יום שישי י"ט באדר ב תשפ"ד 29/03/2024
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  • The Mission Continues

    As in the past so it remains today - we were and still are under the selfsame commitment to adhere to the directions of the Gedolei Yisrael, who stand guard against breaches of purity threatening our camp. When we were required to ask – we asked. When we were instructed to depart – we left. The moment we are summoned back to raise the flag, every other consideration is pushed to the side and we answer: We are ready!

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בראי היום

  • Harav Yisrael Friedman zy”a, the Rebbe of Husyatin

    מוטי, ויקיפדיה העברית

    The ancestral chain of Harav Yisrael Friedman, the founder of the Husyatin chassidic court, originates with the holy Baal Shem Tov. The Husyatin chassidus has its roots in Galicia and eventually came to Tel Aviv, during the turbulent years between the two World Wars.

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Place

  • Maccabi'im Gravesite

    In honour of Chanukah, we will discuss a fascinating, ongoing investigation attempting to establish the place of burial of Mattisyahu Kohen Gadol and his family.

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In I got It!

‘Shabbos on Sunday’

An interesting halachic query arose regarding the real Shabbos day.

N. Lieberman 19/11/2009 10:00

In the year 1942/5703 the Chazon Ish brought out a pamphlet ‘The Eighteen Hours’, in which he ruled, on the basis of the words of the Kuzari, that Shabbos in Japan should take place on Sunday rather than Saturday, as was the custom until that time.

This new ruling came about because of a question raised by the Mir Yeshiva, who had taken refuge in Shanghai, and then Japan, during their escape from Europe in the Second World War. They asked how they should fix the times of Shabbos and Yom Tov (Festivals).

The background for this question: The time difference that exists between every line of longitude (the distance between the lines is 15°), is one hour.  The imaginary line that stretches round the 180° longitude, and is parallel to the 0° longitude passing through Greenwich, is known as the International Date Line. So someone who crosses this line, is actually crossing a time zone whereby the actual date changes.

So it works out, that on the western side of the date-line the time is twelve hours before the time in Greenwich, and on the eastern side it is twelve hours later. So the difference between the two sides of the line is 24 hours, thus, a person who crosses from one side of the line to the other, is in essence gaining or losing an entire day. Understandably, this situation was a problem regarding when Shabbos and Yom Tov should fall, and required a Halachic ruling.

The opinion of the Chazon Ish, as mentioned, was – that Shabbos in Japan falls on Sunday.

In practice, we follow a different opinion - one that is supported by many Rabbanim, amongst them Rabbi Yechiel Tikochinski (author of many Halachic works) and the Imrei Emes of Gur, who ruled that the seventh day (Saturday) must be sanctified, as it had always been until the question was brought up.

‘..And they rested on the seventh day’.