Calendar Tech Specs
Disclaimer
Although My Mikvah Calendar makes all calculations necessary for computing your onot of separation, it is imperative to still do these calculations yourself.
The online calendar may be used as a tool for learning how to keep a calendar, as well as double checking your results. This is because there are halachic opinions that say that the obligation to record onot of separation cannot be fulfilled by a computer.
Please note that if you observe special chumrahs (stringencies) or use different methods of calculation with express permission from your rav (rabbi), you will have to manually enter those dates of separation into your online calendar using the Memo system
System Requirements
- High speed internet access
- 1024 x 768 resolution (i.e. a normal computer or laptop)
- Microsoft Windows 2000, ME, XP, Vista or Mac OSX
- Internet Explorer 7+, Firefox 3+, Google Chrome and Safari
- My Mikvah Calendar is also available for your smartphone, IPhone, Android and Blackberry (version 6 +). Access from your smartphone at www.mymikvahcalendar/mobile
Personal Settings
To modify the settings of your online calendar, click the Settings tab on the left hand menu of your screen. In the Settings pop up window you can browse through the four Settings tabs by clicking a tab at the top of the pop up window. Once your selections have been made, click Apply to save them.
General Settings
Username: This is the name you use to log into your online calendar. This will be your email address so that we can use it to send email reminders to you. The username that appears will be the one you used to register for My Mikvah Calendar. Should you wish to change this at any time you would do so from this window.
Reset Password/Confirm Password: This is where you would change your password from the one you created during the registration process to another of your choice.
Explain all calculations: If you wish to read explanations and learn how all calculations are made, you will check this box. If you uncheck it, you will no longer see the windows that explain how My Mikvah Calendar works and how the calculations are reached.
Location
Default Location: The location that appears is the location you gave upon registration. This is the default location that will appear on your calendar. All halachic times given on your calendar will be given according to the location listed here.
If you are permanently moving to another city, select that city from the drop down list and enter the civil date that you are moving. To undo a move, just change your location back to the original location with an earlier moving date.
If you are temporarily leaving your default location use our Trips option.
Language: Select the language of your choice from the drop down list that appears
Reminders
You can specify the amount of hours (between 0 and 48) before the start of an onah to receive a reminder. For example, if a night onah of separation begins at 6:30 pm and you type 25 (specifying 25 hours) into the hour field, you will receive reminders at 5:30 pm the day before the onah begins. The same is true for morning onot, so bear in mind that those reminders may come before dawn if you set the time as such. This is true for both SMS as well as email reminders.
Secondary Email Address (optional): If you would like a copy of all email reminders sent to another address (such as your spouse or a work email) then enter the address here. Otherwise, leave this field blank.
Cell Phone (optional): In order to receive SMS (text) messages as reminders, enter your mobile phone number in international format without any leading zeros. For instance, in North America enter an 11 digit number beginning with a ‘1’ and then the area code and a 7 digit phone number. Leave this field blank if you do not wish to receive SMS (text) messages.
Its possible that you will receive a SMS reminder on shabbos for a sunday event. Please know that Shabbos was not desecrated in the sending of this reminder. All reminders are scheduled to go out prior to Shabbos/Yom tov, to the best of our ability. Please note that a non-Jewish company deals with the technicalities and all is done automatically, sometimes inadvertently resulting in an SMS reminder being received on Shabbos.
Send Reminders: Here you are able to select the types of reminders you wish to receive, simply check or uncheck the desired reminders as you wish:
- Preparatory Days - A reminder will be sent telling you what preparatory day you are currently on and when to do bedikot based on your location
- Mikvah Nights - A reminder will be sent reminding you of your mikvah night
- Onot - A reminder will be sent telling you when an onah of separation will occur. It will specify the time frame of separation and the time frame within which a bedikah must be performed
- Hefsek Taharah - A reminder will be sent beginning on the 5th day of your flow informing you that you are halachically eligible to attempt a hefsek taharah and by what time it must be completed. This reminder will continue for up to 10 days (your 15th flow day) or until you update your calendar with a confirmed successful hefsek taharah date.
