What a time change could mean for religious practices

Manitobans are being asked if they want to end seasonal time changes by making either standard or daylight savings time permanent in the province.

So far, three-quarters of those who answered a survey by Winnipeg-based Prairie Research Associates support an end to seasonal time changes. Of those, 34 per cent prefer a move to permanent daylight time — which means the sun would rise and set later each day.

Eighteen per cent prefer standard time, while 21 per cent just want the province to choose one time or another.

Talk about time change got me thinking about how such a change could impact religious groups.

As it turns out, at least one faith group would experience a serious impact: Judaism.

In Jewish law, morning prayers have to be recited or performed after the sun rises. With a change to permanent daylight savings time, the sun would rise around 9:25 a.m. in winter — an hour later than standard time. Not only would this mean a later start for personal morning rituals, it would also affect synagogue services.

For evening prayers, which must occur after sunset, it would mean a later start for prayers and services.

I asked some local rabbis for their thoughts.

For Yosef Benarroch, rabbi at Adas Yeshurun Herzlia synagogue, permanent standard time is preferable.

“In northern communities like Winnipeg, it would make religious life much easier,” he said, noting that shabbat, which begins on Friday evenings right before sunset, comes in very late and ends very late in summer months during daylight savings time.

“As much as we love shabbat, it is a challenge to sit down to Friday night shabbat meal at 9 p.m. and almost impossible to gather a minyan, or quorum, for Saturday evening services,” Benarroch said.

It’s also a challenge for observant Jews since two major religious holidays — Shavuot and Tisha B’Av — fall in the summer months. The meal often starts after 10 p.m.

Carnie Shalom Rose is the senior rabbi at Congregation Shaarey Zedek and a member of the Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative Movement, which represents 1,500 rabbis around the world.

The Assembly has expressed support for a permanent standard time to align more closely with natural circadian rhythms and to minimize disruptions to Jewish religious practices, Rose said.

“Judaism, and I would contend all religious traditions, are about human flourishing, and human flourishing only happens when people get the right kinds and amount of rest, stimulation and exercise,” he said.

By sticking with standard time year-round, people would be able to be “the best, the highest and holiest versions of ourselves,” Rose said.

What if the province opts for permanent daylight time? Jews would adapt, he said.

“We will most assuredly find a way to continue our unyielding support for thrice daily worship, linking our praise for the Almighty at the stages of the day, morning, noon and night, as well as for the needs of contemporary adherents,” Rose said.

Kliel Rose, senior rabbi at Congregation Etz Chayim, agreed — he also prefers permanent standard time.

“It’s where religious practice and human well-being happen to align,” he said.

Since Judaism ties daily prayer to the natural cycle of sunrise and sunset, “there is an intuitive appeal to a clock that more closely reflects the sun’s actual position in the sky,” Rose said.

Permanent daylight savings time “creates a greater disconnect between clock time and solar time, particularly in northern places like Winnipeg, where winter sunrises would occur very late,” he said, adding that can “make it more difficult to schedule morning prayers, recite the Shema within its ideal time, and organise synagogue life around traditional prayer times.”

But these are not insurmountable problems. “Jewish communities have always adapted, but permanent standard time tends to reduce those tensions and (is) more closely aligned with both our biological rhythms and the religious rhythms that have shaped Jewish life for centuries,” Rose said.

What about other religions that tie their rituals to the sun?

When I asked Ismael Mukhtar, a leader in the province’s Muslim community, that question, he said seasonal time changes don’t impact Winnipeg Muslims. “We just adjust to it,” he said.

Islamic prayers occur before sunrise and after sunset; they would just occur later each day if daylight savings time was permanent, he said.

Similarly, Orthodox Christians won’t be affected much by a permanent time change, said Father Matthew Beynon of the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church.

“We are flexible,” he said, noting that their tradition also begins the day with morning prayers and ends with prayer in the evening.

“There is a fair bit of wiggle room … morning prayers don’t have to correspond to when the sun comes up.”

If there is one main benefit for religious groups of choosing one time or the other, it would be not having to remind people twice a year about the time change — no more seeing some people arrive late or early, depending on the season.

Jdl562000@yahoo.com

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