Holidays and Observances

Kaluach combines the standard Jewish holiday cycle with special Shabbatot, Israeli national days, fasts, and context-specific zmanim.

Special Shabbatot

Shabbat Teshuva, Shekalim, Zachor, Parah, Hachodesh, Hagadol, Kallah, Chazon, Nachamu, Shabbat Shira (Parashat Beshalach), and Shabbat Mevarchim (the last Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh, except before Tishrei) appear alongside—not instead of—the regular weekly parsha.

Erev days, Rosh Chodesh, and Chanukah

The days before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are marked Erev Rosh Hashanah and Erev Yom Kippur. The day before Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, the first and seventh days of Pesach, and Shavuot is marked Erev Chag; Erev Pesach keeps its own name. A two-day Rosh Chodesh shows its 1st and 2nd day. Chanukah’s eight days are labeled by candle, from 1 Candle on 25 Kislev to 8 Candles on the last day.

Candle lighting

Candle lighting appears for Erev Shabbat and Erev Yom Tov. When ordinary advance lighting is not possible, such as after Shabbat or on the second night of a paired Yom Tov, the appropriate Tzeit entry is labeled for the candle lighting that follows. A Yom Tov day that falls on Friday shows the ordinary candle lighting for Shabbat that evening, and no Tzeit Chag.

Tisha B’Av

Tisha B’Av is on 9 Av. When 9 Av falls on Shabbat, the fast is delayed to Sunday, 10 Av, and nothing is marked on that Shabbat.

Sefirat HaOmer

From 16 Nisan to 5 Sivan each day shows its count — “Day 1 of the Omer” through “Day 49 of the Omer” — on the day itself; the count is said the evening before. It is listed with the Jewish holidays and shown only when they are.

Pesach and fasts

Kaluach includes Erev Pesach, Taanit Bechorot and its applicable advance, Erev Erev Pesach when Erev Pesach falls on Shabbat, and Pesach Sheni.

Sof Achilat Chametz and Sof Biur Chametz appear only on Erev Pesach. They correspond to four and five halachic hours. Each is shown using the selected shita—or GRA when none is selected—rather than showing every opinion at once.

Sheelat Geshamim

Kaluach marks the beginning of the daily request for rain. In Israel this begins on 7 Cheshvan. In the diaspora, the app derives the early-December civil date from the traditional Julian-calendar reckoning of sixty days after Tekufat Tishrei and converts it to the Gregorian calendar. It is marked on the day the request begins, counting that day from its evening, so the request starts at Maariv the evening before: December 5 in most years, and December 6 in the year before a leap year. Leap years here are counted the Julian way, every fourth year — so 2099 counts too — and from 2100 the dates move one day later.