- About the Service
- Technical Issues
- Embed Instructions
- The Premium Plan
- Advanced Features
- General Issues
What service does HolyClock provide?
HolyClock is a service for closing websites on Shabbat and Holidays. The closing occurs before Shabbat enters, for each visitor individually, based on their physical location in the world at the given time.
With HolyClock you can prevent desecration of Shabbat of visitors of your website. A visitor who is located where Shabbat has begun, is redirected to a temporary closing page until Shabbat ends.
With HolyClock you can prevent desecration of Shabbat of visitors of your website. A visitor who is located where Shabbat has begun, is redirected to a temporary closing page until Shabbat ends.
Does the service cost money?
The basic service is provided for free! We believe that money should not be charged for observing Shabbat.
In addition, we offer a Premium plan for website owners who require more control over the closing process, which includes advanced features.
There is no obligation to purchase the Premium plan. The basic service will always be provided free of charge.
In addition, we offer a Premium plan for website owners who require more control over the closing process, which includes advanced features.
There is no obligation to purchase the Premium plan. The basic service will always be provided free of charge.
Does it require registration?
We do not like long and tedious forms, and believe in simplicity and efficiency. All that is needed to activate the service is a valid email address, and that's it! There is no need to supply other details like your name, and even the password is completely voluntary.
To start using our service, simply type your website address in our homepage, and follow the instructions. Afterwards, you will be able to manage all your websites under your account in the Control Panel.
To start using our service, simply type your website address in our homepage, and follow the instructions. Afterwards, you will be able to manage all your websites under your account in the Control Panel.
Which website types are supported?
The service can be used on any website: static, dynamic, content management systems (CMS), shopping sites, community forums, blogs, landing pages, etc.
All that is needed is access to the HTML code of your website in order to embed our code.
All that is needed is access to the HTML code of your website in order to embed our code.
How to activate the service on my website?
The activation is simple and does not require any technical knowledge on your part. All you have to do is type your website address in our homepage, and follow the instructions. Finally, copy the provided embed code into your website, in all the relevant pages. Upon successful integration, a seal that confirms that your website observes Shabbat will appear.
Place the code in your HTML inside the<head> and <body> tags, wherever you want the seal to appear.
Place the code in your HTML inside the
How to test that the service works?
To test that the integration was successful, you may perform the following test:
Visit your website in your browser, and at the address bar, add this parameter: #holyclock=test
So that the address would look like this: http://example.com/#holyclock=test
A page refresh may be required, by pressing F5, if testing on an old browser.
If the code was integrated successfully, you will be redirected to a page that simulates closing your website for one minute. Notice that the simulation occurs only for you, and does not affect other visitors to your website.
Visit your website in your browser, and at the address bar, add this parameter: #holyclock=test
So that the address would look like this: http://example.com/#holyclock=test
A page refresh may be required, by pressing F5, if testing on an old browser.
If the code was integrated successfully, you will be redirected to a page that simulates closing your website for one minute. Notice that the simulation occurs only for you, and does not affect other visitors to your website.
How can I know that my website indeed closes on Shabbat?
We are taking a security factor, and close your website a bit before Shabbat or the Holiday begins, and reopen it a bit after they end. This way you may check that the service works flawlessly on your website without desecrating Shabbat.
Website owners who registered to the Premium plan may control these time factors.
Website owners who registered to the Premium plan may control these time factors.
May I see how the closing page looks like?
Absolutely! Click here to simulate the closing page.
How does the service determine if Shabbat has entered where a visitor lives?
Shabbat entrance time is determined by the sunset, which varies from place to place. For example, Shabbat begins earlier in Israel than in the United States. For this reason, we must identify the visitor's location, and calculate the entrance time for each visitor individually. In order to do that, we use several location databases, which allow us to determine the visitor's geographical location and calculate Shabbat's entrance time specifically for each visitor.
Does it close my website hermetically?
NO. The service is based on the Javascript engine, and is subject to its limitations. Most visitors make use of Javascript as part of their browser, and will be exposed to the service, however if anyone wants to bypass the closure mechanism, they will find a way to achieve it.
As a website owner, you do your duty by acting in a reasonable way to prevent desecration of Shabbat by your visitors, and by avoiding making profit from your website on Shabbat. The goal is to demonstrate to your visitors that your website observes Shabbat, and to prevent its desecration from your normative visitors. In addition, the service strengthen your brand and your website in the community.
As a website owner, you do your duty by acting in a reasonable way to prevent desecration of Shabbat by your visitors, and by avoiding making profit from your website on Shabbat. The goal is to demonstrate to your visitors that your website observes Shabbat, and to prevent its desecration from your normative visitors. In addition, the service strengthen your brand and your website in the community.
Does the service affect search engines?
The service does not prevent search engines from crawling your website, and therefore does not hurt your SEO ranking.
