Chapter 12:

When Pesach Eve falls on Shabbat (2025)

1. Introduction

In the year 2025/5785 we have the atypical scenario in which Pesach Eve falls out on Shabbat. This timing will not recur until 2045. It is difficult enough to prepare for Pesach, and this convergence with Shabbat does create some additional complications. My goal in this chapter, as throughout the book, is to make this additional planning as simple and seamless as possible.

Pre-Pesach Preparation

1. The general guidelines for pre-Pesach prep remain almost exactly the same as they are in other years.¹ However, there are a few changes, which are summarized below.
2. The fast of the firstborn occurs on Thursday morning, with the customary siyum to relinquish the fast.²
3. Bedikat Chametz is moved back a day, to Thursday night instead of Friday night,³ because we cannot do bedikat chametz with proper lighting on Shabbat.⁴ In other respects, bedika should be carried out at the same time and in the same manner as described in Chapter 4. After we perform the bedika and say the nighttime kol chamira/bitul, we make sure that all chametz we don’t plan to use before Pesach is put away in specified locations to be sold, and we put aside whatever chametz we plan to eat before Pesach just as we do every year. However, instead of saving the chametz to eat by the next morning, we are permitted to possess and eat it all day on Friday, through Shabbat morning. Since that means we will have more time to consume the chametz, we may choose to put aside a greater amount than in typical years.⁵
4. On Friday morning, by the end of the 5^th hour, we perform the ceremony of biur chametz where we burn or dispose of chametz⁶ just as we do every year.⁷ However, we do not say the complete bitul yet,⁸ because as explained above, we are permitted to own and eat chametz until Shabbat morning.⁹
5. One should be particularly careful to sell one’s chametz through a competent rabbi, because of the additional complications associated with Shabbat. The arrangement for the sale must take place before Shabbat.
6. All koshering of utensils must be completed on Friday before Shabbat begins.¹⁰

Shabbat Meals

1. There is disagreement among the halachic authorities about the best way to conduct the 3 meals required on Shabbat. If someone is not confident they could manage to eat chametz at the Shabbat meals while maintaining the Passover kashrut status of the utensils and food to be used during Passover, one should dispose of all chametz before Shabbat and eat kosher-for Pesach egg matzah¹¹ during those meals.¹² Some opinions permit eating kosher-for-Pesach regular (non-shmura) matzah on Friday night.¹³
2. If one does choose to eat chametz bread at a Shabbat meal, it is strongly recommended to:
3. Limit chametz to the bread alone; all other food, utensils, and plates used at the meal should be kosher for Pesach.
4. Use disposable utensils and plates with the chametz.
5. Eat the chametz away from the table, preferably at the very beginning of the meal,¹⁴ in a place where chametz can be contained, and not inadvertently mixed with other food or utensils.
6. Select a type of bread that won’t produce many crumbs, e.g., pita bread or challah rolls.
7. Order the minimum amount of chametz, approximately one pita/roll/person/meal.
8. One must stop eating chametz before the end of the 4^th hour.¹⁵ There is a custom to hold morning services on this Shabbat extremely early, so attendees can go home and eat the morning meal before that deadline.¹⁶
9. One should recite the morning version of the kol chamira (bitul) on Shabbat before the end of the 5^th hour.¹⁷
10. Before Shabbat, one should look up the local halachic times for the end of the 4^th and 5^th hours to ensure that you stop eating chametz, dispose of the chametz, and recite the bitul on time.
11. There is a question about how to fulfill the 3^rd meal on this Shabbat. There are several possible ways to fulfil the requirements of this meal:
12. Some split the morning meal into 2 parts, eaten back-to-back.¹⁸ If you take that option, the sequence would be as follows:
13. Wash, make hamotzi, and eat at least a kezayit,¹⁹ (preferably a k’beitza),²⁰ of egg matzah or bread; then recite birkat hamazon.
14. Take a short break; some have the custom to walk outside for a few minutes to make a separation between the meals.²¹ If you do not have enough time or for any other reason you cannot split the meal into two parts, it is permissible to eliminate the break between the two meals.²²
15. Wash and make hamotzi again; eat at least the minimum required amount of egg matzah or bread (see above), eat the meal, and then recite birkat hamazon a second time.²³
16. All chametz should be eaten before the end of the 4^th hour.²⁴
17. Some have a custom to eat one meal in the morning, and then eat the 3^rd meal in the afternoon at its usual time. For the 3^rd meal, it is preferable to eat a kosher for Pesach matzah meal product that is baked (e.g., cake or cookies)²⁵ or cooked (e.g., a matzah ball.)²⁶ One may also eat meat, fish, some form of produce (fruit or vegetable), or processed food (e.g., potato starch cake) to qualify as the 3^rd meal.²⁷ It is preferable to finish eating this meal before the end of the 9^th hour²⁸ of the day.²⁹
18. Some have the custom to combine the options described above. They eat 2 meals in the morning (back-to-back) and then the other 3^rd meal in the afternoon, because the 3^rd meal is preferably eaten in the afternoon.³⁰
19. All leftover chametz not consumed at the Shabbat meals should be flushed down the toilet,³¹ or placed in a public garbage bin, if possible before the end of the 5^th hour. If this is not feasible, it should be thrown in the garbage can and preferably taken outside to the curb. If necessary, the garbage can may be placed on your property outside of your house, and if there is no other option, the garbage may even be placed in a trash container inside your house until it can be properly discarded.³²

Preparation for the Seder

1. On Friday afternoon before Shabbat, one should light a long-lasting candle (such as a yahrtzeit candle) that will burn for at least 3 days in order to have a fire source for lighting candles and cooking for the 2 days of Pesach (i.e., Saturday night through Monday evening.)³³ The fire should not be used until Shabbat is over.³⁴
2. As mentioned above,³⁵ it is generally prohibited to prepare on Shabbat for Yom Tov or the first day of Yom Tov for the second day,³⁶ so it is preferable to complete all preparation for both Sedarim on Friday before the beginning of Shabbat.
3. It is similarly preferable to prepare the maror, charoset and salt water before Shabbat. If you did not do so, it is best to wait until Shabbat is over to prepare these items. See above³⁷ for the recommended preparation procedures for these symbolic foods.

Seder Start Time

1. One may not begin either seder before nightfall³⁸ (tzeit hakochavim.)³⁹

Preparing Via Non-Melacha Activity on Shabbat for the 1^st day of Yom Tov (Motzei Shabbat)

1. Once Shabbat begins at sundown on Friday, one may not cook or perform any melacha, nor prepare for the 1^st seder until after nightfall on Saturday night.⁴⁰ Preparation for the seder that does not involve melacha may begin during bein hashmashot⁴¹ on Saturday evening.
2. However, one may prepare on Shabbat for the 1st seder, a non-melacha activity which also serves a purpose for the day you are doing the prep on (i.e., Shabbat.)⁴² Thus, it is permissible to spruce up your home or to wash dishes (in a permissible manner)⁴³ to tidy your kitchen, or for hygienic purposes, on Shabbat this year.
3. One may also prepare on Shabbat for Yom Tov if the non-melacha activity will become more difficult to accomplish if you wait until after Shabbat. Thus, one may remove frozen food from the freezer during on Shabbat day in order to cook it at night if there won’t be enough time for the food to defrost after nightfall.⁴⁴
4. According to these guidelines, a family with young children may prepare on Shabbat for the seder via non-melacha activities if these activities will enable them to start the seder as early as possible after nightfall.