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A Window into the Chareidi World

7 Nisan 5766 - April 4, 2006 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Shema Yisrael Torah Network
Shema Yisrael Torah Network

Opinion & Comment
The Day before the Night: Which Melochos are Permitted on Erev Pesach?

By Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis

Last Minute Preparations

Shimon and Sarah Gold, together with their seven children, were planning to travel from Israel to spend Pesach in America. On the 12th of Nisan, the day of their flight, their daughter Rachel suddenly became extremely ill and was running a dangerously high fever. After examining Rachel for a few minutes, Dr. Brown told the Golds that their daughter could not travel and they would have to make arrangements to spend Pesach in Israel.

The next two days were a frantic rush for the Gold family, as they hurriedly tried to pack four weeks of preparations into forty-eight hours. After two days of nearly nonstop toil, they finished their Pesach preparations at five in the morning on the 14th of Nisan, erev Pesach. Mr. Gold davened Shacharis, burned his chometz and collapsed onto his bed.

At about 11:30 a.m. Mr. Gold woke up and realized that there were a number of things that he had failed to take care of in his haste. He looked at his watch, and realized that in less than an hour it would be chatzos (halachic noon). How should he proceed with his remaining Pesach preparations?

In order to advise Mr. Gold, we will have to investigate the unique nature of erev Pesach, and understand the underlying principles that define which melochos are permitted on that day.

Erev Pesach Afternoon

It is forbidden for one to work on every erev Yom Tov from the time of Mincha (half an hour after chatzos), and anyone who does melochoh after this time will not see brochoh from this work. In former times, a beis din would have been obligated to stop him, by force if necessary, though he would not have been given lashes or ostracized.

On erev Pesach, the halachos are more stringent than before other festivals on two counts: First, the prohibition not to do melochoh starts at chatzos; and second, someone who does melochoh after this time would receive lashes or be ostracized.

What is the reason for the additional stringency? The afternoon of erev Pesach is unlike other festival eves because during this time we performed the shechita of the korbon Pesach (Rambam, Hilchos Yom Tov 8, 17).

In Temple times, bringing a korbon was more than just a routine religious ritual; the whole day was considered a holiday for the person bringing the sacrifice. He was obligated to observe the work restrictions of Chol Hamoed for the entire day. With regard to erev Pesach, since the korbon could only be offered after noon, the prohibition not to do melochoh started then (Yerushalmi, Pesochim 4,1).

Today, we do not have the Beis Hamikdash and are unable to offer a korbon Pesach. If the reason that erev Pesach was considered a Yom Tov was because of he korbon Pesach, today this reason is no longer applicable. So why is melochoh still forbidden? The Sages prohibited work on erev Pesach even for someone who was not bringing the korbon Pesach, and thus melochoh remains forbidden until another beis din of similar stature revokes this decree (Ran, Pesochim 50a).

Erev Pesach Morning

Between preparing the Seder plate, getting rid of chometz and countless other arrangements, erev Pesach is one of the busiest times of the entire year. Therefore in addition to the stringent prohibition not to do melochoh in the afternoon, some have the custom not to do melochoh in the morning as well. This practice is not universal and it varies in different communities (Pesochim 50a according to Rashi and Tzlach).

Nowadays, Jews from all different backgrounds live side-by- side, so clarifying one community's specific custom is no easy matter. Each individual should act according to his own specific custom that he has received from his father or rabbi; he is usually not bound by the custom of wherever he lives (Igros Moshe, Even Haezer 1, 59). He must only forgo his personal practice in a case were all of the rabbis of an area got together and established a uniform custom (HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach as cited in Yom Tov Sheini KeHilchoso, end of note 15).

Some poskim write that today the custom in all places is to permit melochoh in the morning (Aruch HaShulchan 468,5). Since in his area most people do melochoh on erev Pesach morning, and in any case Mr. Gold was in a highly unusual situation, he may rely on the lenient opinions that permit doing melochoh before chatzos. However since Mr. Gold woke up shortly before noon, he was more concerned with the halachos regarding after chatzos.

Shave and a Haircut

Mr. Gold's first question was whether he could take a haircut and shave. He called up his rov, Rabbi Silver, and asked him about this and all of the other issues that he had forgotten to take care of in the mad rush to get the house ready for Pesach. The following is a short synopsis of his answers:

Rav Silver explained that the general principle is that although the halachos of erev Pesach are more stringent than other festivals, they are more lenient than those of Chol Hamoed. Before Yom Tov it is a mitzvah to take a haircut even after chatzos, and on Chol Hamoed it is forbidden. Where does erev Pesach fit in?

