How to Prepare the Food for Shabbos
Generally speaking, when cooking food for this Shabbos the food is cooked in Pesach utensils, and people eat food which is kosher l’Pesach, and they also prepare challah for the family for either two or three meals (see Mishnah Berurah 444:14).
If one plans to use chometz utensils for this Shabbos, then one must be careful when pouring food from the Pesach utensils into the chometz utensils that the food isn’t above yad soiledes boi, otherwise there may be problems of steam etc. raising from the chometz keilim into the Pesach keilim. The Shaar HaTziyun (444:4) raises this concern and warns not to pour hot food from Pesach keilim directly into chometz keilim.
There are a number of solutions to this issue: 1) Move the food into a keli sheini and then pour it into the chometz keilim, 2) Wait until the food cools down to a temperature lower then yad soiledes boi, and then move it to the chometz keilim, 3) Use disposable bowls and plates and then it’s ok to pour directly into them.
Another option would be to eat slightly more than a kebeitzah of bread (see Mishnah Berurah 291:2) and then remove all the chometz, wash one’s hands and mouth and then use Pesach keilim. Then one can pour the food directly from the Pesach pots into the Pesach keilim. This would seemingly be a problem, as now that the bread has been removed from the meal, the continuation of the meal should no longer be considered connected to the bread at beginning, and new berachos should need to be recited? However, since one intended to continue the meal, and if one really wants, he can eat more bread, it is considered a continuation. R’ Elyashiv adds further, that if one starts his Shabbos meal before the chometz eating deadline and then continues afterwards eating only kosher l’Pesach food, it is still considered one continuous meal as one wants to continue eating bread and chometz, it’s just that doing so is prohibited, therefore, all the food is considered toful [secondary] to the bread.
We find precedent to this from Tosfos Rabbeinu Yehudah HaChosid in Berachos (41b) who says: According to the Rabbonon who hold that we don’t eat the korban Pesach together with matzah, we don’t recite shehakol on the korban Pesach, as even though it can’t be eaten with bread, it’s only because of the mitzvah, however, if it wasn’t for the mitzvah one would, therefore, it is toful to the bread (however, see Piskei Teshuvos 177, he’orah 63).
Preparing the Challos
One should prepare a minimal amount of challah, in order that there is none left over after the meals. To avoid making lots of crumbs, many people eat pitta bread which is much less crumby.
If there are labels stuck onto the challah, one should make sure to remove them before Shabbos, as if one takes them off on Shabbos there is challah stuck to them and one must get rid of this chometz, and the way to do this is by flushing it down the toilet. However, doing so is a problem of moichek [erasing]. Ideally one should be careful not to remove too much of the challah when taking off the labels as the challah needs to be complete, however, if just a little bit is missing it’s ok, especially as nowadays most of our challos are not 100% complete [see Shaarei Teshuvah (274:1) and Shulchan Shlomah (s.k. 2, ois 3) and Shu”t Chelkas Yaakov (Vol. 1, siman 85)].
Eruvei Chatzaros
One may make an eruvei chatzaros this Shabbos using matzah, and since chometz isn’t fit to be eaten the entire Shabbos, chometz can’t be used. The Shu”t Doivev Meishorim (1:139:2) explains: Even though the Rema (394:2) rules that the eruvei chatzaros may be eaten at night, it still needs to be made from a food which may be eaten the entire Shabbos. (R’ Shmuel Auerbach is mechadesh that one can even use chometz, as the Gaon (444:7) brings from the Zohar that when erev Pesach falls on Shabbos there is no obligation to eat three meals this Shabbos, and one only needs to eat two meals, therefore, although chometz isn’t suitable for the entire Shabbos, it is suitable for the meals that one needs to eat – cited in Megillas Sefer, Orach Chaim, siman 19). Especially if one wants to use the eruv chatzaros for Shevii Shel Pesach which falls on Shabbos one should make sure to use matzah.
Although it is also forbidden to eat matzah on erev Pesach that falls on Shabbos, since young children may eat it, one can rely on it (see Shulchan Aruch 386:8).
It would seem that if one only eats hand matzah for seder night he should make sure to make his erev chatzaros from machine matzos, since according to the Pri Megodim (Eishel Avraham 444:1) they are considered muktzeh machmas chisoran kis, since presumably one wouldn’t give a young child these matzos to eat on this Shabbos.
Various Other Necessary Preparations
One should make sure to prepare plastic table clothes and disposable bowls and plates etc. for the Shabbos meals.
One should prepare a toothbrush with soft hairs made from a material that doesn’t absorb liquid, so that one can brush the chometz out of his teeth on Shabbos.
One should make sure to change the timer on the lights, so that they go out later than usual on seder night.
For the Shabbos meals one should prepare chairs which don’t have cracks and crevices which catch chometz. And one shouldn’t eat in a room with carpet.
One should make sure to separate challah from the matzos (if not already done), and terumas u’maaser from any other foods that require it. If one forgot to separate challah, he should check with the rov of the city if he took challah on behalf of those who forgot (see Shu”t Minchas Yitzchok 4:59).
The Shulchan Aruch (260:2) rules that every erev Shabbos close to dark, one should ask his household members: עשרתם ערבתם הפרשתם חלה ויאמר להם הדליקו את הנר - “Have you taken maaser, have you made the eruv, and have you separated challah, and he should instruct them to light candles”. The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 13) writes: The minhag is that we don’t ask this today, however, on erev Pesach one certainly should. And when erev Pesach falls on Shabbos, one should ask this on erev Shabbos. However, nowadays it is the men who separate challah from the matzos and not the women, therefore, it seems silly to ask oneself “did I take challah”, however, one should certainly be aware of this and make sure to do it.
One should make sure to open all the packages and boxes of matzah, wine, milk etc. (see the Minchas Shabbos, siman 80, s.k. 164, ois 9 who writes: It is fitting for any baal nefesh to be stringent when it is possible to open packages on erev Shabbos ... one who doesn’t is close to being considered negligent, when it is possible to do so beforehand and he doesn’t).
One should make sure to set an alarm clock to wake up early on Shabbos morning, One should be careful not to place the candlesticks directly on the tablecloth, as one needs to be able to remove the tablecloth to shake it off from chometz, and if the candlesticks which are muktzeh are on top, it makes things problematic. Unless one puts them on a tray together with the challos, and then one can move them.
If one needs to melt down wax candles so that they can fit inside the candelabra he should make sure to do it before Shabbos. R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach, R’ Elyashiv (cited in Mevakshei Torah Al Yom Tov, pg. 231) and the Shevet HaLevi (Vol 9: 128) hold that one may make floating wicks on Yom Tov, however, the Shevet HaLevi writes that ideally one should prepare them beforehand, therefore, one who uses floating wicks should ideally prepare them before Shabbos.
One should make sure to check the matzos on erev Shabbos for any problems of kefulus, nefuchos etc.
One should also make sure to light a yahrzeit candle on erev Shabbos so that he has a flame to light Yom Tov candles with on motzei Shabbos.
