Pesach 2021

Saturday 17 July Fast Commences 9.11pm Shabbat Ends 10.12pm Maariv and Eichah 10.30pm

Sunday 18 July Shacharit at 8.00am (expected to finish about 10am) Minchah 1.45pm or 6pm (to be decided on the day) Fast ends at 9.40pm

H o w t o o r g a n i s e P e s a c h p r e p a r a t i o n s w h e n Pe s a c h s t a r t s o n a S a t u r d a y n i g h t

Barry Landy The preparation of Pesach this year is more complicated than usual since Erev Pesach is Shabbat, and so the usual clearing away on Erev Pesach has to be done one day earlier. Full details of all the problems and how to proceed, as well as a list of foods and medicines that may be used on Pesach even though they do not have a Beth-Din label, will no doubt be published in the Jewish Chronicle in due course. Meanwhile the following may help people to plan ahead. The full explanation gives a number of alternative strategies. I think that the easiest way of proceeding is as follows. Pretend that Pesach actually starts on Friday evening (March 26) and not Saturday evening (March 27) and carry out all the preparations as though starting the first Seder on Friday night. This means that: 1. The search for Chametz takes place on Thursday evening, 25 March 2. Chametz is burnt on Friday morning, 26 March Page 34

3. All food eaten after Friday morning is Pesachdik with the exception detailed in the following paragraph The only problem with this simple prescription is that it is necessary to have two challot for the two main Shabbat meals (Friday evening and Shabbat morning). The way to organise this is to set aside one corner of one room (kitchen or dining-room are probably the easiest) for this purpose and to keep the challot on a paper cloth on a tray in that corner. Hamotzie is made there and the bread eaten there, so that no crumbs spread elsewhere. Challot ideally should be small enough that they can be totally eaten up. After the Shabbat morning meal, large bits of challah should be crumbled up and flushed down the toilet with any crumbs on the cloth, and the cloth thrown out (which is why I suggested paper). If a linen cloth is used it should be shaken outside and put away. The only real complication is that all that must be completed by 09:41 on Shabbat morning, since that is the time of the Haphsakah, the time after which it is forbidden to eat Chametz. Timetable: Thursday 25 March morning Fast of the firstborn Thursday 25 March evening Search for Chametz, followed by Kol Chamirah Friday 26 March morning Burning of chametz by 10.56am

Everything is now pesachdik except for the “bread corner” Saturday 27 March morning Finish all Chametz 9.41am Make the "bitul chametz" declaration Saturday 27 March evening First seder at 7.10pm

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