Vol.

18 Issue #10

Parashat Vayigash

4 Tevet 5774

The International Date Line

Rabbi Michael Taubes

After Yosef reveals who he really is to his brothers, he instructs them to quickly go up (valu) to his father Yaakov (who was in Eretz Yisrael) and tell him that he is alive and now a leader in Egypt, and that he should hurry down to see him (Bereishit 45:9). In his commentary on this Posuk, Rashi (s.v. valu), apparently troubled by the word valu, go up, used to describe the journey to Eretz Yisrael, writes that Eretz Yisrael is higher than, or above, all other lands; to get there, then, one must indeed go up. This idea would appear to be based on the Gemara in Kiddushin (69a) which makes this very statement about Eretz Yisrael, adding, based in a Posuk later in the Torah (Devarim 17:8), that the site of the Beis Hamikdash (in Yerushalayim) is higher than any other place in Eretz Yisrael; this latter point, though, is qualified by Tosafos in Sanhedrin (87a s.v. shebais) where these statements also appear. Although the Pardes Yosef on the Posuk in this Parsha quotes those who explain that Chazals intent here is merely to teach that the Beis Hamikdash and Eretz Yisrael are higher than any other places in the world in terms of stature and honor, the Maharsha in Kiddushin (Chiddushei Agados s.v. Beis Hamikdash) writes that the earth is a sphere, and the site of the Beis Hamikdash and Eretz Yisrael are at the center - or on top - of that sphere; the place is thus indeed higher than any other place in the world. He apparently understood the statements of the Gemara in the literal sense. This idea that Eretz Yisrael and Yerushalayim are at the top of the world, and the idea expressed in the Gemara earlier in Sanhedrin (37a. See Rashi s.v. btiburo) that the site of the Beis Hamikdash (in Yerushalayim, where the Sanhedrin had its chambers) is at the center of the world, may impact the issue of how to determine the location of the International Date Line according to the Halacha. It is the accepted practice in the secular world to begin the new calendar day at midnight. Since, however, midnight does not arrive at the exact same moment all over the world, the new calendar day will not begin at the exact

same moment all over the world. The further west one travels, the later midnight and the new calendar day arrives. For example, when Sunday evening concludes and it becomes Monday at midnight in New York, it is still Sunday evening for three more hours in California. And it will not become Monday for another few hours after that in Hawaii, and several hours after that, it would become Monday in the Orient, and so on. Eventually, one will travel all the way back to New York, where it will again be midnight. Obviously, though, it cannot again be the midnight which begins Monday, because that already happened 24 hours earlier; this midnight will have to begin Tuesday. It is clear, then, that at some point, somewhere along the line, midnight will no longer be the beginning of Monday, but of Tuesday, and this cycle of the new day begins again. This point is what is known as the International Date Line, and at the International Meridian Conference in 1884, it was decided that this date line would be at the point which is 180 (that is, twelve hours) from Greenwich, England, a point which cuts primarily through the Pacific Ocean. The question is, where exactly is this date line according to the Halacha, which obviously assigns no significance to Greenwich, England? Of course, midnight is of no relevance in terms of the date according to the Halacha either, but the same problem naturally presents itself regarding sunset, which obviously is an important time in Halacha. The Radvaz (Shut HaRadvaz vol. 1 Siman 76) already asserts that this matter is the subject of a dispute among Rishonim, and, as documented by Rav Shlomo Zevin (Sefer Leor HaHalacha, page 285), many others have dealt at length with this issue. Some point to a Gemara in Rosh Hashanah (20b) which indicates that the Beis Din would not declare a day to be Rosh Chodesh unless the new moon was visible in Eretz Yisrael before noon on that day; if it appeared after noon, the next day would be Rosh Chodesh. Although certain Rishonim explain the Gemara as referring only to details concerning the declaration of Rosh Chodesh, the interpretation of the Baal HaMaor and others relates it directly to this issue of the date line. The Gemara states that the reason Beis Din would

