Second day yom-tov – Ask the Rabbi
Q. Do visitors from the Diaspora keep a 2nd day yom-tov when in Israel?
A. It’s a difficult question with strongly opposed points of view. The general rule is to follow the most stringent view.
The lenient view (associated with Rabbi Shne’or Zalman of Liadi and recorded in the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayyim 496:5)) is that if a man and wife are in Israel together they are regarded as at home and need keep only one day. A student who is in an Israeli yeshivah is also regarded as at home.
The strict view (Mishnah Berurah Orach Chayyim 496:13) says that if you intend to return to the Diaspora you should keep two days whilst you are in Israel.
