More and more observant Jews are crossing the Pacific every year, for both business and pleasure.
Numerous questions arise, such as: ·
- What day is Shabbos in Japan, Hawaii, Alaska, and Australia?
- At what point do I cross from one day to the other?
- May I fly from Asia to the US on Friday or Sunday?
- When crossing into “yesterday,” does one pray again?
- What about tefillin and sefiras ha’omer?
- What about crossing into “tomorrow”?
Finding answers to these and many other significant questions is not a simple matter. The Gemara and the Rishonim do not explicitly discuss the dateline, and almost everything about it (including its very location) is widely disputed by contemporary poskim — and often misunderstood by laymen. And due to the unusual intricacies involved, even many rabbanim do not have clarity on these issues.
Crossing the Dateline offers fresh analysis of the issues like never before:
· Comprehensive, in-depth, and extremely well-researched and thought-out, it is a unique and indispensable resource for the rav and scholar.
· Easy-to-read, with simple lists, tables, maps, and a Quick Reference Guide, it gives clear practical direction for the layman and traveler on the go.
About the Author:
Rabbi Mordechai Kuber is the rav of Congregation Nachlas Tzvi Ohel Avraham in Telz-Stone, Israel and a fixture in the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He is also a kashrus veteran, a writer, and a teacher, and travels frequently to the Far East.
