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Link to Transcript and Substack post: https://open.substack.com/pub/madlik/p/the-twilight-time?r=84bfw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
(ו) עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פִּי הָאָרֶץ, וּפִי הַבְּאֵר, וּפִי הָאָתוֹן, וְהַקֶּשֶׁת, וְהַמָּן, וְהַמַּטֶּה, וְהַשָּׁמִיר, וְהַכְּתָב, וְהַמִּכְתָּב, וְהַלּוּחוֹת. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף הַמַּזִּיקִין, וּקְבוּרָתוֹ שֶׁל משֶׁה, וְאֵילוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף צְבָת בִּצְבָת עֲשׂוּיָה:
(6) Ten things were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight, and these are they: [1] the mouth of the earth, [2] the mouth of the well, [3] the mouth of the donkey, [4] the rainbow, [5] the manna, [6] the staff [of Moses], [7] the shamir, [8] the letters, [9] the writing, [10] and the tablets. And some say: also the demons, the grave of Moses, and the ram of Abraham, our father. And some say: and also tongs, made with tongs.
(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה בְמִדְבַּר־סִ֠ינַ֠י בַּשָּׁנָ֨ה הַשֵּׁנִ֜ית לְצֵאתָ֨ם מֵאֶ֧רֶץ מִצְרַ֛יִם בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הָרִאשׁ֖וֹן לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) וְיַעֲשׂ֧וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־הַפָּ֖סַח בְּמוֹעֲדֽוֹ׃ (ג) בְּאַרְבָּעָ֣ה עָשָֽׂר־י֠וֹם בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֜ה בֵּ֧ין הָֽעַרְבַּ֛יִם תַּעֲשׂ֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ בְּמֹעֲד֑וֹ כְּכׇל־חֻקֹּתָ֥יו וּכְכׇל־מִשְׁפָּטָ֖יו תַּעֲשׂ֥וּ אֹתֽוֹ׃
(1) ה׳ spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, on the first new moon of the second year following the exodus from the land of Egypt, saying: (2) Let the Israelite people offer the passover sacrifice at its set time: (3) you shall offer it on the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, at its set time; you shall offer it in accordance with all its rules and rites.
(ו) וְהָיָ֤ה לָכֶם֙ לְמִשְׁמֶ֔רֶת עַ֣ד אַרְבָּעָ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר י֖וֹם לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֑ה וְשָׁחֲט֣וּ אֹת֗וֹ כֹּ֛ל קְהַ֥ל עֲדַֽת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בֵּ֥ין הָעַרְבָּֽיִם׃
(6) You shall keep watch over it until the fourteenth day of this month; and all the assembled congregation of the Israelites shall slaughter it at twilight.
וִיהֵי לְכוֹן לְמַטְרָא עַד אַרְבְּעָא עַסְרָא יוֹמָא לְיַרְחָא הָדֵין וְיִכְּסוּן יָתֵהּ כֹּל קְהָלָא כְנִשְׁתָּא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּין שִׁמְשַּׁיָא:
You shall hold it in safekeeping until the fourteenth day of this month, they shall slaughter it—the entire community of Yisrael—between evenings [in the afternoon].
בין הערבים. מלה קשה. ורבינו שלמה אמר כי רגע נטות השמש מחצי היום לצד מערב. ולא נתן טעם למה ערבים שנים. והנה כתוב ובהעלות אהרן את הנרות בין הערבים. ואין ספק כי בשקוע השמש ידליק את הנרות. וכאשר חפשנו זאת המלה מצאנו כי יקרא רגע בין הערבים ערב. כי כן כתוב בין הערבים תאכלו בשר. ושם כתוב בתת ה׳ לכם בערב בשר לאכול. ובהדלקת הנרות כתוב יערוך אותו אהרן ובניו מערב עד בקר. וכתיב עולות לה׳ לבקר ולערב וכתיב ואת הכבש השני תעשה בין הערבים. והנה על הפסח שכתוב בו בין הערבים. מצאנו שם תזבח את הפסח בערב כבא השמש מועד צאתך ממצרים ...
אמרו המינים כי שלשה ערבים הם. וראייתם בעבור שמצאו עד הערב השלישית. והם לא הכירו האמת ולא הבינו....
והנה יש לנו שני ערבים האחד עריבת השמש והוא עת ביאתו תחת הארץ. והשני ביאת אורו הנראה בעבים. והנה יש ביניהם קרוב משעה ושליש שעה....
