Highlighting: “Derech Ha’Ir” by Rabbi Yosef Weisenfeld. Feldheim. 2025. 216 pages. ISBN-13: 9781680256727.
Rabbeinu Chaim Cohen, a student of Rabbeinu Tam, famously said in Ketubot 110b, “Now it is not a mitzvah to reside in Israel because there are several mitzvahs dependent on the land and several punishments that we cannot be cautious with and uphold.”
One relatively easy thing to be cautious about is the obligation to face Yerushalayim during prayers and other religious observances. For those in Israel, facing Yerushalayim is an elementary task. But it is not such a trivial endeavor for those outside of Israel.
Rabbi Yosef Weisenfeld addresses this issue in his fascinating new book, “Derech Ha’Ir: The Halachos of Facing Yerushalayim.”
We direct our prayers to the land of Israel, in general, and Yerushalayim, in particular, as our nation’s capital. To the degree that King David writes in Tehillim 137, “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither, let my tongue stick to my palate, if I cease to think of you, if I do not keep Jerusalem in memory even at my happiest hour.”
In synagogues in the Diaspora, one faces the east wall during prayer since Israel is in the east for many countries. Yehuda HaLevi was in Spain when he declared, “My heart is in the East, but I, I am at the edge of the West.”
But in this most interesting book, Weisenfeld asks a fundamental question: Is Yerushalayim really to our east? Look at a map, and you’ll see that Yerushalayim is, in fact, southeast of the United States. If you watch the flight map on your trip to Israel, you’ll see that the flight takes a northeasterly path. How do you explain that?
It’s crucial to look beyond the surface to understand the true nature of the situation, and that’s what the book does. Every rational person knows that the Earth is not flat. However, when shown centuries of scientific evidence and thousands of scientific proofs demonstrating that the Earth is spherical, flat-earthers won’t reply in kind with science and logic; they will claim that everyone at NASA is in on the lie.
This even extends to an Orthodox rabbi in New Jersey who takes a literalist definition of rakia (firmament) in Genesis 1:7. The rabbi claims that the firmament is an impenetrable dome. When asked about the myriad Apollo and Space Shuttle missions (in addition to thousands of satellites) that clearly went through the firmament, his reply was, “The Apollo Missions were faked by NASA in order to convince the world that the Firmament does not exist and that Earth is a Globe.”
When using a map that does not adjust for the Earth’s sphere, it makes sense to face east. This is known as a rhumb line, a simple approach to what the compass on the map would show.
The opposite approach is known as the great circle, which follows the path of the shortest distance. Pilots use great-circle routes when navigating flights, which explains why the pilot has to start the trip by flying north when you want to get to Israel in the southeast.
So, which direction should one face during prayer? The book discusses this, and serious poskim opine, no pun intended, in both directions. For example, when one goes to a site like Myzmanim, it shows both possibilities.
It is not just prayer that involves facing Yerushalayim. Other things include kiddush levana, taking of the four species during Sukkot, and more.
The main thing during prayer is the intention and understanding of what one is saying. An added fact is that it is preferable to face Yerushalayim. There are a lot of nuances to that, and this most interesting book details them.
Ben Rothke lives in New Jersey and works in the information security field. He reviews books on religion, technology, philosophy, and science. Follow him on Twitter at @benrothke.
