[Avodah] which way to Jerusalem

[Zev Sero]

On 14/09/2010 7:33 PM, Eli Turkel wrote:
> On 8/09/2010 9:58 PM, Simon Montagu wrote:
>> article here at aishdas: http://www.aishdas.org/articles/mizrach.htm
>   >Apparently it's a mahloket aharonim whether we use rhumb lines or great
>> circles.
>
> I am confused by the entire discussion. It is clear that at least many
> of chazal and rishonim did not even know the earth was a sphere (well
> almost) and I doubt if any of them knew about great circles or rhumb lines.

Some of Chazal may not have known that the earth is a globe, especially
those in Bavel, where the latest discoveries of Greek scientists may have
taken a few centuries to become known and accepted; but surely all the
rishonim knew it well.


> Do we even know what direction they prayed in Bavel, ie   did they
> realize that EY was almost due east (again depending on where in
> Bavel)? since no one traveled that way?

Yes, they did realise it; they called EY "maarava", not "tzipuna".
Which way they davened depended on how they held.  Not all of them
agreed that one should daven towards EY at all, and interpreted the
pasuk figuratively.   And some held that one should face vaguely in
the direction of EY, but there's no need for any kind of exactitude.

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