Which Way to Pray? An Interview with Rabbi Yosef Weisenfeld

“Which way is mizrach (east)?” This is a very common question for those preparing to daven in a strange place to fulfill the obligation to face Eretz Yisrael. The answer seems simple, but there are a lot of nuances. For instance, which direction is Eretz Yisrael, actually? What if your shul faces the “wrong” way? In what direction should you face if you’re in Eretz Yisrael itself? Surprisingly, there are places north of Eretz Yisrael where one would still face north.

Rabbi Yosef Weisenfeld eloquently addresses these questions and more while also inviting the reader to rethink the concept of facing mizrach. His excellent new English sefer, Derech Ha’Ir (Feldheim 2025), is replete with sources and pictures that provide a clear understanding of the different methods that have been used to calculate where to face.

Chaim Yehuda Meyer: Where did the idea of facing mizrach come from?

Rabbi Yosef Weisenfeld: Facing mizrach, east, specifically, is a corruption of the idea that we daven facing Eretz Yisrael. In much of our history, mizrach was not an ideal. In fact, both the Gemara Bava Basra and the Yerushalmi Berachos state that facing mizrach is a forbidden custom of idol worshipers! Even today, much of the world does not face mizrach. The shuls in Tzefas, for example, face south towards Yerushalayim and those in South Africa face north.

The idea of facing mizrach began when the Jewish communities arrived in Europe. They knew that they were west of Eretz Yisrael, so they began facing east. That custom was proper in Spain and Portugal, but it spread to central Europe, where it was not precise, and eventually became the source of the debate in the Acharonim as to how precise we need to be when facing Eretz Yisrael. And it spread even further, into Russia, even into places that are further east then Eretz Yisrael and where the practice was certainly in error.

CYM: Is mizrach the correct direction in New York and New Jersey?

RYW: This is the primary question addressed in my sefer, Derech Ha’Ir. If you look at a two-dimensional map, it seems obvious that Eretz Yisrael is located to our east, with a small southward turn. So, when Jewish communities arrived in New York, many coming from Europe, it made sense to continue the practice of facing east. After all, east looked more precise here than it was in Europe!

But the situation is not nearly as simple as it seems on the surface. Already 50 years ago, Rav Yechiel Zilber (in the sefer Birur Halacha) began sounding the alarm that a mistake had been made, and American communities should not be facing mizrach. The issue is that the maps we are accustomed to seeing portray latitude lines as straight lines running from east to west. In reality, latitude lines are not straight at all; rather, they are circles around the north and south poles. Because of the distortion necessary when portraying a curved globe onto a two-dimensional map, a straight line drawn on a flat map from New York to Eretz Yisrael will not be the true straight line between the two points. Conversely, a true straight line, from New York to Eretz Yisrael will not appear straight when drawn on a map.

This reality is quite counterintuitive, which is why my sefer includes many pictures and demonstrations to clarify the topic for the reader.

CYM: Is that why flights to Israel fly over Canada?

RYW: Yes. I have heard a wide variety of other theories, but the truth is that flights from New York to Israel fly northeast over the Canadian coastline simply because that is the straight path to Israel. The confusion about this is a result of the distortion that causes the flight path to appear curved when drawn on a flat map.

A straight line on a globe is referred to as a “Great Circle.” This line will not appear straight on standard maps. A line which appears straight on a map is called a “Rhumb Line.” However, this line will not be straight when drawn on a globe. Flight paths follow Great Circle routes, because that is the true straight line.

CYM: You write in the book that a place like New York, which is north of Eretz Yisrael, would need to face north. This is difficult to understand.

RYW: Yes, it is quite counterintuitive. However, several Acharonim say exactly that – that sometimes even a place north of Eretz Yisrael will need to face north. In the sefer, this too is explained using many pictures and demonstrations. When I show people a globe and demonstrate that Eretz Yisrael is actually located to our northeast, they are usually quite amazed and will spend a lot of time studying the globe to understand how this works.

CYM: If facing mizrach doesn’t face Eretz Yisrael, where does it face?

RYW: A person in New York facing east is actually facing Congo, in central Africa. To picture this, consider the fact that the sun is over the equator. The equator is south, yet we see sunrise to the east! This means we are looking east and seeing the sun to our south.

CYM: So, shuls facing mizrach are wrong?

RYW: Not necessarily. Just as in Europe, where the correct direction is southeast but some Acharonim said that east is close enough, so too, although the correct direction for us is northeast, facing east can be considered close enough.

This remains an important topic, because most shuls do not actually face east, but rather, because of the layout of the surrounding streets, many face northeast and many face southeast. A careful analysis of the Acharonim indicates that although east is close enough to northeast, a shul facing southeast may already be considered in error.

CYM: Has anyone believe in using maps to determine the direction?

RYW: Yes. Some have theorized that halacha may prefer the Rhumb Line, the straight line drawn on a map, because that line will not change compass direction. Although one who travels this way would not be traveling straight, his compass direction would remain the same throughout the trip. In contrast, when one uses a true straight line, the Great Circle, as the airlines do, they will arrive at their destination without turning right or left. But throughout the trip, the compass direction is slowly changing. First you are heading northeast, then east, and finally southeast.

