It’s ingrained in our psyche – fallback and spring forward. (Or is it fall forward and spring back?) Whatever it is, we have become accustomed to changing the time on our clocks twice a year. Though each time we change we can’t seem to figure out if we’re gaining or losing sleep, somehow we figure it out. But all that may soon be a thing of the past.
Daylight saving time has been in place in most of the United States since the 1960s. Year-round daylight savings time was actually adopted during World War II and again in 1973, to reduce energy use because of an oil embargo. Currently there is a major push to change to daylight savings time permanently.
Supporters say the change could prevent a slight up-tick in car crashes that typically occur around the time changes, as well as the small increase in the rate of heart attacks and strokes soon after the time changes.
The U.S. Senate has already unanimously voted to pass legislation, called the Sunshine Protection Act, to make daylight saving time permanent starting in 2023. It remains to be seen if the bill will pass a vote in the House.
Dissenters of the bill note that, if passed, during the dead of winter children will go to school each morning in utter darkness. For frum Jews there is a much more significant concern because the earliest time for Shacharis may be well after 8 a.m. Having to daven so late will complicate things for the masses who need to be at work by 9 a.m. or earlier, as well as for our yeshivos.
Despite that, in recent weeks I was personally hoping that the bill to make daylight savings time a permanent fixture passes. My hope was based on the fact that the dial on my watch to change the time has fallen out, and I cannot adjust the time. Instead of having it fixed it would be much easier if time always remained as it is now.
But then I was informed that even if the bill is passed it won’t go into effect for another two years anyhow, to give time for airlines and other such businesses to adjust their schedules. Being that I will have to get my watch fixed anyway within the next six months, I’m back on board with prioritizing the needs of the Jewish people trying to adhere to halacha and hoping the bill does not pass.
The reality is that times changes and we must be ready to adapt to them. In Ma’ariv each night we note that “with understanding He changes the times and alternates the seasons.” Life isn’t smooth and predictable, and we have to live with some measure of unknown. But despite any changes or adaptations that are necessary, we seek ways to ensure that they fit within halacha, and never vice versa.
The Torah states that Sefiras HaOmer, our annual 49-day count from Pesach until Shavuos, begins “from the day after Shabbos.” Chazal explain that in this verse Shabbos does not refer to the seventh day of the week but the first day of Pesach. Why is the first day of Pesach called Shabbos?
Meshech Chochma explains that the Torah obligation to actively destroy chometz in one’s possession before Pesach is called “tashbisu,” with the same root as the word shabbos (literally to stop/desist).
The first day of Pesach is Shabbos in the sense that we stop our yearlong habit of enjoying chometz and completely alter our diet for a week. Challenging and arduous as it is, we fulfill the Torah mandate of not eating chometz during Pesach.
After we demonstrate our ability to make a significant change in our lives in adherence to the Torah’s directive, we begin our spiritual trek towards Kabbolas HaTorah.
The seasons don’t change. Based on the position of the sun, they have faithfully followed natural law since creation. There will always be the same number of limited hours of daylight in the winter and added hours of daylight in the summer. The only thing that changes is how we count the hours and what time the hours of daylight begin and end.
Our adherence to Torah is also immutable and eternal. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring and the only surety we have is of the unpredictability of what lies ahead. But we can be sure that no matter what is going on, the daily daf, halacha, Mishnah, and other Torah study will be learned. Candles will be lit by women the world over on Friday afternoon, mitzvos will be observed and chesed will be performed. Those commodities, though based on time, are timeless. As history has shown us, of that we can be sure.