Please note that reminders will not be sent out during Shabbat and Yomim Tovim. Instead you will receive reminders on Erev Shabbat and/or Erev Yom Tov.
Halachic Settings
Select the halachic option you are accustomed to keeping (see explanation below). If you are uncertain which to select, please consult your rav. My Mikvah Calendar will calculate correctly according to either one, but one must be selected.
Any Veset Hachodesh dates that are determined and recorded on your calendar are canceled once they are passed clean, i.e. free of any spotting or bleeding on that actual date (Rabbonei Chabad).
Carry Veset Hachodesh Date: Some Chabad Rabbonim maintain that once a Veset Hachodesh date is determined, it is recorded and carried monthly unless you do not see any blood that renders you nidah on that onah of anticipation (Kitzur Dinei Taharah 8:13). Accordingly, dates may need to be carried over for one or more months. You may then have more than one date, colored yellow and marked with a circle indicating time/s of separation for the Veset Hachodesh, on your calendar in any given month. (Any dates previously marked as Veset Hachodesh dates from previous flows that fall within the line that appears as described below from the "P" to the "HT" would then be carried to the following month)
Don’t Carry Veset Hachodesh Dates: Other Chabad Rabbonim, including Rabbi Yekusiel Farkash in Tahara K’Halacha, maintain that any Veset Hachodesh dates of anticipation that fall within your actual flow are NOT carried and are then canceled from your calendar.* (Any dates previously marked as Veset Hachodesh dates from previous flows that fall within the line that appears as described below from the "P" to the "HT" would now be canceled and not carried to the following month)
If you are uncertain of which rabbinical determination to follow, please consult your rabbi.
*Note: According to all Chabad Rabbonim, including Rabbi Y. Farkash, there may still be months where there are more than one Veset Hachodesh dates on your calendar.
Example: New Flow #1 begins on the 1st of Elul. Veset HaChodesh is then the 1st of Tishrei. New Flow #2 begins on the 15th Elul.
Because the 1st of Tishrei was not yet passed by a clean bedikah, nor did it fall within the bleeding days of the new flow, there will be two Veset HaChodesh days for the month of Tishrei, the 1st of Tishrei and the15th of Tishrei.
If your period began on the 30th day of the Hebrew month, lamed, and the following month there are only 29 days, the lamed is dropped with regard to the Veset HaChodesh.
Default Viewing Mode
This is the main screen that will be displayed with you log into your calendar. You can view your information a month at a time, or view the entire year at once or view all the information organized into a table. Select the option of choice from the drop down list on the upper right hand corner of your screen.
Preferred Rabbi
This is the rabbi that your questions will be sent to when you click the Ask A Rabbi tab on the left hand menu on your screen. You may select the rabbi of your choice at any time by selecting from the drop down list of rabbis listed on our Ask A Rabbi tab.
