Zmanim · The moments of the day
What is the shkiah (sunset)?
The shkiah is the setting of the sun — the moment its disc slips below the horizon. In the tradition it opens bein hashmashot, the uncertain twilight that lasts until the stars come out.
Sunset, and the doubt it opens
The shkiah is the setting of the sun, the moment its disc slips below the horizon. It is not simply the end of daylight; it is the doorway into a stretch of time the Sages called בין השמשות, bein hashmashot (the interval between the suns) — the doubtful twilight that lasts until the stars appear.
Where this is taught
The Talmud, in tractate Shabbat (34b), weighs exactly this seam of the day: the sun has set, yet night has not yet been confirmed by the stars. Because the boundary is genuinely uncertain, the tradition meets it with care rather than guesswork.
What to do
On the eve of Shabbat (erev Shabbat), the kindling of the lights is set before the shkiah, so that the act of lighting is complete while it is still plainly day. Since the precise moment of sunset depends on your city and the season, look to your local time rather than a fixed clock.
Source: Talmud, tractate Shabbat 34b.
When you want to know the exact moment the sun meets your own horizon, let Barkai (the blessings of the day; the sky and place tell you the moment) show you where your day is turning.
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