Куды смотреть-та?

Согласно ѓалахе, при молитве Амида еврею следует обратить хотя бы лицо в сторону Храма. То есть, например, в Польше или России надо смотреть более-менее на юг. А в Америке? Вопрос друга заставил задуматься о практически общепринятом здесь обычае смотреть на восток, потому что просто поглядеть на карту тут не сработает - не на плоскости живём-таки, а на шаре. Вот и посмотрите ниже, каково направление кратчайшего пути к Иерусалиму из Бостона.

According to halakha, Jews must face the Temple during the Amida prayer. So, e.g., in Poland or Russia one should generally face south. What about America? A friend's question forced an evaluation of the nearly universal local custom to face east, since simply looking at the map won't work - the Earth isn't flat, after all. Here's a plot for the vector to the shortest ("great circle") route to Jerusalem from Boston.

Distance from Boston to Jerusalem Distance is 8886 kilometers or 5521 miles or 4798 nautical miles The distance is the theoretical air distance (great circle distance). Flying between the two locations's airports can be longer or shorter, depending on airport location and actual route chosen. Heading from Boston Latitude: 42° 19' North  Longitude: 71° 05' West  Initial heading: 56.0° Northeast by east Final heading: 133.8° Southeast See other cities near Boston Calculate distance from Boston to another location Map - Shortest path between Boston and Jerusalem The map is using a projection that makes land and oceans much wider near the south and north poles. The heading/course/bearing during a flight varies in most cases. Map based on image from NASA. (Thanks to ariya for the link!)