Please note: This is not part of the current series, but rather a response to a number of questions that have been raised. Nevertheless, it is germane to issues related to the beginning and end of Shabbat.
The Twilight Zone
It is a mistaken idea that the day in the Jewish calendar begins and ends at sundown. We need to understand that there is a separation between day, twilight, and night. However, the definitions of these divisions is a subject of much discussion and debate. Until sundown, it is day (except according to one 12th century view, which we shall ignore for purposes of this article. ) According to most rabbis in the Talmud, as well as later views, sundown begins the period called "twilight" (Bein Hashemashot). It is uncertain if twilight is considered part of the day, part of the night, or up to some point day, and then night. As a result, we apply our old rule; to be strict in a Biblical requirement, and lenient in a rabbinic requirement. If a Biblical requirement needs to be performed by day, it should be done before sundown. If a rabbinic requirement needs to be done by day, we can go until twilight is over. Likewise, if a Biblical requirement is for the night, we must (in most cases), perform it only after twilight; if a rabbinic requirement, from sundown is fine. RAMBAM, also basing himself on a statement in Talmud has a different view. We divide the time between sunset and night into two. The first half is completely day, the second half is twilight. (The term "shki'ah" is usually applied to sunset, but there are so many other usages of the word, that I will avoid it). So when is night? Simple. When the stars come out. But how many stars? The Talmud says "three stars, not scattered, but close together". OK, and how long is that? "The time it takes an average person to walk three-quarters of a mil. What's a mil? It's a Roman mile, roughly equivalent to a kilometer. And how long is that? Views differ for the time it takes to walk a mil between 18 minutes and 24 minutes. So, three-quarters of that time would be 13 1/2 minutes, to 18 minutes. But wait; the sun sets, and dark comes, at different rates of speed depending on the time of year, and distance from the equator. So, if we take the 18 minute mil, night would arrive between 14 and 20 minutes after Sundown in New York, depending on the time of year. Today, we have computerized calendars, that make this calculation easy. As there is a mitzvah to add to Shabbat, most people will wait at least half an hour after sundown to conclude it. Many wait even more.Now comes the complicated part. Throughout these essays, I have usually taken the view of RAMBAM as the most authoritative. But for our Ashkenazi brethren, that position is shared with Rabbi Jacob Tam (Rabbenu Tam, 1100-1171). One encounters debates (fruitless, in my opinion) as to which one is the greatest. RAMBAM was the greatest at determining the correct tradition on the basis of sources, oral traditions, and logic. Rabbenu Tam had few oral traditions, but was a master at interpreting the Talmud as a text, demanding analysis. When there are several views in the Talmud on a given subject, RAMBAM will try to zoom in on the most logical. Rabbenu Tam will try to make an interpretation that encompasses all views, or at least as many as possible. Aside from the above interpretations of nightfall, there is another one mentioned in Talmud. This view says that the "stars coming out" is not to be interpreted literally, but as the time when visible daylight leaves the horizon. How long is that? The time it takes to walk four mil; 72 minutes. Those rabbis who were well versed in astronomy knew that this, too, must be adjusted for time of year and distance from the equator. But most rabbis were NOT versed in astronomy, and this figure was understood as a constant. In the Land of Israel, the sun is 16.1 degrees under the horizon at 72 minutes. Those who accurately keep the "Time of Rabbenu Tam", will not consider it evening, or end Shabbat, until the sun is 16.1 degrees under the horizon locally, However, Rabbenu Tam didn't stop there. What about the other view, the main view in the Talmud that twilight lasts for 13 1/2 minutes? Rabbenu Tam, combining these views, worked out the following: Sundown is meaningless. For 58 1/2 minutes after sundown, it is actually DAY. At 58 1/2 minutes, starts twilight, becoming night at 72. This became standard in most places for the next six centuries, primarily because of the stature of Rabbenu Tam. In the eighteenth century, a number of rabbis, especially Elijah of Vilna, showed this view to have no connection with any observable astronomical facts, and it largely fell by the wayside. However, in many Hasidic circles (and ever some Yeshivish circles), it remains standard until this day. Some keep it as a stringency. But many will pray the afternoon service (minhah) until almost an hour after sundown. Many (including yours truly) consider this a gross mistake. Those who end Shabbat at straight 72 minutes, are fooling themselves. That is NOT the "time of Rabbenu Tam".
