Calculators
When Does Shabbat or a Jewish Holiday End? Tzeit Opinions Compared
8.5°, 7.083°, 42, 50 and 72 minutes after sunset: where each end-of-Shabbat time comes from, computed for four cities on three Saturdays, and why the gap changes.
By TooleemPublished Facts checked
Short answer
Shabbat ends at nightfall (tzeit hakochavim), when three small stars are visible, but calendars turn that into a time in different ways. The most common are the sun 8.5° below the horizon (used by Tooleem’s Shabbat times), a smaller angle such as 7.083°, a fixed 42 or 50 minutes after sunset, and Rabbeinu Tam’s 72 minutes. In Jerusalem these fall within about 40 minutes of each other; in London in June, 8.5° arrives 75 minutes after sunset, later even than 72 minutes. Which one you follow is a question of community custom, not arithmetic.
Do the calculation
Shabbat Times
See this week’s candle lighting, sunset and Shabbat end for your location, by 8.5° and by Rabbeinu Tam.
On this page
Where the times come from
- Three small stars. The Shulchan Arukh (Orach Chayim 293:2) says not to do work after Shabbat until three small stars, close together, are visible. Degree-based times translate that into how far the sun is below the horizon, because stars appear as the sky darkens, not after a fixed number of minutes.
- Rabbeinu Tam. The Shulchan Arukh (261:2) puts the start of twilight 3¼ mil after sunset and its end ¾ mil later, 4 mil in all. At 18 minutes per mil (459:2), that is 72 minutes after sunset.
- Fixed minutes. Many community calendars publish Shabbat end as a set number of minutes after sunset, such as 42 or 50. They are simple, but in summer at northern latitudes they can come before the sky is as dark as the degree rule requires.
Note
This guide describes, it does not rule
The settings below are the ones published calendars use. Which one applies to you, and whether to wait longer, is for your rabbi or community; when in doubt, the later time is the stricter one.
The opinions compared on three Saturdays
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| City | Sunset | 7.083° | 8.5° | +42 min | +50 min | +72 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerusalem | 16:38 | 17:11 | 17:18 | 17:20 | 17:28 | 17:50 |
| New York | 16:31 | 17:08 | 17:16 | 17:13 | 17:21 | 17:43 |
| London | 15:53 | 16:41 | 16:51 | 16:35 | 16:43 | 17:05 |
| Los Angeles | 16:47 | 17:20 | 17:28 | 17:29 | 17:37 | 17:59 |
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| City | Sunset | 7.083° | 8.5° | +42 min | +50 min | +72 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerusalem | 17:50 | 18:20 | 18:26 | 18:32 | 18:40 | 19:02 |
| New York | 19:08 | 19:41 | 19:49 | 19:50 | 19:58 | 20:20 |
| London | 18:13 | 18:54 | 19:03 | 18:55 | 19:03 | 19:25 |
| Los Angeles | 19:05 | 19:35 | 19:42 | 19:47 | 19:55 | 20:17 |
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| City | Sunset | 7.083° | 8.5° | +42 min | +50 min | +72 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerusalem | 19:47 | 20:21 | 20:29 | 20:29 | 20:37 | 20:59 |
| New York | 20:30 | 21:11 | 21:21 | 21:12 | 21:20 | 21:42 |
| London | 21:21 | 22:20 | 22:36 | 22:03 | 22:11 | 22:33 |
| Los Angeles | 20:07 | 20:43 | 20:51 | 20:49 | 20:57 | 21:19 |
Why the gap after sunset changes
| City (latitude) | December | March | June |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerusalem (31.8° N) | 40 | 36 | 42 |
| Los Angeles (34.1° N) | 41 | 37 | 44 |
| New York (40.7° N) | 46 | 41 | 51 |
| London (51.5° N) | 59 | 50 | 75 |
Near the equinoxes the sun sets steeply and dusk is shortest. Around the solstices, and more the further you are from the equator, the sun slides down at a shallow angle, so it takes longer to reach the same depth below the horizon. That is why a fixed number of minutes that works in Jerusalem can be far too early in London in June.
In practice
- Use your community’s calendar or ask which setting it follows; the same synagogue usually prints one time for Shabbat end.
- Travelling? The setting stays the same but the gap after sunset changes with latitude and season, so take the time for where you are, not where you live.
- Yom Tov ends at the same nightfall as Shabbat. For the times of a specific festival, use the Jewish holiday times tool.
Do the calculation
Shabbat Times
See this week’s candle lighting, sunset and Shabbat end for your location, by 8.5° and by Rabbeinu Tam.
Tools used in this guide
Sources
The figures and rules in this guide come from these documents.
- Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 293:2SefariaWaiting for three small stars before doing work after Shabbat.
- Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 261:2SefariaTwilight begins 3¼ mil after sunset and lasts ¾ mil.
- Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 459:2SefariaA mil is a quarter of an hour plus a twentieth: 18 minutes.
- NOAA Solar Calculator: calculation detailsNOAA Global Monitoring LaboratorySolar equations (Meeus) used for every time in the tables.
Facts checked