Ask the Rabbi
- Halacha
- Miscellaneous
- General Questions
Question
Where (At what location) does the "Holy Day" Start?
Answer
Shalom,
Thank you for your question. I’m not certain I fully understand it, but perhaps you are asking where the “date-line” is according to Judaism. If so, there is much debate amongst the Rabbis about this issue – but in practical terms most Jews follow the ruling that the accepted International Date Line is also used as the religious date line – and so the day “starts” near New Zealand.
However, as I mentioned, there is a major debate about this issue. Several sources understand that the date line should be 90 or 180 degrees from Jerusalem. Together with this there are opinions about what to do when that “line” divides countries.
If you are interested in the subject, you could do an internet search “Jewish internation dateline”.
Blessings

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