Daylight Savings Extension

Written by Josh Lannik

Conservation Crisis for the Frum Student Body?
Students’ ears usually perk upon hearing the word "savings." But when it comes to daylight, the prospect of savings poses complications for Sabbath-observant students.

A section of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 will, among other things, extend the “springing forward” of daylight savings time to the first weekend of March, instead of April, and "falling back” to the last weekend of November, instead of October. The act includes other systematic methods of preserving energy, such as government endorsement of energy efficient policies and technologies. Daylight savings aids in the preservation of energy by essentially cutting back on one hour of nighttime, creating one hour per day where American citizens are less likely to use light and other forms of energy.

For Jews, however, the extension of Daylight Savings bears on religious observance. Essentially, it implies a shift in the duration of the Sabbath. Longer days produce longer Sabbaths, thereby affecting the current ratio of weeks when Sabbath starts early to those when it starts late. So while the new energy bill recently signed into law will impact all students on some level, the effect on observant Jews will be more complex.

In the fall, observant students will have roughly a month before the Sabbath gets painfully early—as early as 4:00 in some states. This, in turn, excludes the possibility of Friday classes that start later in the afternoon. As most of November and December falls during standard time, students will still enjoy weeks in which they can take their time preparing for sundown. In the spring, a similar effect takes place: an extra hour will appear halfway through March, meaning that by the end of spring break at many schools—schools in regions where days are already longer—Sabbath will begin significantly later.

In addition to the changes in observant students’ Friday schedules, Saturdays present an additional bundle of complications. Shows, movies, dances, and other events that violate the Sabbath will not be among the marked calendar events for an additional month in the year. In both fall and spring, and parties and social events may be harder to attend. On the upside, longer Sabbath afternoons allow for longer Sabbath naps, saving energy in a different way.

Indeed, David Issever, an observant student at the University of Pennsylvania says the change “actually helps us a lot. This way we can start Sabbath at five or four instead of at three pm.” Thus, the new bill does have its own merits with the Sabbath observant student community. But will the alteration prove a hidden blessing or a jetlag with unpleasant ramifications? Only time will tell.

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.