 not declare a day to be Rosh Chodesh unless the moon appeared before noon in Yerushalayim is that this Rosh Chodesh must last a full 24 hours somewhere in the world. In other words, it is required that there be some place on earth that will be experiencing nightfall at the time of (or after) the Molad, the first appearance of the moon in Eretz Yisrael, so that the newly declared Rosh Chodesh will last a full 24 hours in at least that one place. Therefore, the Baal HaMaor explains, if Rosh Chodesh is declared in Yerushalayim anytime between nightfall and noon (18 hours later), there will be places in the world that will have a full 24 hours of the new Rosh Chodesh. Even if it is noon in Eretz Yisrael at the time of the Molad, in which case only 6 hours remain of Rosh Chodesh there, there is still some place on earth where it is just nightfall, and where Rosh Chodesh will thus last a full 24 hours. If, however, the Molad appears in Eretz Yisrael after noon, there will no longer be any place which will not yet have experienced nightfall of that day; Rosh Chodesh thus cannot be that day because no location would experience it for a full 24 hours. The Gemara here is thus suggesting, according to this interpretation of the Baal HaMaor, that noon in Yerushalayim is the latest time at which there is still some location on earth which has not yet begun the new day. Since noon is 18 hours after nightfall, this means that there is a location far west of Yerushalayim which is 18 hours behind it in terms of time. Apparently, more than 18 hours west of Yerushalayim, it is already the next day, 6 hours ahead in terms of time. It would thus seem that the Gemara has determined that the date line is 18 hours (270) west, or 6 hours (90) east of Eretz Yisrael. Rav Chaim Zimmerman, in a lengthy work on this subject (Sefer Agan Hasahar, Ch. 2 page 19), suggests that it may also be because the Baal HaMaor considers Eretz Yisrael (and Yerushalayim) to be the top of the world, as mentioned above, that he holds that the date line must be 90 east of Yerushalayim. He explains that at the moment of creation, when the sun was placed in the sky, it was placed above Yerushalayim which, at that first instant, was naturally on top of the world in relationship to the sun, as every part of the globe eventually is. This means that the area 90 east (6 hours ahead) of Yerushalayim was then experiencing nightfall (sunset) and was already beginning the next day. That location, then, must be the date line because that was the first place on earth to go to the next day; this indeed is where the Baal HaMaor places the date line, as shown above. This position about the date line is articulated as well in the Sefer HaKuzari (2:20), and is clearly accepted by the Ran in Rosh Hashanah (s.v. tzarich), and, apparently, by
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Vol. 18 Issue #10 the Ritva there (s.v. ki). The Chazon Ish, in an essay on this topic (Kuntris Yud Ches Shaos Siman 64, printed in the Sefer Chazon Ish on Orach Chaim-Moed), asserts forcefully (Os 4, 13, 16, the Sikum, and in the second letter at the end of the Kuntris) that this is indeed the position of all the Rishonim who discuss this matter. Although Rav Chaim Zimmerman, throughout his Sefer cited above, discusses views which in fact appear to disagree with this position, he suggests (Ch. 12) that the Rambam (Hilchos Kiddush Hachodesh) may be added to the list of those who subscribe to it. Despite the fact that the Chazon Ish writes elsewhere that the issue is simple and that there is no room for debate, there are nevertheless other recent authorities who disagree, as documented by Rav Shlomo Zevin in his aforementioned article (pages 287 -288). In particular, he cites (page 288) Rav Yechiel Michel Tukatchinksy, author of the Gesher HaChaim, who wrote a Sefer (Hayoman Bkadur Haaretz) on this subject (to which the Chazon Ishs Kuntris Yud Ches Shaos is a response, according to its introduction). He shows that in fact the new day begins 12 hours to the east of Yerushalayim, and finally ends 12 hours to its west; this means that the date line is 180 (in either direction) from Eretz Yisrael. As Rav Zevin notes (page 287), one advantage of this position is that Eretz Yisrael is actually in the center of the world according to this calculation (with 180 to the date line on each side of it); this works out nicely, therefore, with the statement of the Gemara in Sanhedrin cited above that Eretz Yisrael is the center of the world. As reported in the biography of the Chazon Ish (Sefer Peer Hador/Chayei HaChazon Ish, vol. 3 Ch. 24), at a meeting convened in 1941 by the Chief Rabbinate in Eretz Yisrael to respond to the questions of Jews who had fled Europe and were living in the Orient, this position was officially accepted; Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank (Shut Har Tzvi Orach Chaim vol. 1 Siman 138) ruled this way as well. The Chazon Ish, however, continued to insist that his position is correct, writing in another letter (igeres 164) that he dislikes getting involved in this type of situation, but feels that he cant keep silent about this issue, especially since, in his view, all the Rishonim support the position that the date line is 90 east of Yerushalayim. In another letter (igeres 165), he de-scribes the responsibility he feels to render a decision in consonance with the view of the Rishonim. In terms of Eretz Yisrael being the center of the world, the Chazon Ish (Kuntris Yud Ches Shaos ibid os 2, and in the second letter, ibid, towards the end) explains that we are to consider only the upper hemisphere

