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Correction: Ta’anit Bechorot falls on Friday April 6, 2012

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Ta’anit Bechorot (Fast of the Firstborn) falls on Friday, April 6, 2012. An earlier version of the calendar we publish incorrectly had this minor fast on Thursday.

When this fast day falls on Friday, we do in fact observe the fast on Friday, even though Shabbat follows immediately.

It is only in years when the date of the fast falls on Shabbat that the fast is moved. In this case, Ta’anit Bechorot is moved back to Thursday, because it is preferable not to fast immediately before Shabbat.

Source: Mishnah Berurah: the classic commentary to Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim, comprising the laws of daily Jewish conduct, Volume V (B), Pesach. §470: “That the first-born fast on Erev Pesach.”

Hebcal.com HTML/ScrInject.B.Gen virus removed

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Hebcal.com got hit with a script injection virus this week but everything is fine now.

We had a stale copy of the WordPress content management system for our Help and News pages, so some malicious person/machine exploited a loophole. We have upgraded to the latest copy and have removed all traces of the virus from our website.

Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience we may have caused.

Pesach Sheni, Erev Purim, Erev Tish’a B’Av

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By popular demand, we’ve added Pesach Sheni, a minor holiday that comes every year on the 14th of Iyyar, one month after Passover.

We have also added Erev Purim and Erev Tish’a B’Av dates to the Hebcal calendar on the days prior to Purim and Tish’a B’Av. Previously the “Erev” dates were only displayed for major yom tov holidays, but both of these holidays have significant evening-time congregational events associated with them.