Entering A New Flow
Click here to view a video Tutorial on Adding Your First Flow
Entering A New Flow Onto the Calendar for the First Time
- Register for My Mikvah Calendar
- Log into your account on My Mikvah Calendar
- The calendar will open to the current month
- The current date will be outlined in a darker colored border on either side
- Click on the "New Flow" tab in the left hand menu on your screen, or right click on any day and select "New Flow" from the small drop down list
- A pop up box will appear
- Enter the date and time your most recent flow began. (There is NO need to enter months/years worth of cycles as long as you follow the instructions here of entering all carried haflagah numbers and veset hachodesh dates currently on your calendar)
- Verify your location
- Enter any earlier haflaga numbers you may currently have on your calendar in the order in which they occurred
- Be sure to enter the newest haflaga number that was established by the count of onot from the previous hefsek taharah to the start of this newest period being entered onto the calendar (This particular window - where haflaga numbers must be entered - will only appear for new users who have no previous data entered on the calendar)
- Click "Add" after each entry
- If you currently have even numbers for a night onah and odd numbers for a day onah, please add one number when entering them onto the calendar (i.e. 43 for a day onah becomes 44, click here for explanation)
- Enter any earlier veset hachodesh dates you may have (if you follow the shitah of Carrying Veset Hachodesh) (This particular window - where carried veses hachodesh dates must be entered - will only appear for new users who have no previous data entered on the calendar)
- Click "Add" after each entry
- All future flows that you enter into the system will manage the calculation and carrying over of haflaga and veses hachodesh dates automatically
- Select the Cause of the New Flow from the drop down list of causes
- Click "Apply"
- Once you enter the "New Flow" information, a "P" will appear on the corresponding date and onah.("S" for a stain, or other incidence that does not affect calendar calculations, and a "B" for birth). The onah box will turn pink (solid colored for night onah, lightly shaded for day onah) as will the next four days on the calendar (five days in all) with a line running through the days
- An HT icon with a question mark, and surrounded by a broken line, will appear on day five of your flow. This indicates the earliest halachically possible day on which a hefsek taharah may be attempted. This HT icon is moveable.
- If you realize you made an error after you clicked "Apply" click here
- The program will automatically designate your Veset Hachodesh date/s for the following month. A small, filled in circle will appear in a yellow date box (solid colored yellow on the left indicates a night onah, lightly shaded yellow on the right indicates a day onah), on the same Hebrew date the next month. If you follow the posek of carrying veset hachodesh dates, any dates that must be carried (refer to Halachic Settings) will appear as well, with a filled in circle and yellow shading.
- The program will automatically calculate your Onah Beinonis and a filled in diamond will appear in the center of the date, indicating day 30 of your cycle (day one being the day your flow began). The entire box will be colored yellow indicating this is a 24 hour time of anticipation and separation.
Upon Onset of Your Period
- Log onto your account at My Mikvah Calendar
- Be certain you have confirmed the hefsek taharah from your previous period (the system will NOT allow you to enter a New Flow until the hefsek taharah of the previous flow is confirmed)
- Click on the "New Flow" tab in the left hand menu on your screen, or right click on any day and select "New Flow" from the small drop down list
- A pop up box will appear
- Enter the date and time your flow began
- Verify your location
- Select the Cause of the New Flow from the drop down list of causes
- Once you enter the "New Flow" information, a "P" will appear on the corresponding date and onah.("S" for a stain, or other incidence that does not affect calendar calculations, and a "B" for birth).
- The onah box will turn pink (solid colored for night onah, lightly shaded for day onah) as will the next four days on the calendar (five days in all) with a line running through the days
- An HT icon with a question mark, and surrounded by a broken line, will appear on day five of your flow. This indicates the earliest halachically possible day on which a hefsek taharah may be attempted. This HT icon is moveable.
- If you realize you made an error after you clicked "Apply" click here
- The program will automatically designate your Veset Hachodesh date/s for the following month. A small, filled in circle will appear in a yellow date box (solid colored yellow on the left indicates a night onah, lightly shaded yellow on the right indicates a day onah), on the same Hebrew date the next month. If you follow the posek of carrying veset hachodesh dates, any dates that must be carried (refer to Halachic Settings) will appear as well, with a filled in circle and yellow shading.
- The program will automatically calculate your Onah Beinonis and a filled in diamond will appear in the center of the date, indicating day 30 of your cycle (day one being the day your flow began). The entire box will be colored yellow indicating this is a 24 hour time of anticipation and separation.
