According to halakha, where is the international date line?





  • The back of Art Scroll Talmud Rosh Hashanna has a thorough discussion of the Halachic Date Line and its implications. It is rather complex, yet interesting reading. – DanF Aug 13 '18 at 16:37

You sure you want to open up this can of worms? :-)

Here's the situation. There is no explicit mention of any such concept in the Torah, Talmud, or adressed by the Rambam, the Rosh, the Tur, or the Shulchan Aruch. The first time this really became an issue when during WWII when yeshiva students (notably those from Mir and Chachmei Lublin) relocated from Europe to Japan. They contacted various rabbis in Israel asking them where the dateline was, because they needed to know when to celebrate shabbat and various holidays.

They got two responses:

  1. The Chazon Ish based his opinion on a comment of the Baal Ha'Meor (Zerachiah ha-Levi of Girona). The Baal Ha'Meor had a story about kidush hachodesh, which didn't address the dateline directly, but did maintain that the day "started" 90 degrees east of Jerusalem. The Chazon Ish therefore calculated that the dateline is 90* east of Jlem, (about the 125th E meridian), but it also bends around land masses. This means that since it hits in the middle of the Asian land mass, it would bend and go along the coast of China. China and mainland Asia would be in the same halachic day (same side of the dateline) as the secular calendar would have you believe. The islands (Japan, the Philippines, etc.) would actually be on the other side of the dateline and would NOT be in the same day as the regular calendar would have you believe. In other words, according to the Chazon Ish, Sunday is shabbat in Japan.
  2. The second answer was from Yechiel Michel Tuchatzinsky, who maintained that since Jerusalem is the center of the world, the dateline must be 180* (exactly across from) Jerusalem, which would put it at about 144.8 W meridian. This is also the opinion of Yehuda Henkin, Moshe Feinstein, and Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, and Yosef Eliashiv.

Since that initial disagreement, there have been a few other opinions:

  • Sefer ha'ibur - The center of the world is 23.5* or 24* east of Jlem, and then using the proof of the Baal Ha'meor, the dateline would be 90* east of that.
  • Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer and Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank - there is no halachic dateline at all. It isn't mentioned in the talmud, tur, or shulchan aruch. Therefore people should just follow the secular international dateline.
  • Rav Yonatan Shteif - the date is determined by tradition. If the day is traditionally Saturday, then that's the day shabbat is. The difference between this opinion and the one above is that if the dateline moved, Rav Shteif would say the halachic dateline would not.
  • Rav David Shapiro - the line is 135* East of Jlem.
  • Yonah Merzbach - take the easternmost point of Asia (the tip of Sibera by the Bering straight), and use that longitudinal line as the halachic dateline. This is about 170W

In terms of what happened historically, there are reports of yeshivas in Japan during the WWII period who kept shabbat on Sunday, although to avoid maarit ayin (looking like they were violating shabbat), they also refrained from melacha on Saturday, even if they did the weekday davening and put on tefilin. However this is a historic anomaly. Jewish communities in the affected areas (Japan, Hawaii, etc.) have always kept shabbat on Saturday, essentially following the opinion of Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer and Tzvi Pesach Frank.

That enough for you? If you want more, I suggest "the dateline in halacha" by Zalman Tropper in English, or תאריך ישראל in Hebrew.

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  • 1
    What's R' Dovid Shapiro's reasoning? – Shmuel Brin May 22 '14 at 1:52
  • 2
    @ShmuelBrin Quoting from here: There is a Midrash that says that the sun first appeared in Jerusalem in the beginning of the fourth hour. So, the sun first appeared in the world three hours or 45° east of Jerusalem. However, the day starts at sunset, which is another six hours or 90° east. However, most poskim hold that a day halachicly begins at nightfall, tzeit hakochavim, which is approximately 8° east of sunset. In total, the spot where day began on the first day is 143° east of Jerusalem. – Popular Isn't Right May 22 '14 at 16:10
  • @Bachrach44 Are you sure that Ravs Frank and Meltzer argue with R' Shteif? If memory serves, I thought I heard that they were saying that the first settlers in a place determine the day (i.e. based on whether they came from the east or west) and subsequent settlers keep their tradition (i.e. regardless of from which direction they arrived). Which would seem consistent with R' Shteif as you report. Though it opens the possibility of a very gerrymandered dateline that could hypothetically cross all longitudes. – Loewian Mar 6 '15 at 20:05




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B.) Somewhere close to the International line.



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  • Link to Star-K Article


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Halachic authorities (e.g., the Chazon Ish and Rav Yechiel Michel Tukatzinsky) dispute where the halachic dateline resides. As such, there is a halachic uncertainty with regards to when Shabbat falls out in regions such as the Pacific Islands. Accordingly, the principle of sefeika d'orayta lchumra (biblical uncertainty is treated stringently) is applied. See, e.g., Rabbi Dovid Heber writing for the Star-K:

One should consult with his Rav prior to crossing the Pacific Ocean, especially if he must stay over Shabbos in Japan, New Zealand, or Hawaii. The halachic ruling of HaRav Moshe Heinemann, shlit”a, Rabbinic Administrator of the Star-K, is as follows: One should follow the majority of opinions (as listed in sections A, B and C above) in determining which day is observed as Shabbos, and also observe dinei d’Oraisa shel Shabbos, Shabbos prohibitions of the Torah, on the day of the minority opinion. However, Rabbinic prohibitions, such as shopping and the handling of muktzah, are permissible on the day which the minority opinion considers Shabbos. In addition, performing even a biblically prescribed violation of Shabbos through a shinui, unusual manner, or through the action of a non-Jew, would be permitted on the day which the minority opinion considers Shabbos.

The halachic ramifications of this psak are as follows: In New Zealand and Japan, “Saturday” is Shabbos according to Reb Yechiel Michel Tukatzinsky and the Mid-Pacific Poskim. Therefore, the local Saturday should be fully observed as Shabbos, with tefilos Shabbos and kiddush, etc. However, according to the Chazon Ish, Shabbos is on the local Sunday. Therefore, one should not perform any melacha d’Oraisa on Sunday. Nevertheless, on Sunday, one should daven regular weekday tefillos, donning tefillin during Shacharis.

In Hawaii, “Saturday” is Shabbos according to the Chazon Ish and the Mid-Pacific Poskim. Therefore, the local Saturday is fully observed as Shabbos. The day known locally as “Friday” is Shabbos according to Reb Yechiel Michel Tukatzinsky, and one should not perform melacha d’Oraisa on that day. Cooking for Shabbos should be done on Thursday. On Friday, when preparing for “Shabbos”, one may turn on hot water, electricity or fire (e.g. to cook) with a shinui. To light Shabbos candles, using one’s elbow or chin (a shinui), turn on two flashlights12 that use incandescent bulbs13 and then recite the brocha.

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  • Thanks a lot! I'm puzzled, though: Why would they light a fire - including, of all things, the Shabbos candles - on a day that a major posek thinks is Shabbos? No one would contemplate lighting candles after the shkia of the geonim with or without a shinui (i think) .... Also, do they acknowledge Shabbos at all on Sunday in NZ/Japan, such as with kiddush, a bread meal, or the Shabbos insertions in davening? And when do they make havdala?! – SAH Aug 13 '18 at 5:47





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