 of the globe, because thats where Eretz Yisrael is, and where human civilization began and developed. If we place Eretz Yisrael at the top or center - of that originally inhabited hemisphere, the eastern edge is 90east of it and the western edge is 90 to its west. The eastern edge is where the new day begins; that point, 90 or 6 hours- east of Eretz Yisrael, is the date line. One practical problem with this position of the Chazon Ish is that his date line, 90 east of Yerushalayim, cuts through land masses in eastern Russia, China, and Australia, which means that within one country, or even one city, Shabbos could be on two different days. He explains, however (os 5), that this would not happen because any land mass which has a significant portion to the west of the date line, even if it physically is not. In other words, the date line, according to him, bends, and follows the coastline of those land masses; all of eastern Russia, China, and Australia are thus considered to be east of Eretz Yisrael (ahead in time) and west of the date line. It is noteworthy, though, that according to the Chazon Ish, Japan is undoubtedly to the east of the Halachic date line, and thus is behind Eretz Yisrael in time, even though it is west of the official International Date line; the same is true of New Zealand, and Shabbos in those locations must thus be observed on their Sunday, not their Saturday. Since there are numerous Halachic questions which can come up when one crosses the date line, such as about Shabbos and davening, a competent Halachic authority should be consulted. Did Yosef Really Miss Yaakov?
Vol. 18 Issue #10

Yehoshua Szafranski
In this weeks sedrah, Vayigash, we witness the culmination of the infamous episode of mechiras Yosef. After the brothers nearly-successful attempt of trying to murder Yosef, Yehuda managed to get Yosef semi off-the-hook by rallying his brothers and explaining that killing him wasnt the answer. Being that the death penalty was no longer an option for Yosef, they ended up selling him to merchants who in turn dragged him down to Mitzrayim to be sold on the slave market. Ever since nursery school, we were taught that after the mechira, a homesick Yosef arrived in the house of Potiphar as a slave. We were taught that he missed his father very much and wished to be with him. Is this really true? Why is it that when Yosef was appointed as viceroy of Mitzrayim that he didnt immediately send for his father, Yaakov? As we know, Yaakov and Yosef had a unique and very close relationship with each other. Yosef was the first

Page 3 born son of Rachel, Yaakovs favorite wife. Yaakov also gave Yosef the famous ketones passim, the multi-colored coat; while he gave the rest of his children nothing. In addition to this, Rashi points out that Yaakov and Yosef were chavrusas and learned Halacha together, thus strengthening their relationship. If this is all true, why did Yosef wait a whole twenty two years (during which Yaakov excessively mourned the apparent death of Yosef) to send for his father, Yaakov? Being that he was the viceroy of Mitzrayim, we can be sure that he could have figured something out a little earlier; maybe he could have sent him a letter, or, perhaps, a messenger to let him know that he wasnt dead? Instead, he waited for his brothers to come down to Mitzrayim for him to enquire about his fathers situation; only then did he decide to summon his father down to Mitzrayim. Why is this? In order to answer this question, we must look at this entire quandary from Yosefs perspective. Yosef was confused, but not only about his current relationship with his brothers, but also regarding his relationship with his father, Yaakov. Yosef wondered if his father might have been an accomplice in the conspiracy against him. Yosefs second dream implied that Yaakov himself represented by the sun would bow down in subservience to Yosef. In response, his father rebuked him saying, Am I and your mother and your brothers to bow down before you? Also, it was Yaakov who sent Yosef to rendezvous with his brothers, well aware of their animosity towards him. Maybe Yosef thought that being that Yaakov was angry at him, he purposely sent him out to the fields to get murdered. The Ramban explains that Yosef realized that the dreams that he had were prophecies; this being so, he had an obligation to see them through and make sure that they were actualized. He needed to wait until he was elevated to a status of royalty. Only then would his eleven brothers bow down to him as their eleven bundles had bowed to his bundle in the dream. Had Yaakov known that Yosef was alive, he would have come immediately to see him. It was only after the bundles had bowed down, that the second dream of the sun (representing Yaakov), the moon (representing Bilhah who had raised Yosef) and the eleven stars (representing the brothers) could then be fulfilled. When the brothers first arrived without Binyamin, Yosef realized that before he could reveal his identity he must find a way to force Binyamin to come down to Mitzrayim, thereby fulfilling the first prophecy. He therefore treated them harshly and warned that no future food would be given unless all of the brothers would come. Once the first