- Please note that haflagah onot will NOT appear on your calendar until you confirm the hefsek taharah. Once confirmed all haflagah onot will appear
Upon Completion of a Successful Hefsek Taharah
Click here to view a video Tutorial on Hefsek Taharah
- Using your mouse, drag the HT icon, with the question mark, until you reach the actual date of your successful Hefsek Taharah. A pop up will ask you to verify that you have completed a successful Hefsek Taharah before shkiah (sunset). (Please note that if the date you need to confirm your Hefsek Taharah is in the following month, simply drag the HT icon to the mini calendar on the right side of your calendar page, the new month will appear and you may confirm your Hefsek Taharah there)
- Click "Yes"
- The pink coloring on the dates and the line drawn through them will follow through up to the actual Hefsek Taharah date and the question mark and surrounding broken line will disappear
- If you realize you made an error after you clicked "Apply" click here
- If, at any time during the seven preparatory days, you have a bedikah or stain of questionable color, or a medical procedure that causes any staining or spotting, a rav must be consulted. If he determines that a new Hefsek Taharah must be done and a new count of seven preparatory days begun, please enter a New Flow onto the appropriate date of your calendar. Enter the correct time and be sure to select the correct "Cause" from the drop down menu. Click "Apply". The program will then enter an "S" or a "P" (depending upon the cause as different causes affect the calendar in different ways). The program will calculate accordingly based on the "Cause" you select. Please Note: It is imperative to consult a rav if you experience a New Flow of blood at any time during your seven preparatory days. If he determines this is an actual New Flow, select Start of menstruation as the "Cause" from the drop down list and click "Apply". The program will then calculate accordingly.
- Mikvah night will appear as a solid blue night onah on your calendar (this is the night, one week to the day, of your successful Hefsek Taharah. i.e. if you completed your Hefsek Taharah on Tuesday prior to shkiah (sunset), Mikvah night will be the following Tuesday NIGHT). Please note: If you inadvertently missed one or more of the bedikot, you may immerse in the mikvah at the appropriate time as long as you made a successful hefsek tahara and at least one bedikah on the first and one on the last of the seven preparatory days. Day one refers to the first day following the successful hefsek taharah (bedikos done as part of the hefsek taharah, while necessary to begin the count of the seven preparatory days, are not included in the necessary minimum count of bedikos).. e.g. If the hefsek taharah is completed on Tuesday before shkiah, day one is Wednesday. At the very minimum, one bedikah must be made on Wednesday between sunrise and sunset, and one bedikah on the followingTuesday between sunrise and sunset. If, at least, these two bedikos are not made, she may not immerse in the mikvah Tuesday night.
- The program will now calculate and enter all Haflaga numbers for the next month. Any existing dates from earlier months will be removed for this month and their corresponding numbers will be recalculated from the newest Hefsek Taharah and be carried to new dates. (Remember that Haflaga numbers are carried until they are passed by a period beginning on a larger Haflaga number)
- These Haflaga numbers will appear inside small boxes on the date/s and onah/onot to which they correspond. The onah/onot will be colored yellow, solid yellow on the left side of the date box with an odd number for a night onah, and lightly shaded yellow on the right side of the date box with an even number for a day onah.
- Clicking on any given date of the calendar will reveal a pop up box explaining what this date signifies on your calendar
- Reminders of all dates on which bedikot must be done will be sent to your choice of notification, email and/or SMS text message to your mobile phone (providing you select this option in the Settings)
- Reminders of Mikvah night will be sent to your choice of notification, email and/or SMS text message to your mobile phone (providing you select this option in the Settings)
After You Have Gone To The Mikvah
Remember to keep track of all upcoming dates/onot of anticipation
Reminders of all dates/onot of anticipation and separation will be sent to your choice of notification, email and/or SMS text message to your mobile phone (providing you select this option in the Settings)
Be certain to perform all bedikot within the time frame specified (just AFTER the time the flow began that created that date/onah of anticipation and separation, but BEFORE the end of the onah)
It is imperative for a woman to inform her husband that she has performed the bedikah for the Onah Beinonit. If she fails to inform him, it is his halachic obligation to ask
Remember that even if the bedikot are clean, intimacy may NOT resume until the onah of separation has ended
Important Notes Regarding Your Calendar
- Blood resulting from the breaking of the hymen (dam besulim), while rendering the woman nidah, has no bearing on the calendar and will not affect any calculations
- If you are not sure whether you have a shayla (question regarding Jewish law), consult a qualified instructor for guidance. Mikvah attendants may be helpful.