AT DUSK. Ben ha-arbayim (at dusk) is a difficult phrase. Rabbi Solomon [Rashi] says that it refers to the moment after midday that the sun moves to the west. He does not explain why arbayim is in the dual form. Now, Scripture states, And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at dusk (ben ha-arbayim) (Ex. 30:8), and there is no doubt that Aaron is to light the lamps when the sun sets. Now, when we researched this phrase we found that Scripture refers to the moment of ben ha-arbayim as erev (evening). For it is clearly written, At dusk (ben ha-arbayim) ye shall eat flesh (Ex. 16:12), and it is there stated, when the Lord shall give you in the evening (ba-erev) flesh to eat (Ex. 16:8). Likewise, concerning the lighting of the lamps it is written: Aaron and his sons shall set it in order, to burn from evening (erev) to morning before the Lord (Ex. 27:21). It is similarly written, even burnt-offerings mornings and evening (erev) (Ezra 3:3), and it is stated, The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at dusk (ben ha-arbayim) (Ex. 29:39). Now concerning the Passover sacrifice, about which the term ben ha-arbayim (at dusk) is employed, we find that Scripture states, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover-offering at even (erev), at the coming (bo) of the sun, at the season that thou earnest forth out of Egypt (Deut. 16:6). ...
The Sadducees say that there are three evenings. Their proof is from a verse which they found to read, ha-erev ha-shelishit (the third evening) (I Sam. 20:5). However, they do not recognize or understand the truth. ...
We thus have two evenings: one when the sun sets, that is, the time when the sun descends beneath the earth; the second when its light disappears from the clouds. Now there is close to one and a third hours between them. ...
בין הערבים: כמו בין הערבים תאכלו בשר, ויהי בערב ותעל השלו, וערבים רמז לשני עֲרָבִים, ערב של שקיעת החמה, וערב של ביאת הלילה והככבים.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת סָפֵק מִן הַיּוֹם וּמִן הַלַּיְלָה, סָפֵק כּוּלּוֹ מִן הַיּוֹם, סָפֵק כּוּלּוֹ מִן הַלַּיְלָה — מְטִילִין אוֹתוֹ לְחוֹמֶר שְׁנֵי יָמִים. וְאֵיזֶהוּ בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת? — מִשֶּׁתִּשְׁקַע הַחַמָּה כָּל זְמַן שֶׁפְּנֵי מִזְרָח מַאֲדִימִין. הִכְסִיף הַתַּחְתּוֹן וְלֹא הִכְסִיף הָעֶלְיוֹן — בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת. הִכְסִיף הָעֶלְיוֹן וְהִשְׁוָה לַתַּחְתּוֹן — זֶהוּ לַיְלָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יְהוּדָה. רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אוֹמֵר: כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהַלֵּךְ אָדָם מִשֶּׁתִּשְׁקַע הַחַמָּה חֲצִי מִיל. רַבִּי יוֹסִי אוֹמֵר: בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת כְּהֶרֶף עַיִן, זֶה נִכְנָס וְזֶה יוֹצֵא, וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לַעֲמוֹד עָלָיו.
The Sages taught a baraita which discusses the range of problems that arise with regard to the twilight period. Twilight is a period of uncertainty. It is uncertain whether it consists of both day and night, it is uncertain whether it is completely day, and it is uncertain whether it is completely night. Therefore, the Sages impose the stringencies of both days upon it. If there is a stringency that applies on either of the days, one is obligated to adhere to it during the twilight period. Nevertheless, the definition of twilight is uncertain. And what is twilight? From when the sun sets, as long as the eastern face of the sky is reddened by the light of the sun. If the lower segment of the sky has lost its color, and the upper segment has not yet lost its color, that is the twilight period. If the upper segment has lost its color, and its color equals that of the lower one, it is night; this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda. Rabbi Neḥemya says: The duration of the twilight period is the time it takes for a person to walk half a mil after the sun sets. Rabbi Yosei says: Twilight does not last for a quantifiable period of time; rather, it is like the blink of an eye: This, night, enters and that, day, leaves, and it is impossible to calculate it due to its brevity.
וְאַמַּאי? סְפֵק סְפֵיקָא הוּא:
The Gemara asks: But why is she forbidden to him? It is a case of compound uncertainty.