Does the service affect my website's loading speed?
The short answer is that the service almost doesn't affect the website's loading speed, and in most cases it does not affect it at all.
Technical explanation: we are using advanced methods and technologies so that the effect on your website will be minimal to non-existent. In fact, most of our code is loaded only after your website has downloaded and displayed to the visitor. In recurring visits (even to other pages on your website), the entire code is loaded after the website has finished loading, so that the loading speed is not affected at all by our service.
Technical explanation: we are using advanced methods and technologies so that the effect on your website will be minimal to non-existent. In fact, most of our code is loaded only after your website has downloaded and displayed to the visitor. In recurring visits (even to other pages on your website), the entire code is loaded after the website has finished loading, so that the loading speed is not affected at all by our service.
My website loads entirely before it closes. Why is that?
The first time a visitor enters your website, the page may load fully before redirecting to the closure page. Consult the previous paragraph for explanation on this behavior.
On recurring visits, the redirection to the closure page is immediate. Notice that the full embed code (both <head> and <body> tags) should be used in order to achieve that.
On recurring visits, the redirection to the closure page is immediate. Notice that the full embed code (both <head> and <body> tags) should be used in order to achieve that.
My website is built with frames. Does the service work on such website?
Absolutely! The service works fully on websites built with frames.
Simply embed our code in the frame where you want to place the seal which confirms that your website observes Shabbat, and the service will work on the entire website.
Simply embed our code in the frame where you want to place the seal which confirms that your website observes Shabbat, and the service will work on the entire website.
Embed instructions for 022
022 is a service provided solely in Hebrew. Click here for the embed instructions in Hebrew.
Embed instructions for 2all
2all is a service provided solely in Hebrew. Click here for the embed instructions in Hebrew.
Embed instructions for Blogger
- Login to your Blogger account.
- Click the down arrow near the Posts button, and select "Layout".
- Select your desired location for the seal that confirms that your website observes Shabbat, and click "Add a Gadget".
- Find "HTML/Javascript" in the list, and click it.
- Leave the Title field empty.
- In the Content field, copy and paste HolyClock's BODY embed code, and click "Save".
- Click "Save arrangement" to apply the changes.
- In the navigation menu, select "Template" and click the "Edit HTML" button. Locate the term "<head>" (without the quotes), and place HolyClock's HEAD embed code just after it. Click "Save template" to apply the changes.
This will show the seal that confirms that your website observes Shabbat at your selected location. To locate it elsewhere, go back to the "Layout" settings, drag the HolyClock gadget with your mouse to the new location, and click "Save arrangement".
That's it! The service is now integrated into your website. You may now perform a self-test, as described in the "Technical Issues" tab.
Embed instructions for Joomla
- Login to your site's administration panel (http://www.example.com/administrator).
- On the navigation menu, expand the "Extensions" category, and click "Template Manager".
- In the Styles list, locate the style which is marked with a yellow star, and has the word "Site" in the "Location" column (and not the word "Administrator"). Click on the template name in the "Template" column (ie: Protostar).
- Click "Edit main page template".
- In the source code, locate the term "<head>" (without the quotes), and place HolyClock's HEAD embed code just after it.
- Locate the term "</body>" (without the quotes) near the end of the page, and place HolyClock's BODY embed code before it. In order to display the seal in the center of the page, you may surround it with the "<center>...</center>" tag.
- Click the "Save" button.
This will show the seal that confirms that your website observes Shabbat at the bottom of the page. If you want to show it elsewhere, move HolyClock's BODY code to the desired location.
That's it! The service is now integrated into your website. You may now perform a self-test, as described in the "Technical Issues" tab.
Embed instructions for Livecity
Livecity is a service provided solely in Hebrew. Click here for the embed instructions in Hebrew.
Embed instructions for Webix
Webix is a service provided solely in Hebrew. Click here for the embed instructions in Hebrew.
Embed instructions for Weebly
- Login to your Weebly account.
- Select the website you want to add the HolyClock service to from the list, and click the "Edit" button.
- In the tabs at the top, click "Settings", and then "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)".
- In the "Header Code" field, paste HolyClock's HEAD embed code and click "Save".
- In the "Footer Code" field, type "<center>" and "</center>" (without the quotes), and paste HolyClock's BODY embed code just in between them. Finally, click "Save".
- Click "Publish" to apply the changes to the live website.
This will show the seal which confirms that your website observes Shabbat at the bottom of your website pages.
That's it! The service is now integrated into your website. You may now perform a self-test, as described in the "Technical Issues" tab.
Embed instructions for WordPress
- Login to your site's administration panel (http://www.example.com/wp-admin).
- On the navigation menu, expand the "Appearance" category, and click "Editor".
- In the Templates list, click "Header (header.php)".
- In the HTML panel, locate the term "<head>" (without the quotes), and place HolyClock's HEAD embed code just after it.
