New York, NY (May 24, 2026)

A notable halachic moment unfolded aboard an El Al flight when Rav Ezriel Auerbach Shlita was seen consulting with a flight attendant to determine the proper time to count the Omer during a long-haul journey from Los Angeles to Israel.

The question arose because of the flight’s unusual timing and route. As the aircraft traveled eastward across multiple time zones, passengers experienced an extended period of daylight, making it unclear when nightfall should be considered to have arrived for the purposes of Sefiras HaOmer.

To clarify the matter, Rav Urbach reviewed the aircraft’s real-time flight path using the seatback screen, which displayed the plane’s location and the region beneath it. With assistance from the flight attendant, he was able to determine that although daylight was still visible from the aircraft, it was already nighttime on the ground below the flight path.

That information helped resolve the halachic question, allowing him to determine the appropriate time for counting the Omer while in the air.

The scene highlighted the practical challenges that can arise when halacha meets modern travel, especially on long international flights crossing several time zones. For observant Jewish travelers, questions involving zmanim, tefillah, Shabbos, Yom Tov, and Sefiras HaOmer can become complex when sunrise, sunset, and nightfall do not align neatly with what passengers see from the cabin window.