 prophecy had been fulfilled Yosef was now able to reveal his identity, causing Yaakov and the entire family to come, and bringing about the fulfillment of the second prophecy. The Ascent: Physical or Spiritual?
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Ezra Epstein
After the dramatic revealing of his identity, Yosef instructs his brothers to go up and tell their father to come to Egypt. He says Hurry and ascend to my father. Why didnt Yosef simply tell them to go, instead of ordering them to go up? Rashi answers that the land of Israel is the highest of all lands. However, this statement requires further investigation. In what sense is Israel high? The Maharsha and the Maharal each provide an answer: The Maharsha suggests that since Israel is the center of the spherical earth, it is therefore considered to be the top of the earth, so going to Israel from anywhere else is physically ascending. The Maharal disagrees, because he points out that this logic doesnt add up. Since the earth is a sphere, any given point can be considered as the earths center and the highest point. Therefore, he holds that the ascent to Israel is a spiritual ascent. The Chasam Sofer states in the Maharshas defense that Israel can be viewed as the center of the earth, because the creation of the earth originated there at the future location of the Bais Hamikdash. Other opinions also support the Maharsha by noting that Israel is physically higher than all its surrounding lands. At the end of the day, we can possibly conclude that travelling to The Land of Israel is both physically and spiritually elevating. Now that Chanukah is over, we have seen physical elevation by the addition of one candle each night, until we have eight burning candles. However, this is not merely something physical; rather it symbolizes something spiritual, that being the elevation of our spiritual growth. Fire represents the Torah. Any way one holds a candle, the flame always points upward. Chanukah represents our spirits elevating higher and higher, getting closer and closer to G-d. We can hopefully learn from this message and continue improving upon ourselves each and every day. And Yehuda Approached...

Asher Finkelstein
The listener can sense the rising tension and drama in the room. The Egyptian viceroy has just decreed servitude for Binyamin, whose older brother Yehuda has just stepped up to the plate to plead his brothers case. When his brother and fathers futures are at stake, Yehuda holds back no punches. The intensity is rising is in three

Vol. 18 Issue #10 ways: physical proximity, directness of conversation, and tone of language. By better understanding these three factors, we can reach a heightened sense of precisely what was occurring during that remarkable meeting. First, let us discuss physical proximity. The first Pasuk in the Parasha makes it clear that as Yehuda stood to plea on Binyamins behalf, he walked closer up to Yosef. The Chizkuni explains that by standing in close proximity to Yosef, Yehuda was able to have a secret conversation with him that no one else could hear. The Or HaChaim explains why this secret exchange was necessary. Yehuda realized that arguing with a king was a lose-lose proposition. Either he loses the argument or he is executed for defeating the king in an argument. Since Yehuda was able to have a private conversation with Yosef, however, the king would not be publicly shamed if Yehuda won the argument, thereby obviating the need to execute him. Now let us discuss the language that we see here. As Yehudas masterful oration progresses, the intensity of his language clearly rises as well. The Beis Halevi points out another fascinating way in which Yehuda upped the intensity of his speech. Until this point, the brothers had been rather confused by many aspects of their conversations with Yosef. In particular, Yosefs answers didnt always seem to match up appropriately with the questions that were asked. Therefore, Yehuda figured that the translator who had been shuttling between them and Yosef must have been translating pieces of the conversation accurately. Therefore, Yehuda requested to speak directly to Yosef in Hebrew. After all, says Yehuda, kamocha kiPharoh, just like Pharoh, you are supposed to be conversant in all seventy languages. This also explains why Yehuda repeats the entire story of what had occurred between the viceroy and the brothers until now. Since he was now speaking directly to Yosef, Yehuda figured he could clear up any confusions or misunderstandings which might have arisen throughout the course of their translator-mediated conversation. Yehudas combination of physical proximity, elimination of intermediaries, and dramatic language could have no doubt won Binyamins case before a different viceroy, but in reality it all seems to have been for naught. After all, this was just part of the little game Yosef was playing with the brothers before revealing himself to them. Actually, Yehudas masterful performance was key to Yosefs ending of the masquerade and reuniting with his brothers. When Yosef saw how much passion, energy, and self-sacrifice the potential loss of Binyamin elicited from Yehuda, he was convinced that his former sellers had repented. He knew the time was ripe to heal the old rifts in the family and give Yaakov a taste of the tranquility that he had so long desired.