[Avodah] Which way to Jerusalem?

[Zev Sero]

On 8/09/2010 7:17 AM, Akiva Blum wrote:
>> On Behalf Of Micha Berger

>> We here in NY do not face ENE, even though that's the shortest route
>> around the surface of the earth. (Ever fly from here to Israel, going
>> over New England, Newfoundland, etc...?)

"We here in NY" seem to face in all directions, depending on the shul.
I've seen shuls within a few blocks of each other facing in all four
directions.  So I don't know that there is a "minhag NY" to use a rhumb
line.  Also, there is a widespread but false belief that the proper
direction is "east", when in fact the gemara contrasts Jews who face west
(in Bavel) while sun-worshippers face the east.


>> This is so counterintuitive to some, you might need to see a
>> map

The experiment I recommend is to take a globe, put one end of a tzitzis
string on NY, and another on EY, and pull it tight.  There's no
contradicting the evidence of ones senses, once one has seen it.

  
> Google Earth will draw the shortest line (ruler).

http://www.kosherjava.com/maps/zmanim.html will give you both the
great circle and the rhumb line.


-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                      - Margaret Thatcher