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Guide to Erev Pesach on Shabbos
This year, the First Seder and the start of Pesach will be Motzei Shabbos, Saturday Night April 12th. (After this year, it will not occur for another twenty years. The next occurrences will be in 2045, 2048, 2052, and then not again until 2072.)
Thursday – Taanis Bechorim
On a regular Erev Pesach the first-born males (bechorim) traditionally fast. This year the fast is pushed back to Thursday. Those bechorim who do not wish to fast should attend a siyum.
Bedikas Chometz
Thursday night after tzeis hakochavim (when it gets dark), one should immediately perform bedikas chometz. A bracha and Kol Chamira (can be found in your Haggadah) (same as usual) are recited.
Friday – Erev Shabbos
It is better that all food cooked for Shabbos is Kosher for Pesach. If Chometz is necessary for your Friday night and Shabbos morning meals, it should be placed in a disposable container away from all Pesach food. Although chometz may be purchased and eaten all day Friday, the custom is to sell and burn the chometz before the end of the 5th halachic hour of the day corresponding to when that time occurs on the actual day of Erev Pesach. Burning it later could lead to confusion in subsequent years. Kol Chamira is not recited at the time of burning.
The following preparations for the Seder should be made before Shabbos: Roast the egg and z’roa, check and clean lettuce leaves, chop the nuts for the charoses, and grate the horseradish.
PREPARE A THREE-DAY CANDLE
On Yom Tov one may only light candles from an existing flame. Therefore, on Friday afternoon one should light a candle that will remain safely lit for longer than two days to be able to draw a flame from for candle lighting on the first two nights of Yom Tov.
After chatzos (midday) on a regular Erev Pesach, one may not perform various melachos (e.g., shaving, doing laundry).These halachos do not apply this year since Erev Shabbos is not actually Erev Pesach.
LECHEM MISHNA AND SEUDAH PROCEDURE
One of the main challenges of having Erev Pesach on Shabbos is navigating how to fulfill the mitzvah of lechem mishna properly. On one hand, people would like to avoid having any chametz in their homes once they have fully cleaned for Pesach, yet on the other, eating matzah should not be done on Erev Pesach. The following is a step-by-step guide for how to properly eat the seudos of Erev Pesach on Shabbos
Step 1 - Decide which food to use to fulfill the mitzvah of lechem mishna, both options are acceptable -
• OPTION #1- Use small egg challah rolls or Pita (fewer crumbs). They should be fresh to minimize the amount of crumbs created.
º The downside to this option is that it is challenging and sometimes unnerving having real chametz in the house over Shabbos.
• OPTION #2- Use certified Kosher L’Pesach egg matzah (Note: Even though it is certified for Pesach, it should only be consumed on Pesach itself by the sick, elderly, and young children.)
Rabbi Fink reccomends option # 2, and that is what we will do in shul on Shabbos morning.
Step 2 - Decide where to start the seudah and eat the lechem mishna -
• OPTION #1 - Start outdoors on the deck or patio.
• OPTION #2 - Start at a different table than the one the seudah is being eaten at.
• OPTION #3 - Start at the seudah table but without any dishes set yet, and only set the table after eating lechem mishna. Technically, the table can be fully set and the challah can be eaten on a plastic tablecloth over the dishes, but that is not advisable.
Step 3 - Make kiddush, wash and make hamotzie in your location of choice. The roll or egg matzah should be eaten carefully over a tissue or napkin on a plastic tablecloth.
Step 4 - All leftover chametz should be crumbled and put into the toilet including the napkins or tissues that were eaten over. The plastic table cloth may be put into the garbage after all the crumbs have been removed.
Step 5 - Continue with the rest of the seudah eating only Kosher L’Pesach foods on Pesach dishes or disposable dishes.
SCHEDULING THE SHABBOS DAY MEALS
There are different minhagim how to schedule the daytime seudah and shalosh seudos when Erev Pesach falls out on Shabbos. Please note that in all the options below, only the chametz (rolls or egg matzah) needs to be completed by the time chametz becomes prohibited, the rest of the seudah may continue past that time.
• OPTION #1- Have two seudos before the time that chametz becomes prohibited. This can be done in two acceptable ways:
º 1. Wash, eat the appetizers, bentch, wait a half an hour and then wash a second time and complete the seudah. (This may be done even though normally the first daytime seudah should ideally have hot food and be more significant than shalosh seudos.)
º 2. Eat a full seudah and then take a walk outside, and then return home for shalosh seudos.
• OPTION #2- Have one full regular seudah in the morning and fulfill shalosh seudos by eating fruit, meat or fish in the afternoon.
We will be doing option #2 at shul
DISPOSAL OF CHAMETZ & SECOND KOL CHAMIRAH
One must dispose of all leftover chametz by the end of the fifth halachic hour on Shabbos morning. Therefore, the leftover pieces of chametz should be crumbled and flushed in the toilet along with the tissues and napkins that were eaten over. The plastic tablecloth should have the chametz crumbs removed and flushed and then be put into the garbage. The second “Kol Chamirah” must also be said before this time.
Addapted from the Star-K and Agudah Midwest
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