Support

Support

Please check this page before emailing me so I can avoid answering questions that I've already answered here.
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F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions)

General

What was Kaluach written in?
Kaluach is environment safe - only the choicest recycled electrons were used - no CFCs, flourocarbons, or MSG added.
Hello?
Uhh, Kaluach was written in my living room?
Excuse me? Were you dropped as a child?
OK. In order to choreograph the movement of the electrons so that we end up with Kaluach, I used Microsoft Visual C++ (with classic 70's rock in the background). Much of the date/time/holiday engine of Kaluach was implemented in C++ classes. The user interface is implemented in a delicate combination of C++ classes, plain vanilla C, and other herbs and spices. Now aren't you glad you asked? (And yes, I must have been. Dropped as a child, that is.)
Classic 70's rock? OK, now you're talkin'! What stuff do you listen to?
I think that's 2 questions, but who's counting? I find that I'm most productive with the following: Eric Clapton (solo, Cream, Derek and the Dominos, etc), Leslie West / Mountain, Jethro Tull, Rolling Stones, CSN&Y, and Lynyrd Skynryd (No Broccoli Spears or Back Street Noise for me). Some of the new(er) rock is OK, but hey - it's not classic. Also, Arutz 7 in the background is quite effective - it must be ruach hakodesh. (Arutz 7 on the Internet - http://www.a7.org) On the other hand, when my son plays Zohar Argov, I can't even function, let alone work on Kaluach.
Where did the name Kaluach come from?
From the two Hebrew words: kal - meaning easy, and luach - meaning board (well, it also means calendar :-)
Hey, isn't the name grammatically incorrect? Shouldn't it be LuachKal?
Yep. Now, ask me if I care.
Do you care?
Nope. I think the name Kaluach sounds pretty snappy. LuachKal, or some such variant doesn't sound as good (at least to me). And besides, I'm originally an American, and Americans hate grammar (I'm also anti-semantic). Hey - I even found a precedent for the name in Masechet Shekalim mishna 1:6. The tana kama asks who is obligated to give a "kalbon" (when giving the half-shekel trumah to the mikdash). This isn't a candy treat, rather it's a small coin (variously designated as either 1/24 or 1/48 of sela), that was charged as either a handling fee when dealing with coins not exactly a half shekel, or as a way to properly fix the value of the "donation". (This has been greatly simplified. I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader (I hated when my teachers did that) to delve into the mishna for the proper explanation. The Bartenura explains that "kalbon" comes from the phrase "kal bon" - which I guess would be loosely translate as "small change" or "small money". Grammatically, it would probably be more correct to say "bon kal", however I'm fairly certain that the Bartenura's grasp of grammar was significantly greater than mine. And if it was OK with him, it's OK with me.

Hebrew calendar calculations

May I have the source code to Kaluach?
Sure, why not. And while I'm at it, I'll ship you my first born. I have to warn you though, he's 19 years old, in the army, and he'll eat you out of house and home.
Sorry, but I prefer to reserve my rights and options. Besides, the quality of my code is embarrasing.
OK, so the source isn't available. How can I include Hebrew calendar calculations in my program?
You can use KDATE.DLL which will give you a full set of Hebrew calendar functions for you program. Both personal use and commercial licenses are available. Click on the "Developers" link on the navigation bar (on the left side of the screen), or point your browswer to www.kaluach.com, for more details and demo versions.

Other platforms for Kaluach

Will you permit me to use Kaluach on my web site?
Kaluach is not a web program, rather it is a Windows application. If you wish to make Kaluach available for download on your site, that would be fine. It might make more sense however to just create a link to the Kaluach web site, so that your web site visitors are guaranteed to get the latest version of Kaluach.
If you REALLY, REALLY want a Hebrew calendar and/or halachic times on your web site, you can take a look at Abu Mami's Javascript programs. Click on one of the links under Scripts on the navigation bar (on the left side of the screen). There are scripts for a monthly calendar, halachic times, or to simply display the Hebrew date on your web site.
Do you have a version for the Palm?
Yes. Click on the "Palm" link on the navigation bar (on the left side of the screen), or point your browser to Kaluach Kaf.
Do you have a version for the (choose one) Macintosh / CE / Linux?
No. I just don't have the time to work on other platforms. I've toyed with the idea of developing for these platforms, but so far nothing concrete. Although as mentioned above, there are the Palm and Javascript versions.
There is a web-based version of Kaluach available at www.kaluach.net.

Registration

[1] I live in [my country] and I'm unable to send our currency overseas. May I make a donation to another charity of my choice?
[2] I don't believe in donating to religious organizations. May I make a donation to another charity of my choice?
[3] I don't believe in donating money to organizations in the Shomron. May I make a donation to another charity of my choice?

(generic answer to all variations) I don't check on who donates or not. However, the condition that I make for "official" registration is a donation to my beit knesset. If you are using Kaluach without registering it, you are halachically in deep doo-doo.

(sympathetic answer to variation 1) I appreciate your problem. Unfortunately I don't have a solution to this. You can send the money whenever you have the appropriate opportunity (eg. you or a friend coming to Israel).

(specific answer to variations 2 and 3) I don't believe in buying products from multi-trillion dollar monopolies, but hey, if I don't pay, I don't get the product I want. Same with Kaluach. My condition for the legal use of Kaluach is a charitable donation to my beit knesset. No payment, no legal use of Kaluach. Instead of pocketing the proceeds for myself, I decided that the money would go to a good cause. Seems fair enough to me.

