The helek, also spelled chelek (Hebrew language חלק, meaning "portion", plural halakim חלקים) is a unit of time used in the calculation of the Molad. Other spellings used are chelak and chelek, both with plural chalakim.
An hour is divided into 1080 halakim. A helek is 3 or 1/18 minute. The helek derives from a small time period called a she, meaning '"barleycorn", itself equal to 1/72 of a Babylonian time degree (1° of celestial rotation).
The Hebrew calendar defines its mean month to be exactly equal to 29 days 12 hours and 793 halakim, which is 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes and 3 seconds. It defines its mean year as exactly 235/19 times this amount, or 365 days, 5 hours, 55 minutes, and 25 and 25/57 seconds (approximately 365.2468222 days).
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