Pesach 2025 Halachic Guide – Pesach on Shabbos

 Halochos for Erev Pesach which falls on Shabbos

Introduction

1. When Pesach starts on Motsei Shabbos, there are many halochos that are different from usual.

1. With Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos, we have an opportunity to have a more relaxing Erev Pesach than usual; this will even present a unique opportunity for some welcome hours of rest before the Seder. 

1. Friday will see us carrying out Biur Chometz and preparing for the Seder: but the day may be slightly less stressful than usual, as the deadline for Biur Chometz does not apply in the same way.
2. Knowledge of the specific halochos for this year is important so we can enjoy a kosher’en Pesach!

Thursday morning – Taanis Bechorim

1. This year, Ta’anis Bechorim is moved to Thursday. Siyumim are made as usual and one would not normally fast the whole day.
2. Someone who has not attended a Siyum and is fasting, will not have eaten before the time comes for Bedikas Chometz. For this person, the halochos restricting eating before Bedikas Chometz are slightly relaxed. Generally; one should not eat more than a small snack before bedikas chometz, as the mitzva must be performed immediately; in a situation where someone is fasting, they may eat if necessary. They should not have bread or cake, but may eat other foods.

Thursday night – Bedikas Chometz

1. Bedikas Chometz takes place on Thursday night immediately after nacht at 8.39 pm.
2. The brocho is recited as though it was the night of Erev Pesach.
3. Bedikas Chometz should be done exactly as usual, and afterwards all members of the family must recite כל חמירא. 
4. Bedikas Chometz should start as soon as possible after nacht. One must not delay the mitzvah for other activities such as eating, showering, learning. 
5. A full meal should not be eaten from half an hour before nacht. Someone who always daven maariv at nacht may daven before bedikas chometz.
6. Any areas which will not be used over Pesach can be closed up and sold. One does not need to do bedika in these areas. Some are machmir to sell these areas before the mitzva of bedika begins, ie this year on Thursday the twelfth Nisan before sunset. 

Friday Morning – Biur Chometz

1. Any chometz which we do not plan to eat on Shabbos should be burnt on Friday. Although technically there is no specific time on Friday when this should be carried out, nevertheless the minhag is to burn remaining chometz by the usual time – zman biur. Therefore, chometz should be burned (biur chometz) by 11.53 am. Some are machmir for the earlier times of 11.41 or 11.35 am. 
2. Some poskim suggest that mechira should also take place by this time. However, since we are still eating chometz this is not the generally accepted practice. Chometz sold through the Federation will be sold at about 4 pm. Please make sure any chometz is put in the sold locations by 3.45pm.  If this has not been done you can still put it away until shabbos.
3. If you forgot to put away chometz that you planned to sell, you can still put it away even on Shabbos, Although it was not put in the designated location it is still included in the sale. After Zman Biur the Chometz becomes muktze and may not be moved. Instead, it must be covered to avoid it being eaten accidentally. On Chol haMoed, it should be put away, whilst taking care not to touch it directly.
4. Chometz purchased after 3.45 pm on Friday might not be included in the sale.
5. This year we do not say the second כל חמירא on Friday after biur as we usually would; this is because we are still eating chometz until Shabbos morning.
6. Although usually kashering must be done before zman achila; this does not apply this year on Friday, since chometz is muttar until shabbos morning. One may therefore kasher items any time until Shabbos starts.

Friday Afternoon

1. On Erev Pesach after Chatzos a number of restrictions apply including laundering clothes and taking a haircuts. These restrictions do not apply on Friday.
2. Remember to empty any bins that may contain chometz. Change hoover bag. Ideally this will have been done before zman biur, but it is possible that it may need to be repeated later in the day.
3. All possible preparations for the Seder must be made so that the seder can start as soon as possible on motzei Shabbos. 
4. Care should be taken when washing lettuce to ensure that it is not left soaking in water as it would become invalid for Moror if left 24 hours in a pool of water. 

Shabbos meals

1. Matza must not be eaten on Erev Pesach. Although many poskim permit on the evening before Erev Pesach, i.e Friday night this year, it is generally accepted to be machmir. 
2. There are number of options to consider for fulfilling the requirements of Seudas Shabbos and Lechem Mishne
   1. Chometz – many people choose pita/bagels or other types of bread that produce fewer crumbs than challa. 
   2. If using mezonos bread, one must eat enough for kevius seuda, i.e the same amount a normal person would eat of the challa at a normal meal. 
   3. Matza ashira – egg matza. Since this is not real chometz, there are less concern for crumbs
3. Each person over the age of chinuch (6/7) should eat at least a kebeitza of bread at each Shabbos meal. This is 57.6 cc, or slightly more than half the volume of a normal slice of bread. 
4. If someone finds this very difficult they can have half of this amount, but then should not say the brocho when they wash. If a child is reluctant even to do this you do not need to force them, but they may not bench. 

Cleaning up after eating

1. Care should be taken to ensure that chometz is not scattered on the floor. Although crumbs of chometz on the floor do not actually need cleaning before Pesach, one must make sure they could not end up getting in the food. Therefore one should eat the chometz in a restricted area which can easily be swept.
2. Many people prefer to eat the chometz outdoors, weather permitting. In this case, one does not need to sweep crumbs, only make sure there are no larger pieces of chometz left on the ground. You may continue the meal indoors after finishing the chometz.  One must go back outside for benching, unless they can see the area where they ate bread from the place where they are benching. 
3. One must not serve chometz foods that may stick to the pot, since it will not be possible to clean on Shabbos. One can use chometz pots to cook, but may not wash them up afterwards; they may only be wiped out and put them away. It is therefore recommended to eat only Pesach food, keeping the pots totally separate from the chometz. 
4. If you eat the food on chometz plates and cutlery, then you can’t wash them up, just wipe and put away. If you eat on Pesach keilim, you have to ensure they do not come into contact with chometz. Clear the bread away completely before introducing Pesach dishes; change the tablecloth if there may be crumbs remaining. 

