When Samoa decided to switch its relationship to the rest of the world by deciding to skip the last Friday in December and move to the other side of the International Date Line, they unwittingly began a fascinating halachic debate.
When, exactly, does one celebrate Shabbat under that circumstance?
And, of course, there are issues of travelers, not only to Samoa, but for anyone crossing the date line. For example, the International Date Line is slightly different in Halacha than it is observed on international maps. When does Shabbat start and end when you cross the date line? Is it a different day if you live there, as opposed to simply traveling there?
What happens when Shabbat starts on Thursday evening and goes until Saturday night, 49 hours? (Can you imagine how overcooked the Hamin must be?)
I don't know about you, but the whole discussion makes my head spin!
M
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The Day Shabbat Started on Thursday Night
How can the Jewish Sabbath start Thursday night and last 49 hours? Visit Samoa, where it jump-started the International Date Line.
