16 טז

It seems to this writer that the key to understanding the import of Mor u-Kezi'ah's ruling is in his concluding phrase: "and he sanctifies the seventh in the manner that has been mentioned earlier with regard to a traveler in the desert." If one reflects upon that comment for but a moment it seems to be entirely inappropos. To be sure, the rule codified in Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Hayyim 344:1, is that a traveler in the desert who becomes confused and no longer knows which day of the week it is counts six days and sanctifies the seventh. But the days that he counts are conventional solar days, not twenty-four hour clock days. Moreover, that halakhic provision in no way reflects the notion that the days of the week are to be determined in an arbitrary, subjective or individual manner. Quite to the contrary, doubt with regard to the identity of each day of the week—and hence the objective determination of Shabbat—is not at all dispelled by adoption of an arbitrary convention. For that reason, the rule as recorded by Shulḥan Arukh is that since the traveler remains in a quandary he must refrain from activity forbidden on Shabbat on each and every day.5 The traveler is permitted to perform any act necessary to sustain life and such acts are permitted even on the day that he observes as Shabbat. Thus, he may cook as much food as necessary to meet his minimum requirements on each day of the week, including the day that according to his arbitrary calculation is Saturday. He is also permitted to do whatever is necessary in order to emerge from the desert as quickly as possible so that he may return to proper Sabbath observance and he may engage in such travel even on the day that he observes as Shabbat. The confused traveler observes the day designated as the Sabbath solely through recitation of kiddush, havdalah and Shabbat prayers.6 Those observances are rabbinically ordained for the day designated by the traveler as his personal Sabbath lest the confused traveler forget the very concept of Shabbat.7