Q&A: Hours of the Day in Jewish Law
Hours of the Day in Jewish Law
Question
Why are the times for commandments that depend on time (such as the Sabbath, the recitation of the Shema, festivals, etc.) determined by sunset, nightfall, sunrise, and the like? Is this explicit in the Torah, or was it established because that was how things were conducted in the days of the Sages?
And today, because reality has changed, is it possible to determine it differently (for example, that the Sabbath should begin at midnight)?
Answer
Of course this is not explicit in the Torah, but this is what we received through tradition. Is this a law given to Moses at Sinai, or is it a norm that was practiced back then before there were clocks? It seems more likely to me that the second is correct. Even so, this is what was established in Jewish law, and I see no reason to deviate from it.
As for midnight, I really do not understand the logic. What has changed from then until today that would move us from sunset to midnight? That would be changing the Jewish law, not adapting it to the reality of our lives. Is the Gregorian calendar binding because people are accustomed to using it? At most, one could talk about 7:00 instead of a time defined by when priests enter to eat their terumah.
Discussion on Answer
And see Rashbam on Genesis 1:5 (in some editions it was censored)
Maybe Ibn Ezra, when he was in London, the capital of the island, discusses exactly this in the portion of Vayechi,
and wanted to establish the Sabbath from the partitions of the night until midnight when it ends?
Also, an Israeli judge, whose standing in labor law is rather low, wanted to rule this way at least regarding extra pay for work that is permitted on the Sabbath but is compensated with an additional percentage of wages. I think the High Court of Justice overturned her decision, and it remained according to the halakhic times for the beginning and end of the Sabbath?