When The Day Before Pesaĥ Is Shabbat
Thursday, 10th April 2025
Fast of the Firstborn Sons
The firstborn sons fast earlier on Thursday, which is the 12th Nissan, 10th April 2025. Nowadays it is the custom that the firstborn sons participate in the meal honouring the completion of a tractate, therefore we will conduct it in the synagogue on Thursday 10th April Shaharit 6:30 am, Siyum completion exempting fast at 7:15 am.
Search for Ĥametz
We make the search for ĥametz earlier, on Thursday night, which is the night of the 13th Nissan (10th April). We start the search at nightfall (when the stars come out, tzeit hakochavim) and bless before it Baruch Attah v’tzivanu al bi’ur ĥametz, just as every year, even though we eat ĥametz on Friday and Shabbat, since from the time of the search and on, all ĥametz in the house is destroyed, except for the place where we store our ĥametz for the meals until the time when it becomes prohibited.
Those who hide ten pieces of ĥametz wrapped in paper should do this on Thursday night. After the search one says Kol ĥamira etc. the nullification declaration printed in the Maĥzor or Haggadah. Just as on every year, it is forbidden to eat or learn before searching. Someone who finds this difficult, or can’t search when he’s hungry, may taste some m’zonot or fruit in order to search with a clear mind.
One should be careful to store the ten pieces of ĥametz and likewise all ĥametz that one intends to eat on Friday and Shabbat evening and morning, in a secure place. If any of it gets lost, one must search all over again.
One should pay attention when giving bread to children on Thursday night, Friday and Shabbat, that they neither crumble it nor scatter (or its crumbs) around the house.
Friday, 11th April 2025
Burning the Ĥametz
Burning the ĥametz: In the morning one burns the ten pieces of ĥametz, as well as any other ĥametz found during the search. One keeps only a minimal
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amount of ĥametz, for the two meals on Shabbat and whatever one wishes to eat on Friday.
After burning the ĥametz one does not say the annulment of Kol ĥamira etc., since one still has ĥametz at home and will eat it. Instead, one annuls one’s ĥametz on Shabbat morning, after the morning meal before 10:46 am.
According to some authorities, it is appropriate to burn the ĥametz at the same time as one does on regular years, i.e. before the fifth hour of the day. This year before 10:46 am. Other authorities maintain that one can burn it until midday 11:55 am. However, if one didn’t burn the ĥametz then, one may burn it throughout the day on Friday, until the time for candle lighting.
It’s good that all the food for Shabbat be kosher for Pesaĥ and be prepared in vessels and utensils that are kosher for Pesaĥ.
It’s good to prepare disposable cutlery and plates, and likewise to use disposable tablecloths, since there is disagreement between the authorities as to whether one may wash cups and plates from which one ate ĥametz.
One should store all the ĥametz utensils in a specified place on Friday. If one did not do this, then b’di’avad (after the fact) he may store them on Shabbat day, before the time of the prohibition against ĥametz i.e., 10:46 am. One should do so also with ĥametz utensils that were also used on Shabbat.
One should set aside a minimal amount of bread for the Friday night and the Shabbat morning meals. It is desirable to buy small rolls or pita that doesn’t make crumbs, and in order to fill the mitzvah of blessing over two loaves on shabbat.
Shabbat Meals
It is good to eat the Shabbat meals in one specified place, on a tiled porch or yard. One should put a disposable tablecloth over the table, and cover the bread with a paper napkin, because crumbs might stick to a cloth tablecloth or cover. One should take care that crumbs do not fall on the floor, and similarly one should not eat where there is a rug.
After one has finished eating, one should shake off one’s clothes and go back to the house. One shouldn’t touch Pesaĥ utensils before washing one’s hands.
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Shabbat Day 12th April 2025
Shaĥarit (morning services): One should arise early for prayers. In order to have enough time to eat the Shabbat meal with bread before the time of the prohibition of ĥametz i.e. before 9:37 am.
Shabbat meals: The best thing to do on this Shabbat is to cook food that’s kosher for Pesaĥ, and to eat it with Pita that doesn’t make crumbs over a disposable tablecloth, and to use disposable utensils.
After eating: After finishing the morning meal, one should rinse one’s hands and shake one’s clothes. It’s good to switch handtowels. It’s good for adults, and certainly children, to change clothes, since there may be crumbs of ĥametz on them. If indeed crumbs of ĥametz are in their clothes, they should be shaken off, and the clothes should be placed with the ĥametz vessels before the time of the prohibition of ĥametz. After all of the above, the floor should be cleaned.
One should gather all of the ĥametz in the house in a plastic or paper bag and dispose of it in a public garbage receptacle or break it up into tiny pieces and scatter them in a public area for the birds to eat. Someone who is stringent about carrying in a place with an Eiruv, or someone who lives in an area without any Eiruv, should crumble the ĥametz and flush it down the toilet. One should do this before the latest time of disposing ĥametz i.e., 10:46 am.
After eating in the morning on Shabbat, one must annul one’s ĥametz and say as one says every year in the annulment of the morning “that I saw and that I didn’t see, that I destroyed and that I didn’t destroy.” One must say this before the last possible time to destroy the ĥametz before 10:46 am.
Rinsing the mouth and cleaning the teeth: One should rinse one’s mouth and clean one’s teeth with a soft bristle brush, or with nylon bristles, and may use liquid tooth cleanser only or mouth wash.
Even someone who never uses a toothbrush on any Shabbat may brush his teeth on this Shabbat, being careful not to cause bleeding of the gums.
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Preparing on Shabbat for the Night
Preparations: One may not make any preparations for the Seder night, not even to set the table, since it is forbidden to prepare on Shabbat for the following Yom Tov (holiday).
Lighting Candles: it is good for the wife to light the Yom Tov candles immediately after the time of the conclusion of Shabbat i.e., after 6:13 pm. She should be sure to light them from a fire that was already lit (and not strike a match) and may not extinguish the match or candle that she holds – she should just place it on a non-inflammable surface and let it go out by itself. The custom is to bless before lighting Baruch Attah…l’hadlik near shel Yom Tov and Shehecheyanu.
Kiddush and Havdalah: In year when Pesaĥ starts at the conclusion of Shabbat we make five blessings in the Kiddush at the conclusion of Shabbat, which are known by their acronym, YaKNeHaZ:
a) Yayin (wine) – the blessing Borei p’ri hagfen
b) Kiddush – the blessing asher bachar banu…m’kadeish Yisrael v’haz’manim
c) Neir (candle) – the blessing Baruch Attah…. borei m’orei ha’eish and he should look at the candles that the wife lit from an existing flame.
d) Havdalah – the blessing Baruch Attah…. Hamavdil…Hamavdil bein kodesh l’kodesh.
e) Z’man (time) – the blessing Shehecheyanu.