Erev Pesach Occurs On A Shabbat

The following is a summary of the special procedures which should be followed this year since Passover begins on Saturday night.

  1. Ta'anit Bekhorirn - The Fast of the First-born takes place on Thursday morning. A service will be held at the Huntington Jewish Center on Thursday morning, April 17th, 2008, at 7:00 am, and will be followed by a siyyum, a light breakfast sponsored by the Men's Cub.
  2. Bedikat Chametz - The search for the chametz takes place Thursday evening. Enough chametz should be left over for the Shabbat meals. The kol hamira formula for nullifying unseen chametz is not recited at this time so that the chametz set aside for Shabbat is not nullified.
  3. Be'ur Chametz - The nullification of chametz takes place on Friday morning. In general, Friday should be treated as an ordinary erev Pesach in regard to burning the chametz and kashering the kitchen including the stove. Food for Shabbat and for the first Seder should be prepared in Passover utensils.
  4. Shabbat - One chametz dish should be set aside for the challah. Preferably, disposable plastic or paper dishes and cutlery should be used at the Friday evening and the Shabbat morning meal. Extreme care should be taken to prevent any crumbs from coming in contact with the Passover utensils. Chametz may not be eaten on Shabbat beyond late morning. After the morning meal, the residue of the chametz should be disposed of since burning of chametz cannot take place on Shabbat The tablecloth should be well shaken out outside the house and stored with other chametz utensils. Then, the formula of kol hamira (at the beginning of the Haggadah) is to be recited.
    Subsequent Shabbat meals should not include chametz or matzah. The seudah shlishit may consist of a snack of fruit, fish, or eggs. No food should be eaten from one and one half hours before sundown until the Seder. This custom will insure a hearty appetite for the enjoyment of the Seder meal.
  5. Matzah Ashirah - Egg Matzah - If there is difficulty in following these instructions, matzah ashirah (egg matzah) may be used for the two Shabbat meals.

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