It is a mistaken idea that the day in the Jewish calendar begins and ends at sundown. We need to understand that there is a separation between day, twilight, and night. However, the definitions of these divisions is a subject of much discussion and debate. Until sundown, it is day (except according to one 12th century view, which we shall ignore for purposes of this article. ) According to most rabbis in the Talmud, as well as later views, sundown begins the period called "twilight" (Bein Hashemashot). It is uncertain if twilight is considered part of the day, part of the night, or up to some point day, and then night. As a result, we apply our old rule; to be strict in a Biblical requirement, and lenient in a rabbinic requirement. If a Biblical requirement needs to be performed by day, it should be done before sundown. If a rabbinic requirement needs to be done by day, we can go until twilight is over. Likewise, if a Biblical requirement is for the night, we must (in most cases), perform it only after twilight; if a rabbinic requirement, from sundown is fine. RAMBAM, also basing himself on a statement in Talmud has a different view. We divide the time between sunset and night into two. The first half is completely day, the second half is twilight. (The term "shki'ah" is usually applied to sunset, but there are so many other usages of the word, that I will avoid it). So when is night? Simple. When the stars come out. But how many stars? The Talmud says "three stars, not scattered, but close together". OK, and how long is that? "The time it takes an average person to walk three-quarters of a mil. What's a mil? It's a Roman mile, roughly equivalent to a kilometer. And how long is that? Views differ for the time it takes to walk a mil between 18 minutes and 24 minutes. So, three-quarters of that time would be 13 1/2 minutes, to 18 minutes. But wait; the sun sets, and dark comes, at different rates of speed depending on the time of year, and distance from the equator. So, if we take the 18 minute mil, night would arrive between 14 and 20 minutes after Sundown in New York, depending on the time of year. Today, we have computerized calendars, that make this calculation easy. As there is a mitzvah to add to Shabbat, most people will wait at least half an hour after sundown to conclude it. Many wait even more.Now comes the complicated part. Throughout these essays, I have usually taken the view of RAMBAM as the most authoritative. But for our Ashkenazi brethren, that position is shared with Rabbi Jacob Tam (Rabbenu Tam, 1100-1171). One encounters debates (fruitless, in my opinion) as to which one is the greatest. RAMBAM was the greatest at determining the correct tradition on the basis of sources, oral traditions, and logic. Rabbenu Tam had few oral traditions, but was a master at interpreting the Talmud as a text, demanding analysis. When there are several views in the Talmud on a given subject, RAMBAM will try to zoom in on the most logical. Rabbenu Tam will try to make an interpretation that encompasses all views, or at least as many as possible. Aside from the above interpretations of nightfall, there is another one mentioned in Talmud. This view says that the "stars coming out" is not to be interpreted literally, but as the time when visible daylight leaves the horizon. How long is that? The time it takes to walk four mil; 72 minutes. Those rabbis who were well versed in astronomy knew that this, too, must be adjusted for time of year and distance from the equator. But most rabbis were NOT versed in astronomy, and this figure was understood as a constant. In the Land of Israel, the sun is 16.1 degrees under the horizon at 72 minutes. Those who accurately keep the "Time of Rabbenu Tam", will not consider it evening, or end Shabbat, until the sun is 16.1 degrees under the horizon locally, However, Rabbenu Tam didn't stop there. What about the other view, the main view in the Talmud that twilight lasts for 13 1/2 minutes? Rabbenu Tam, combining these views, worked out the following: Sundown is meaningless. For 58 1/2 minutes after sundown, it is actually DAY. At 58 1/2 minutes, starts twilight, becoming night at 72. This became standard in most places for the next six centuries, primarily because of the stature of Rabbenu Tam. In the eighteenth century, a number of rabbis, especially Elijah of Vilna, showed this view to have no connection with any observable astronomical facts, and it largely fell by the wayside. However, in many Hasidic circles (and ever some Yeshivish circles), it remains standard until this day. Some keep it as a stringency. But many will pray the afternoon service (minhah) until almost an hour after sundown. Many (including yours truly) consider this a gross mistake. Those who end Shabbat at straight 72 minutes, are fooling themselves. That is NOT the "time of Rabbenu Tam".
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