This week many in the U.S. will change their clocks for Daylight Saving Time. Is this a Mitzvah DeOraitha or Takkanah DeRabanan? I can't seem to find any source for this except a poorly worded and weakly sourced question on a website of dubious reliability (see their very obvious disclaimer even warning anyone not to rely on them!) relating to a(n obviously) mythological line in the Pacific Ocean that marks when "tomorrow" begins.
Any solid sources on this?
Answer
It is a takkanah for reasons of safety.
The Gemara (Pesachim 112b) states that a black ox during Nissan is especially dangerous. So there is a real problem: if the ox gets used to your daily habits, won't he know where to ambush you and attack? The problem is solved by moving the clock forward one hour sometime during Adar, in preparation for Nissan, so that you're leaving your house an hour earlier than you usually would. And in Berachos 27a, the Gemara states that according to R. Yehudah, האי בקר יתירא להקדים לו שעה אחת - this cattle will be afraid to be an hour early.
(Thanks to @msh210 for the inspiration for that last line.)
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