- It is preferable to consult a rav directly. However, if you are shy, the rav’s wife, a mikvah attendant or qualified instructor may ask the rav for you.
- You need not and should not inspect toilet tissue after use. If you did and found something of a questionable color, you must save it and consult a rav.
- If your period comes at a time when Daylight Saving Time (or the reverse) or any other time changes caused by normal seasonal changes would change the onah, keep the onah, and disregard the time. A night onah remains a night onah and day onah remains a day onah.
Example 1:
Period arrives at 5:50 pm on the day onah of the 18th of Cheshvan. The Veset Hachodesh is therefore the day onah of the 18th of Kislev.
On the 18th of Kislev, however, sunset is at 4:32 pm, due to the return to Standard Time from Daylight Savings Time. This puts 5:50 pm into the night onah.
In this case, disregard the time, separate for the entire day onah and perform the necessary bedikah just before the end of the onah (just before sunset) on the 18th of Kislev.
Example 2:
Period arrives at 7:35 pm on the night onah of the 1st of Nisan. The Veset Hachodesh is therefore the night onah of the 1st of Iyar.
On the 1st of Iyar, however, sunset it at 7:55 pm, according to the normal seasonal change of time. This puts 7:35 pm into the day onah.
Again, in this case, disregard the time, separate for the entire night onah and perform the necessary bedikah before the end of the onah (sunrise) on the 1st of Iyar.
- If at any time you forgot to do a bedikah at the proper time, do it as soon as you remember. If the bedikah is clean, you may cancel the date. If the bedikah is not clean, ask a rav how it affects your calendar.
- When the Veset Hachodesh date of anticipation coincides with Onah Beinonit dates; if the Chodesh onah is a night onah, do a bedikah to cancel out the Chodesh night onah (after the time of onset of the period that set the onah, but before sunrise). If the Chodesh onah is a day onah, if the time of the Veset HaChodesh onah is close to the time when you must do the bedikah for the Onah Beinonit (just before shkiah), one bedikah can cover both (Veset HaChodesh & Onah Beinonit). If the time of the Veset HaChodesh onah is far from the time before shkiah (e.g. in the morning, etc) and doing a bedikah poses no difficulty, then a bedikah should be done to cancel out the Veset HaChodesh date, and another just before shkiah for the Onah Beinonit.
- If you experience any New Flow that lasts less then 24 hours, consult a rav regarding the onot of separation that may result from this flow.
- Older women, who have not had a cycle for 90 days or more, are not obligated to keep the laws of the Onot Haveset until they have had three new cycles. It is recommended by many rabbanim, for women who are going through menopause, to perform a bedikah prior to intimacy until they have gone for six months without a cycle. Please consult your rav on how you should proceed
- While My Mikvah Calendar detects and informs of possible kavua situations, it does NOT calculate the kavua for you. You will need to use the Memo system to mark those dates onto your online calendar and receive reminders of them.
- For 24 months post birth (or r"l a miscarriage of a pregnancy of 40 days or longer duration) kavua is not an issue and the calendar must be kept as for one who does not have a kavua pattern.
Using Memos
Adding A Memo
Click here to view a video Tutorial on Memos
- Memos are a useful tool on your calendar. Memos can be used to either customize your calendar or to add personal notes that have nothing to do with the laws of Family Purity.
- To enter a new Memo either click New Memo from the left hand menu on your screen, or right click on any day and select New Memo from the small drop down list
- A pop up box will appear
- Select either the civil or Hebrew date of the Memo
- Specify a time for the Memo. This will be the time the Memo alert is sent should you choose to receive a reminder regarding the Memo
- You may change the default title "New Memo" to any title you wish
- Type in the text for your Memo in the text field
- Check the "Remind Me" box at the bottom right if you wish to receive a reminder via email and/or SMS text message to your mobile phone. The method of notification selected in your Settings will be used
Changing Color Of An Onah
- A Memo has the ability to override the color scheme that appears on your calendar. For example, let’s say you needed to postpone your mikvah night by one day. You could add a Memo to the night onah of your mikvah night specifying that you did not go to mikvah that night. You would then change the onah’s color to white. Then you would create another Memo for the following night specifying that you went to the mikvah and make that onah’s color blue.