A baby born on a Monday will have his bris the following Monday. A baby born Monday night after it's dark will have his bris the following Tuesday. A baby born Friday evening (after sunset, but before it's dark) is called a "twilight baby" — the proper day for his bris is the following Sunday. See: Cantor Phillip Sherman - Mohel FAQs
Baking matzah erev Pesach after chatzos see here
In halakha, there is no “morning.” There is alot hashachar (“rising of the sun,” the point at which the sunlight peaks on the horizon), neitz hachamah (“peaking of heat,” the moment when the top of the sun can be seen), and misheyakir (“from when he will recognize,” the moment when a person can recognize someone else—specifically not their closest friend—at a distance of a few feet). These distinctions are incredible and precious. To collapse them into the binary of day and night misses the juiciness and the beauty of the spaces in between, and the specificity that they each carry. The same is true for “evening,” which famously includes bein hashmashot (“twilight”), a period of time that sits between two days as both and neither, and has been a carved out as a holy, liminal, in-between space by R’ Reuben Zellman’s teachings and the “Twilight People Prayer”. This expansive time is also portrayed artistically, and with great care, by Dov Abrams in “Shaot Zmaniyot” (Al Daat HaMakom, 2004-present). see: The Holiness of Twilight by Reuben Zellman, 2006
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: כּוֹכָב אֶחָד — יוֹם, שְׁנַיִם — בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, שְׁלֹשָׁה — לַיְלָה. תַּנְיָא נָמֵי הָכִי: כּוֹכָב אֶחָד יוֹם, שְׁנַיִם בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, שְׁלֹשָׁה לַיְלָה. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, לֹא כּוֹכָבִים גְּדוֹלִים הַנִּרְאִין בַּיּוֹם, וְלֹא כּוֹכָבִים קְטַנִּים שֶׁאֵין נִרְאִין אֶלָּא בַּלַּיְלָה — אֶלָּא בֵּינוֹנִים.
With regard to the period of twilight, Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: When one can see one star in the evening sky, it is still day; two stars, twilight; three stars, night. That was also taught in a baraita: When one can see one star in the evening sky, it is still day; two stars, twilight; three stars, night. Rabbi Yosei said: This is neither referring to large stars that are visible even during the day, nor to small stars that are visible only late at night. Rather, it is referring to medium-sized stars.
(יג) רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּבַתְּפִלָּה. וּכְשֶׁאַתָּה מִתְפַּלֵּל, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע..
(13) Rabbi Shimon said: Be careful with the reading of Shema and the prayer, And when you pray, do not make your prayer something automatic...
אַבָּיֵי בַּר אָבִין וְרַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר אָבִין דְאָמְרִי תַּרְוַיְיהוּ: כֹּל שֶׁאֵין מִתְפַּלֵּל עִם דִּמְדּוּמֵי חַמָּה. דְּאָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר אַבָּא אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: מִצְוָה לְהִתְפַּלֵּל עִם דִּמְדּוּמֵי חַמָּה. וְאָמַר רַבִּי זֵירָא: מַאי קְרָאָה — ״יִירָאוּךָ עִם שָׁמֶשׁ וְלִפְנֵי יָרֵחַ דּוֹר דּוֹרִים״.
The brothers, Abaye bar Avin and Rabbi Ḥanina bar Avin, both said: One whose prayer is fixed refers to anyone who does not make the effort to pray with the reddening of the sun, just after sunrise and just before sunset, which are auspicious times for prayer. As Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is a mitzva to pray with the reddening of the sun. And Rabbi Zeira said: What is the verse that alludes to this? “Let them fear You with the sun and before the moon, generation after generation” (Psalms 72:5). Prayer, the manifestation of the fear of God, should be undertaken adjacent to sunrise and sunset.
In Christian practice, "vigil" observances often occur during twilight on the evening before major feast days or holidays.
Islam
Twilight is important in Islam as it determines when certain universally obligatory prayers are to be recited. Morning twilight is when morning prayers (Fajr) are done, while evening twilight is the time for evening prayers (Maghrib prayer). Also during Ramadhan, the time for suhoor (morning meal before fasting) ends at morning twilight, while fasting ends after sunset. There is also an important discussion in Islamic jurisprudence between "true dawn" and "false dawn"
In Judaism, twilight is considered neither day nor night; consequently it is treated as a safeguard against encroachment upon either. It can be considered a liminal time. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight
Liminal is an English adjective meaning "on the threshold", from Latin līmen, plural limina.
Anthropology and religion
Liminality, the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a rite of passage
Liminal deity, a god or goddess in mythology who presides over thresholds, gates, or doorways
Voice of Peace (Hebrew: קול השלום, Kol HaShalom) was an offshore radio station that broadcast in the Middle East for 20 years from the former Dutch cargo vessel MV Peace (formally MV Cito), anchored off the Israeli coast in the Eastern Mediterranean. Founded by Abie Nathan and the New York-based Peace Ship Foundation, the station broadcast almost continuously between 19 May 1973 and November 1993.
The Voice of Peace was primarily in English, but a small output included Hebrew, Arabic, and French. Several shows ran for nearly its entire life, including Twilight Time (daily at 18:00, using the Platters hit of the name as its theme),
Heavenly shades of night are falling
It's twilight time
Out of the mist your voice is calling
'Tis twilight time
When purple colored curtains mark the end of day
I'll hear you, my dear, at twilight time
Twilight Time, The Platters written by