely identifiable beginning and end of the day in the polar regions.