- Select the "Change Onah’s Color" checkbox
- Select the color you would like to change the onah to, from the list of colors.
- To change a day onah’s color enter a morning time, to change a night onah’s color, enter a night time.
Viewing A Memo
Once you have added a Memo to your calendar you will see a little yellow note icon either to the right or the left of the date (left representing the night onah and right representing the day onah)
Clicking on the date will bring up the day’s details on a pop up box. Using the arrows allows you to browse through all events of the day including the Memo created for that day.
Deleting A Memo
- To delete a Memo click on the date with the yellow note icon
- Use the arrows to reach the Memo text within the day’s details pop up window
- Click on the small trashcan icon to the right
- Memo will be deleted
- Deleting the Memo also deletes its corresponding reminder and change of color
Adding Trips
Enter A Trip
Click here to view a video Tutorial on Trips
- My Mikvah Calendar is only able to give you the halachic times on each calendar day pop up and send you reminders of the time frames for doing a bedikah, when it knows where you are located.
- Even driving an hour out of your city could change the halachic times significantly. It is therefore important for you to record trips taken out of your home location.
- Click "New Trip" on the left hand menu of your screen or right click on the day of your trip and select "New Trip" from the drop down list that appears.
- In the pop up window that appears select the city you are traveling to
- Select the departure date
- Enter a return date if known
- You will now see airplanes appearing in the background of the days you specified for your trip.
- Clicking on any date with an airplane on it will bring up a pop up window with the zmanim (halachic times) shown for your new location
- On the date of departure and return (as well as a date where you indicated you will be in two cities) you will see a drop down menu where you can switch between locations to find out when your onot begin and end in each city
Delete A Trip
- Click on the departure date
- Using the arrows, browse through the events in the pop up window you will see a Trip Departure event
- Click on the trashcan icon to the right to delete this trip
Correcting Errors
Correcting/Deleting A Flow
Click here to view a video Tutorial on Deleting A Flow
- Click on the date of the incorrect entry
- A pop up box will appear with the day’s details
- Click on the small trashcan icon to the right
- A new pop up will ask you to confirm that you wish to delete the entry
- Click OK
- Entry will be deleted
- Enter the correct data
Correcting/Deleting A Hefsek Taharah
Click here to view a video Tutorial on Correcting a Hefsek Taharah
- Click on the date of the incorrect Hefsek Taharah
- A pop up box will appear with the day’s details
- Click on the small trashcan icon to the right
- The HT icon will once more have a question mark next to it and a broken line around it
- Using your mouse, drag the HT icon to the correct date the Hefsek Taharah was performed and completed before sunset
- A pop up will ask you to confirm that the Hefsek Taharah was completed before shkiah (sunset)
- Click "Yes"
- The HT icon will now be confirmed and will no longer have a broken line around it or a question mark
Deleting A Stain/Birth
- If the "S" or the "B" are NOT visible drag the HT icon over to the next day. The "S" or "B" should then appear
- Click on the "S" or "B" that you wish to delete/correct
- A pop up box will appear with the day's details
- Click on the small trashcan icon to the right
- A new pop up will appear asking you to confirm that you wish to delete the entry
- Click OK
- Entry will be deleted
- Enter the correct information
Printing From Your Calendar
Clicking print from your left hand menu will give you a list of your ten most recent cycles, complete with onset of each cycle and Hefsek Taharah confirmation. Haflaga numbers and any notifications regarding kavua issues will be on this list as well.
The data will appear in a list format that you may take to a rav should you wish, have on hand to copy to a print calendar or keep for reference.