Depression angles
This is an introduction to depression angles accumulated from various papers I have written and focused on simply explaing depression angles intuitively.
It was published on the Seforim blog recently:
This is an introduction to depression angles accumulated from various papers I have written and focused on simply explaing depression angles intuitively.
It was published on the Seforim blog recently:
“At a depression angle of around 5-6 degrees, the halakhic end of a day as specified in the Talmud occurs”
The minhag is England (based on Dr. B Cohn and, according to R. Benish’s reading, the Melamed LeHoil) is to use 7.08 degrees for three medium stars. R. Moshe Feinstein maintained a similar view (see the end of fast times presented on MyZmanim). The sefer HaZmanim BeHavanah (Lampin) argued that this was the common practice in Europe too, and that R. Tukatzinsky’s earlier shiur (of c. 6.45 degrees) is an innovation. You seem to have it earlier still. What do you make of these later times? How can we be sure which stars are “medium”?
“That point is relevant according to many posekim to determine the time at which to terminate a rabbinic fast”
It is also relevant for zman tevilah the whole year round and for the earliest time one can make kiddush on Pesach.
Thank you for your note. First, I believe that all stars are medium; only planets are large stars, that hazal called kokhavai lekhet. only two stars ate potentially large – Canopus and Sirius. I exhaustively prove in my upcoming TuMJ article that they are considered medium.
Second, I addressed RMF’s zeman for ending a rabbinic fast in my Hakirah article of two years ago. It is challenging to say the least.
Third, my sense of about 5.5-6.5 degrees makes the gemara on Shabbat read best. Most parts of a draft of Bein hashemashot are posted. This is a complex issue.
fourth, doubt tends to extend zemanim to create humrot.
we can discuss further; email me your number and we can talk
sorry for not replying earlier. my analysis of the sugyah in Shabbat 34b-35a, leads me to conclude shabbat ends in EY at the Biblical level about 28 minutes after sunset, a tad earlier than most. Of course, I am writing as limmud not pesak.