1. To avoid shailas on Pesach equipment, one must not serve from a pot that is to be used on Pesach directly onto a chometz plate. Therefore you can not use your Pesach ladle or other serving utensils to put food on chometz plates, but would have to put it into something else first.
2. To avoid the difficulties involved in either option, many people prefer to use disposable plates for the meals this Shabbos. 

Shabbos Day – Sof Zman Achila

1. One should daven early enough to allow good time to finish eating chometz before the zman issur. 
2. Sof zman achila is 10.07 am. If difficult, one may follow lenient opinions until 10.20am or even 10.44am. After this time, no chometz, kitniyos or egg matza may be eaten; this includes food cooked in chometz pots.
3. One may use a toothpick or a dry brush to clean their teeth. One may rinse their mouth with water or mouthwash beforehand.

Shabbos Day – Sof Zman Biur

1. One now has roughly an hour to destroy any left over chometz.
2. One must be finished destroying the Chometz by sof zman biur at 11.52 am. Many prefer to be machmir for the earlier zmanim of 11.34 or 11.41 am.

1. כל חמירא MUST be said by this time. This is very important. One must understand what they are saying.
2. Small crumbs which lie on the floor and turn to dust need not be destroyed. However, one must be certain these could not get into the food on Pesach. One is permitted to sweep up and scatter the crumbs in the garden (not into the wind), making sure they could not blow back into the house, or even put them into an outdoor bin that is accessible on Shabbos. Outdoor areas must not be swept. The chometz broom must be put away.
3. Larger pieces must be destroyed. One may flush them down the toilet, or pour bleach on them, making sure it permeates through the whole piece, and put them in the bin. If none of this is possible, they may be thrown into the wheelie bin, if it is accessible on Shabbos.
4. After Zman Biur, chometz is muktze and may not be moved. 
5. Chometz that should have been destroyed must be covered until Chol haMo’ed, and then burned or otherwise destroyed. 

Seuda Shlishis

1. Fulfilling this Mitzva is a challenge since it is ossur to eat chometz after Sof Zman Achila; likewise, Matza or even Matza meal cake may not be eaten at all on Erev Pesach.
2. There are a number of options for how to fulfill Seuda Shlishis
   1. Kneidlach – for those who eat gebrokts, boiled matza is permitted on erev Pesach. This should be before sho’o asiris, which is at 4.26 pm and if one did not manage to eat before this time, as soon as possible afterwards. Ensure not to eat a lot, leaving room for Seder night.
   2. Fruit, vegetables , meat and fish. Some are machmir not even to eat boiled matza on erev Pesach. Similarly, those who do not eat gebrokts would not have this option. They can have seuda shlishis of meat, fish, fruit, etc. Some hold you should do this even if also having two seudos in the morning. 
   3. Egg Matza – this is not an option for Ashkenazim but Sefardim can have a meal of egg matza. If they wish to say hamotzi they have to eat shiur kevius seuda.
   4. Divide the morning meal into two. After eating part of the seudah, bentch and have a break. The break should be at least 15 minutes, and you must leave the room in which you ate for this time. After that you wash again, eat more bread, and continue the meal. Make sure to finish chometz by sof zman achila.

If one started the chometz part of the meal before zman issur they may continue to eat Pesach food afterwards and bench when finished. 

Some hold that in this case one would have to say a bracha rishona before eating anything after zman issur, since one is no longer able to eat bread. 

Do not forget to destroy any chometz and say כל חמירא before the time even if in the middle of the meal.

Hachono – Preparation for Yom Tov

1. One may not prepare anything on Shabbos for Yom Tov. This does not include learning through the haggodo or other spiritual preparations. But many simple activities such as preparing the table, the food, or even the haggodos are forbidden.
2. One may sleep in the afternoon even if it is in order to be refreshed for the seder, but one should not state explicitly that this is the purpose. Similarly one may change into Yom tov clothes, but they may not say that they are doing it for this reason.
3. One may ask a goy to perform preparations that are not blatantly for the seder, and do not involve melocho, eg clearing the room where the seder will take place, etc.

Yom tov

1. Before preparing for the seder, or doing any of the melocho that may be done on Yom tov, one must say boruch hamavdil bein kodesh lekodesh.
2. In maariv we say ותודיענו. If forgotten, and you have already said ‘ברוך אתה ה at the end of the brocho, do not go back, but make sure to say boruch hamavdil as above.
3. One should start the seder as early as possible. All possible preparations should be done before Shabbos so this will be possible.
4. Kiddush at the seder combines kiddush and havdolo, following the order יין  קידוש נר הבדלה זמן, known as יקנה”ז.  For the birchas haner one should put the flames of two candles together to create an avuka, like on a normal motzei Shabbos. Some just say the brocho on the candles without merging their flames. 
5. If someone forgot to say havdolo and just said the normal Yom tov kiddush, one should say it as soon as possible, although this means drinking an additional kos. Sefardim doing this would not say borei pri hagefen, Ashkenazim would.
6. Once one has started מגיד one may not pause to make havdolo. One should say the brochos for havdolo together with the second kos at the end of maggid.