That Minchah Sun

It happens just about all year round, whether you’re at home or in the office, in New York or Florida. If you’re driving to Minchah on a clear day, you will have to deal with a blinding ball of sun that makes it extremely difficult to drive.

For me, I’ve experienced that sun glare on Central Avenue in the Five Towns as well as down here in Boynton Beach on Woolbright Road. If you’re driving west and you’re not being blinded by the setting sun, then most likely you’re running late or adhering to a later zman.

Here in the Five Towns, at our non-stop minyan factory, just a few weeks ago you were able to davenwith the plag, with back-to-back Minchah and Ma’ariv minyans at around 3:15 p.m.

Granted it seems unusual to daven Ma’ariv at 3:30 p.m. while the sun is still up in the sky. The people I asked about it say it’s generally not a good idea to daven Ma’ariv at such an early hour.

Yet, there are exceptions to these rules. Is it always preferable to daven Ma’ariv after dark at its proper time? What if a person cannot for legitimate reasons make it to a Ma’ariv minyan after dark, should he opt for the Plag Haminchah option or not?

A rabbi friend of mine said there’s no excuse to daven Minchah while it’s still light outside, and come to think of it, how did this idea of davening Ma’ariv while it’s still light get started anyway?

On the other side of the spectrum, I’m sure most of us have had to deal with the opposite scenario, which is, davening Minchah while it’s almost completely dark. At least in that situation, you don’t have to deal with the blinding sun making driving hazardous as you navigate your way to shul.

But there’s also a dispute regarding up to what time of the day you can still daven Minchah. Of course, every schoolchild knows that Minchah is the afternoon prayer, and that the period for Minchah concludes when Ma’ariv begins.

But that just sounds too simple. Back when I was saying Kaddish for my dad more than three decades ago, I remember stopping at the Borough Park minyan factory long after dark at the shul known as Shomer Shabbos. Just as I arrived, they began to say Shemoneh Esrei, and I figured I would daven the silent Amidahwith them and catch up on the rest of Ma’ariv after Kaddish. 

But then, to my surprise, as soon as I finished Shemoneh Esrei, I heard the chazan begin to recite the Chazarat HaShatz for Minchah. So, I was in the right place—but at the wrong time. I had davened Minchahearlier and naturally thought they were davening Ma’ariv. Where did that leave me?

Closer to home in Cedarhurst, there’s now a non-stop minyan factory that affords the congregants the equivalent of a tefillah juggling act that requires you to pay close attention on some days.

This week I’m down in Florida, but a few weeks ago, I noticed on the electronic schedule board that they were davening Minchah and Ma’ariv back-to-back at 3:15 p.m. This means that although it doesn’t get dark until around 4:30 p.m., the Plag Haminchah folks are davening Ma’ariv at around 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon.

Now, I’m told that while it’s not preferable, there are still times when it is acceptable to daven Ma’arivwhile it’s still light outside. So, for a start, let’s discuss those not uncommon 7 p.m. minyanim in the spring and summer when the official start of Shabbos can be close to 8 p.m. Which begs the question: Why is it preferable to daven Minchah, Kabbalas Shabbos, and Ma’ariv at 7 p.m. in the summer, but not acceptable to davenMa’ariv at 3:30 p.m. in the winter?

As it turns out, there are many who will not daven early Ma’ariv in the winter, but will do so on Erev Shabbos in the summer. And this is because those 6 or 7 p.m. minyanim on Fridays when it’s still light outside have the added attraction of extending Shabbos, which makes more sense rather than on weekdays.

Just to digress for a bit, a few years ago, we spent a Shabbos in Paris in July on the way home from Israel. We didn’t calculate that Shabbos begins in parts of Europe at 11 p.m. in the summer. Of course, there are earlier minyanim, but we wanted to experience something authentic, so while we were staying with a host, we did indeed daven Kabbalas Shabbos at 11 p.m. When we arrived at our host’s home around midnight, he began to wake up his younger children so they could hear Kiddush.

We stayed and enjoyed the seudah until about 2:15 a.m. The next morning, shul began at 11 a.m. and lunch at the same house began at 3 p.m. It was a one-time authentic experience. Next time I will daven with the early minyan at 10 p.m.

Back to what we were discussing, which is the glaring sun shining brightly in your eyes as you drive to Minchah. Of course, it certainly doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, it really depends on where your shul is located. That is, if you’re driving east, you don’t have to do battle with the setting sun.

But then again, if you’re only going to daven Minchah and wait until later in the evening for Ma’ariv, then the sun will get you on the way home. In a way, it’s a beautiful sight to behold, that large orange ball in the sky that lights up and warms the earth in its distinct, unfathomable, and glorious way.

Up north it can be light and a few minutes later, completely dark. Down in Florida as well as in Jerusalem, the sun sets very gradually. Of course, it has to do with the latitude of these parts of the world. In Florida, they call it the “golden hour” as the sun slowly dips below the horizon. They say it’s a beautiful sight to behold and a natural event that gives you even more time to daven Minchah.

Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.