On a theoretical level, taking a haircut on Chol Hamoed should be allowed, since melochos done for the sake of the holiday are permitted. Nonetheless, our Sages forbade haircuts and shaving, so that a person should not postpone them until Chol Hamoed and go into Yom Tov unkempt. Since erev Pesach is still prior to the festival, there are a number of leniencies in our case.

One of the highest forms of charity is to give someone a job, enabling him to earn money while preserving his dignity. In certain situations our Sages permitted one to hire an impoverished Jewish worker on Chol Hamoed, to do melochos which would have been otherwise prohibited. Although a haircut is forbidden on Chol Hamoed, a person may hire a Jewish worker to give him a haircut on erev Pesach if the worker does not have adequate means to celebrate Yom Tov in a respectable manner.

May one take a haircut from a non-Jewish barber? In many instances our Sages forbid one to ask a non-Jew to perform melochoh on Shabbos and Yom Tov, for this could bring one to constantly get him to do melochos. This prohibition also applies on Chol Hamoed where the same concern is relevant. The authorities disagree with regard to erev Pesach, and the consensus is to be lenient. Therefore, Mr. Gold can take a haircut from a non-Jewish barber (Rema 468,1).

Last-Minute Laundry

Just as our Sages forbade haircuts and shaving on Chol Hamoed, they also prohibited washing clothes, so that it would be taken care of beforehand. Therefore Mr. Gold may not take his suit in to be dry cleaned by a Jewish-operated store. If the store is run by non-Jews, then he may give them his suit after chatzos.

Just before chatzos, Mrs. Gold loaded up the washing machine with laundry. Even though the load will not be finished until after midday, as long as she pushes the button to start the machine before noon, the subsequent wash cycle is not considered her action. If Mrs. Gold can get to a Laundromat, she may load up as many machines as she likes before chatzos (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchoso 42,139).

Certain types of clothing may be washed on Chol Hamoed. These include baby clothes which constantly get dirty. Since erev Pesach is less stringent than Chol Hamoed, these would certainly be permissible to wash (Hilchos Chag BeChag 14,13).

Blood Tests

Mr. Gold finished his Yom Tov preparations, and breathed a sigh of relief that he had completed everything in time. Suddenly, he remembered one thing he had not yet done; Dr. Brown had recommended that he should get a blood test for his daughter. Mr. Gold coaxed the girl into a taxi, and headed for the clinic to get this done before Yom Tov.

On the way, he phoned Rav Silver to tell him that all was well, and that he had managed to get all of his preparations done. When he mentioned to him that he was on his way to get a blood test for his daughter, Mr. Gold was slightly taken aback when the rav asked him how urgent it was. Assuming that the concern was that he would run out of time, Mr. Gold replied that he thought that they could complete the test and be home well before candle lighting.

Rav Silver replied that it was not the time that concerned him. Our Sages revealed that at the time the Jewish people were offered the Torah, Hashem sent out a special heavenly agent whose name was Tovach (butcher), who would have annihilated them had they refused to accept the Torah. Every year on erev Shavuos this spiritual being roams the world and it is dangerous to draw blood at that time lest this spirit seize the opportunity to cause harm. Our Sages prohibited this on every erev Yom Tov, lest one come to take blood on erev Shavuos when it could be dangerous (Rema 468,10).

Nonetheless, Rav Silver told Shimon to go ahead with the blood test. Since this was a case of need, and the primary danger is drawing blood on erev Shavuos, it was safe to do the blood test. Furthermore, some poskim limit this halochoh to an actual operation or blood donation, and do not consider a routine blood test, where very little blood is drawn, to be included in this prohibition (Rivevos Ephraim 1,340).

Gradual Transitions

Family, health, livelihood, and education — all year long we are preoccupied with so many important issues. At times even our spiritual endeavors use up so much of our time and energy that we forget the end goal of all of our activity. Three times a year all other cares fall by the wayside, and our mind is freed to concentrate on our primary reason for existence — our relationship with Hashem.

Considering the hectic lifestyle of the average 21st-century Jew, most people find it hard to tranquilly welcome Pesach with absolute peace of mind. Realistically speaking, we should be happy if we are able to get everything done with enough time to rest up to prepare ourselves for one of the most important nights of the year, Seder night. The more that we prepare ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually, the more we will gain from this special experience.

Our Sages displayed tremendous wisdom in forbidding melochoh on erev Yom Tov. It is simply not possible to go straight from deep involvement in worldly endeavor to total focus on the spiritual. It is also extremely difficult to savor spiritual liberation while one is exhausted and distracted by worldly cares. Ceasing work at chatzos is essential if we are to fully appreciate the once-a-year experience of Seder night.


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