When does the Sabbath begin? The National Labor Court ruled recently that it begins exactly when Jews have always known that it begins, at sundown on Friday. The court thus overturned a ruling by a Tel Aviv District Labor court that determined that the Sabbath begins at midnight.
The story began with a Tel Aviv storeowner who was fined for having his store open on Friday night, in violation of the national day-of-rest laws. He appealed the decision, and in fact Justice Sarah Meiri ruled that Shabbat begins at Friday midnight, thus exempting him from the fine. The State Prosecution appealed the decision, and the National Labor Court ruled that the Jewish Sabbath begins in accordance with Jewish tradition, \"from the onset of the Sabbath at sunset on Friday, and lasts until the appearance of [three] stars at the conclusion of Sabbath.\"
The story began with a Tel Aviv storeowner who was fined for having his store open on Friday night, in violation of the national day-of-rest laws. He appealed the decision, and in fact Justice Sarah Meiri ruled that Shabbat begins at Friday midnight, thus exempting him from the fine. The State Prosecution appealed the decision, and the National Labor Court ruled that the Jewish Sabbath begins in accordance with Jewish tradition, \"from the onset of the Sabbath at sunset on Friday, and lasts until the appearance of [three] stars at the conclusion of Sabbath.\"