The Heavenly Horizon: A Spaceman’s Shabbat |
On 1 April 2026 – the eve of Passover 5786 – NASA launched a crewed spacecraft on a flyby trajectory around the Moon and back to Earth. This was the first crewed flight near the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The four astronauts reached the farthest point in Space ever attained by human beings, 406,771 km from Earth. The astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday evening, 10 April 2026. The mission called Artemis II was part of a long-term Space programme: Artemis III will be an orbital test flight, and then Artemis IV and V are planned as crewed landings at the lunar south pole in 2028.
For many, it was difficult to give full attention to the voyage of Artemis II. Jews the world over were busy preparing for the Passover Seder. In Israel, Operation Sha’agat Ha-ari against Iran and its regional allies was continuing. Ballistic missiles from Iran continued to strike the region. The missile attacks ceased on 8 April 2026 – the Seventh Day of Passover – as a fragile ceasefire was brokered (the northern border of Israel was still under attack, with a dubious ceasefire taking effect on 16 April 2026).
Ironically, Space travel is intertwined with the development of ballistic missiles: both rely on rocket engines that can break through the Earth’s atmosphere and enter Space. So, while this technology was thrusting Artemis astronauts into Space, it was wreaking havoc in Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.
With uncertainty, apprehension, and fear swirling, it was challenging to pause and consider the Jewish perspective on ambitious Space exploration and what NASA termed “Moon Joy” – the feeling of intense happiness and excitement that only comes from a mission to the Moon.
The Cosmos and the Crucible
The first person to reach outer Space was Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968), who completed one orbit of Earth on 12 April 1961. Shortly thereafter, on 5 May 1961, American astronaut Alan Shepard (1923-1998) reached Space. A few weeks later, on 25 May 1961, United States President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) addressed the US Congress on “Urgent National Needs.” He declared:
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”
It was in this climate that the Chief Rabbi of Netanya, Rabbi Hayim David Shloush (1919-2016), was at the forefront of science when he addressed the question: “How should the Spaceman conduct himself on Shabbat and Yom Kippur?” Shloush’s responsum appeared in a journal published by the Religious Council of Tel Aviv—Jaffa in September 1962. This appears to be one of the earliest responsa devoted to Space travel.
Earthly Souls in Heavenly Spheres
Rabbi Shloush explained that there were two options to be considered, depending on how we envisage Shabbat:
“Perhaps the obligation of Shabbat is to count six [periods] of twenty-four hours of weekday, and [then] to rest during the seventh [period] of twenty-four hours. And according to this, the astronaut would observe Shabbat as though he were at his point of departure, according to a calculation of hours, and when the time of Shabbat arrives in his city – he will rest.”
According to this option, NASA astronauts would keep Shabbat according to Florida time, while Soviet cosmonauts would follow the times of Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
Rabbi........