I sent a check over a month ago, and it still hasn't been cashed. What happened?
Only a month ago? :-) If the check is in foreign currency (anything other than shekels), then the treasurer of the beit knesset waits till he's got several checks and deposits them all at once. This saves transaction fees and results in more money for the beit knesset. If it was sent to me (instead of being sent directly to the beit knesset), it's probably lost somewhere on my desk (please don't send checks to me).

User Interface

Some of the characters on the screen are messed up. What am I doing wrong?
This is a known problem with Hebrew Enabled (and some other international versions of) Windows NT. This problem doesn't appear consistently, rather it seems to be connected to the computer's localization settings. This problem also [very] rarely occurs with Hebrew Enabled Windows 98.

It is possible to fix this problem by changing the default system locale. You can do this in Windows 2000 by following these steps:
    ť Open the control panel
    ť Click on the "Regional Options" icon
    ť Click the "default" button
    ť Select English as the default locale
After rebooting, run Kaluach and you should see the Hebrew displayed correctly.
Instead of Hebrew, I've got gibberish on the screen. How do I install the fonts for Kaluach?
This is the same problem as the previous one - a conflict with Windows NT. There is no need to install fonts since Kaluach handles this automatically. Sometimes this problem clears up by rebooting Windows.
What fonts does Kaluach use. I can't find them in my Windows directory.
Kaluach uses a set of fonts specially designed for Kaluach called "Abu Mami". These are bit-mapped fonts (not scalable) in order to achieve the smallest size possible while maximizing the readability.
Why is the "help" only in English and not in Hebrew, too?
For the same reason that this FAQ is in English - I just don't have the time to translate it into Hebrew. A friend translated an earlier version of the help for me into Hebrew, but since then I've made a lot of changes. I have to bring the file up to date. As soon as I can find the time for this, I'll add the help in Hebrew.
Why is the English transliteration spelled in the Sephardi style?
Why isn't the English transliteration spelled according to the Hebrew Language Academy rules?
The spelling in Kaluach is a sort of compromise. The Academy's spelling looks strange to me (as well as to most people), and I personally prefer the Sephardi style over the Ashkenazi. I spelled the terms the way I say them (sort of). Maybe someday (if I can find the time) I'll allow customization (but don't hold your breath). Anyhow, you REALLY should be using Hebrew :-))
I can't set my location or time settings. What am I doing wrong?
You're using an old version of Windows 95. There are at least 4 versions of Win95 that I know about. The first two have problems opening up certain dialog boxes. You can get the updated files from Microsoft, or you can upgrade your machine to Windows 98/NT/2000.
Can you tell me where the afikoman is?
Yes, but then I'd have to kill you.
Whoa! How about just a hint then?
OK. Now listen carefully... You know where it is.

Printing

I'm trying to print, but all I get is a blank page. What am I doing wrong?
Most likely, the problem is that you're using version 1. Version 1 had problems printing. Download version 2 and try again.
If you are using version 2, then make sure your printer has ink or toner.
Can I print in color?
Kaluach does not currently support color printing.

Halachic issues

My siddur shows that asking for rain starts on Dec. 4 in the diaspora. However, Kaluach shows it on either the 5th or 6th of December. Boy are you stupid.
Oh yeah, well I'm ugly too! And besides, that wasn't a question.
Many siddurim are based on older works. For example, my copy of the Shilo Siddur (a siddur commonly used in America) states that asking for rain commences on December 4. This would be correct for the 19th century. Well, almost correct, since no mention is made of years that fall before a civil leap year, which would begin Dec 5. However, in the 20th century, the correct date would be the 5th of December, and the 6th of December in years that fall before a leap year. This is because the date of asking for rain is calculated according to Rav Shmuel's tekufot, which correspond to the Julian calendar. This means that the dates slide forward as the years progress. In the 22nd century, the correct dates for asking for rain in the diaspora will the 6th and 7th of December.
Your times seem to be off by a few minutes. How come?
Off by a few minutes compared to what? Perhaps this is due to different shitot. Perhaps because of slightly different location coordinates. Not to mention that I have yet to find two sunrise/sunset algorithms that consistently result in the same times. I also have yet to see two clocks/watches that display the same time. My opinion (for what it's worth) is that the times (from Kaluach or any other source) are of limited use, since I doubt that anyone really has access to the correct time. Care should be taken to always add or subtract a few minutes from the time in question to be on the safe side.
[important note]: It is a minhag in Israel to use the tables of halachic times as compiled by Rav Tucazinski z"l. These tables were derived by sightings of the sun (as opposed to the calculated times in Kaluach and other programs) and are accurate only for Jerusalem and Bnei Brak. Using these tables with adjustments for other cities in Israel is wrong, since the times in these tables are sighted times, not calculated times. These tables are only applicable for Jerusalem and Bnei Brak. For that matter, these tables will eventually shift out of accuracy as the years go by, since the sunrise/sunset times are based on the solar calendar, and the times shift slightly as the years/centuries progress.

Odds and ends

Why do you use so many parentheses?
Good question. (I'll have to think of a good answer.)
How come you and Abu Mami are never seen together? I think that's very suspicious.
Hmmm. I agree. Very suspicious.

(Copyright Š 5761 (2001 CE). May not be reproduced in part or whole without written consent of Yisrael Hersch)