Luach 5566: A guide to the Jewish year 1805-1806

A lovely Yiddish/Hebrew pocket almanac ("Luach”), covering the year 5566, corresponding to 1805-1806 in the Gregorian calendar. Containing useful information on matters such as holidays, ferry services, and the rising and setting times of the Sun and Moon, this little volume is a window into Jewish everyday life in Europe.

More than just a simple calendar, the "Luach" served (and continues to serve) as a sophisticated astronomical and halachic guide, vital for daily Jewish life. It provided precise dating, allowing users to navigate the Jewish year with accuracy, in this case from the calculation of the year 5566 from the creation of the world, through its alignment with the large 28-year solar cycle, the smaller 19-year lunar cycle, and the 70-year lunar cycle.

The printer Yohanan Levi Rofe (1741–1826), alias of Joachim van Embden, was a member of an important Ashkenazic family of printers, and one of the founders of Felix Libertate, a club established in 1795 to emancipate the Jews, who were, despite the Batavian Revolution of 1795, excluded from other clubs.