- In the Templates list, click "Footer (footer.php)".
- In the HTML panel, locate the term "<?php wp_footer(); ?>" (without the quotes), and place HolyClock's BODY embed code just before it.
This will show the seal that confirms that your website observes Shabbat at the bottom of the page. If you want to show it elsewhere, choose another template instead of "Footer", such as "Header" or "Sidebar".
That's it! The service is now integrated into your website. You may now perform a self-test, as described in the "Technical Issues" tab.
What is the Premium plan?
The Premium plan gives website owners more control over the closing process on Shabbat and Holidays, and includes advanced features such as hiding our logo, hosting the closing page on your server, changing the safety margin when closing and reopening the website. We are adding new features from time to time.
There is no obligation to purchase the Premium plan. The basic service will always be provided free of charge.
There is no obligation to purchase the Premium plan. The basic service will always be provided free of charge.
May I try the Premium features before paying?
Hmm... Yes! Each new website gets access to the Premium features for 36 days. At the end of the trial period, the Premium features will expire, and the service will revert to the basic plan.
Can I purchase the Premium plan during the trial period?
Absolutely! Although you may wait to the end of the trial period, it is not necessary. If you purchase the Premium plan during the trial period, we will extend your subscription period with the remaining duration of your trial period.
Example: There are 10 days left to your trial period, and you purchase the Premium plan for the duration of 3 months. The Premium plan will take effect as soon as the payment is confirmed, and will last 3 months and 10 days.
For more information about the payment options and credits, click here.
Example: There are 10 days left to your trial period, and you purchase the Premium plan for the duration of 3 months. The Premium plan will take effect as soon as the payment is confirmed, and will last 3 months and 10 days.
For more information about the payment options and credits, click here.
How much does the Premium plan cost?
The service cost is calculated based on the number of websites in your account to include in the Premium plan. You build the package that suits you best. The basic package covers 3 websites in the Premium plan, for a period of 3, 6, 12 or 24 months. The longer the period, the lower the price per month. The following table demonstrates the service costs in relation to the selected period and number of websites in the Premium plan.
For more information about the payment options and credits, click here.
For more information about the payment options and credits, click here.
I want to add another website to an existing subscription. Can I?
Absolutely! At any stage during the subscription period you can make changes to the plan, such as changing the number of websites or the subscription period. We will credit you for the time left on your existing plan, so that you get full value for your money.
For more information about the payment options and credits, click here.
For more information about the payment options and credits, click here.
Hide our Logo
Upon using our service, a seal that confirms that your website observes Shabbat appears. If you are not interested in showing it, you may opt to conceal it.
The setting can be changed in the Control Panel, and is available to Premium accounts only.
The setting can be changed in the Control Panel, and is available to Premium accounts only.
Host the Closing Page on your Server
You may choose where to host the closing page, to which your visitors are redirected to on Shabbat and holidays. By default we host it with us. You may host it on your server instead, and style it to your liking.
The setting can be changed in the Control Panel, and is available to Premium accounts only.
The setting can be changed in the Control Panel, and is available to Premium accounts only.
Safety Margin when Closing and Reopening Website
The time for closing and reopening the website is determined by the sunset. To this we add a safety margin (60 minutes by default). You can set a less restricting safety margin as you please.
The setting can be changed in the Control Panel, and is available to Premium accounts only.
The setting can be changed in the Control Panel, and is available to Premium accounts only.
Tell me about the seal that will show on my website
If the supplied embed code is installed correctly, a seal that confirms that your website is observing Shabbat will appear on your website. As we are using the service ourselves, you may have a look at the seal that appears at the bottom of our website.
Some technical details: the seal's dimensions are 150x24 pixels, and it has a transparent background for maximum and smooth compatibility with your website's design.
Some technical details: the seal's dimensions are 150x24 pixels, and it has a transparent background for maximum and smooth compatibility with your website's design.
Am I allowed to hide the seal that confirms that my website observes Shabbat?
For the free and basic plans, the answer is - NO. The service is provided for free, and all we ask in return is that you display the seal in a visible place, so that your visitors will be exposed to the service. Hiding the seal is against the service's terms of use, and may result in removing you from the service.
Website owners who have registered to the Premium plan may opt to hide the seal in a legitimate way, in the Control Panel.
Website owners who have registered to the Premium plan may opt to hide the seal in a legitimate way, in the Control Panel.
Do you support the Second Day of Holiday in Diaspora?
YES. When the service detects a visitor from Diaspora during a Holiday, it automatically adds one day to the closing of the website, when necessary.
This does not affect visitors from Israel, or when the closing reason is Shabbat, Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur.
This does not affect visitors from Israel, or when the closing reason is Shabbat, Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur.
I have another question, may I contact you?
Absolutely! We will be happy to receive feedback about our service and answer your questions.
You may contact us here.
You may contact us here.