CYM: You don’t agree with this defense?

RYW: Many Acharonim support facing Eretz Yisrael directly (the Great Circle method) even when it doesn’t follow the compass directions. There is no source for the Rhumb Line method, and it was never practiced before the Jewish communities arrived in the United States.

CYM: If someone were to ask you where mizrach is, how would you respond?

RYW: It has come up quite often. Unless I think the person is interested in a longer conversation, I will usually just point northeast and say, “Eretz Yisrael is that way.”

CYM: I see you wrote about hostages, a situation that is painfully relevant today.

RYW: Yes. I wrote that section prior to October 7^th, and it did become painfully relevant by the time the sefer went to print. The Chofetz Chaim wrote a sefer called Machaneh Yisrael for Jewish soldiers. In that sefer, he writes words of encouragement for soldiers who are captured in war and encourages them to daven to Hashem to be saved from their captivity. He writes that this prayer can be in any language the soldier speaks but should include two important parts: 1) Their tefillos should come from the depths of their hearts, and 2) they should intend for their tefillos to travel to Eretz Yisrael and Yerushalayim. The Chofetz Chaim does not mention actually facing Eretz Yisrael, probably because we would not expect such prisoners to have the freedom to face the direction of their choosing and also might not be aware in which direction Eretz Yisrael is from their location.

CYM: During which tefillos should one face Eretz Yisrael?

RYW: This seems to be an area of some debate. The Shulchan Aruch first speaks about facing Eretz Yisrael during tefillah well after most of the section on hilchos tefillah, including Bircas Hashachar and Krias Shemah. Facing Eretz Yisrael is first mentioned in siman 94, after Shemah but before Shemoneh Esrei, implying that the halacha of facing Eretz Yisrael is applicable specifically during Shemoneh Esrei. This is the common practice.

There are other opinions that say that all prayer should be said facing Eretz Yisrael, even non-formal prayers, such as personal requests that are made throughout the day, and certainly more formal prayers. Rabeinu Avraham Ben HaRambam, for example argued that all prayer should be said facing Eretz Yisrael, including personal prayers, as well as birchas kriyas shema and bentching.

Practically, it seems that facing Eretz Yisrael will boost the effectiveness of any prayer, but this is only required during Shemoneh Esrei. There are also many sources that Eretz Yisrael should be faced whenever bowing. When I davened in the shul of Rav Elyashiv, zt”l, I saw that he was careful with this.

CYM: Rav Elyashiv’s shul was inside of Eretz Yisrael?

RYW: Yes. Someone inside of Eretz Yisrael should face Yerushalayim, and someone inside of Yerushalayim should face the Makom Hamikdash.

CYM: When the kohanim face the tzibur, they are not facing Eretz Yisrael.

RYW: The kohanim face the tzibur at Birkas Kohanim in order to bless them “face-to-face” as required by the halacha. However, they face the aron kodesh immediately before and immediately after bentching the tzibur, while reciting a special prayer. Sheyarei Knesses Hagedolah explains that the reason for all this turning is because these prayers should be said “like all prayers” facing Eretz Yisrael. So, the kohanim face the front for the first prayer, then turn around to face the tzibur to bless them face-to-face, then turn to the front again for the second prayer.

CYM: What if the aron Hakodesh is facing the “wrong” wall?

RYW: Ideally, the tzibur should face Eretz Yisrael even if that means they are not facing the aron kodesh. This doesn’t usually happen, and according to the Mishna Berurah, an individual should face the same direction everyone else is facing, even the tzibur is not facing Eretz Yisrael. In that scenario, it is best to turn just your head in the direction of Eretz Yisrael if possible.

CYM: Should women face Eretz Yisrael when davening?

RYW: Yes; these halachos apply to women as well.

CYM: What is the basis for facing south while praying in order to obtain wisdom?

RYW: The Gemara states that one should turn south during prayer if he wants wisdom and north if he wants wealth. There is no explanation given; instead, a siman (a memory trick) is provided: The menorah, which represents wisdom, was on the southern side of the Beis Hamikdash, while the shulchan, which represents material wealth, was north. This is brought up in the Rama and Mishnah Berurah as well. The Mishnah Berurah says that one should daven facing Eretz Yisrael, and turn just his head towards to the south, if he wants wisdom.

CYM: How should we be calculating the direction of Eretz Yisrael on our phones?

RYW: Most apps that show davening direction can be changed in the settings to show either the Great Circle method or the Rhumb Line method. The Great Circle method is the one that faces Eretz Yisrael directly and is the method supported by the Acharonim. In some apps, this is the default setting.

CYM: What do we gain from davening facing Eretz Yisrael?

RYW: We face Eretz Yisrael, Yerushalayim, and the place of the Beis Hamikdash because Shlomo Hamelech established the Beis Hamikdash as the center of tefillah and asked Hashem to accept the tefillos of those who daven there, or daven facing there. Facing Eretz Yisrael helps our tefillos to be accepted, and is also a practical action to reinforce in our hearts the kedusha of these places and their centrality in our lives, both today and in our hopes for the future.