The Moment I Realized a Tool Was Missing: Why and How I Built ShivaTime

Unfortunately, I've sat shiva more times than anyone should. But when I sat shiva for my wife, a realization hit me — one that anyone who's been through this experience surely recognizes: coordinating condolence visits is pure chaos. There are times when the house is packed with people (sometimes too many), and long stretches of complete silence when nobody shows up. Some visitors arrive to find there's nowhere to sit, and others don't come at all because they didn't know when it would be convenient for the family.

I looked for a solution — something that would let the family publish visiting hours and allow visitors to mark when they're coming. I found nothing.

For years I tried to push the idea forward and get the tool built. I looked for people to help me develop it, but it just never came together (Dedi — yes, I'm talking about you 😉). But now, in the era of Vibe Coding and AI-assisted development, I decided to stop waiting and did it myself. And that's how the platform was born.

What Does the Platform Do?

I built a free, simple tool: the family creates an event with the address, days, and hours. The system generates a shareable link for WhatsApp or SMS. Anyone who wants to visit clicks the link, sees which time slots are crowded versus available, and marks when they plan to arrive. The family sees in real time how many people are expected each hour and can plan accordingly — and breathe a little.

🕯️ Why "ShivaTime"?

The Hebrew name "שבעטיים" is a play on words combining "shiva" (שבעה) and "time." I chose it because it's catchy, and more importantly because it's completely unique — there's zero competition for it in Google search.

The Challenges and Technical Behind-the-Scenes

Building a tool related to mourning requires special sensitivity. The interface has to be quiet, clean, and respectful. There's no room for loud colors or unnecessary animations. The logo features a memorial candle — an instantly recognizable symbol.

On the technical side, the main challenge was SEO: how do you get a brand-new site on a .click domain into Hebrew search results, in a niche that has no competition but also no obvious search volume? To give it the best chance, I chose this stack:

• Next.js 16 (App Router): To ensure full Server-Side Rendering.
• Supabase: As the backend for secure, fast, and convenient data management.
• Vercel: For fast, stable hosting and deployment.

I also invested heavily in Schema Markup (JSON-LD), meta tags, creating an llms.txt file for AI search engines, and writing content that answers the questions people actually search for during moments of crisis.

What's Next? I'd Love Your Help

The platform is live, free, and in the air — but this is just the first stage. I already have a few ideas I'd like to add down the road:

• Minyan coordination: A button for visitors to sign up for prayers so the family knows in advance if there's a guaranteed minyan for shacharit/mincha/ma'ariv.
• Meal Train: An option for the inner circle to sign up for bringing meals on different days, taking the logistical burden off the family.
• Virtual condolence (Zoom): Dedicated time slots for video calls for family and friends who can't be there in person.
• Calendar integration: An option for visitors to save their arrival time directly to Google/Apple Calendar.

I'm completely open to more ideas from you — what other features do you think are missing? What else could ease the burden on families during their hardest time? I'd love to hear your thoughts, here in the comments or privately, and of course I'd appreciate any share that helps this tool reach someone who needs it.