Shabbos HaGadol (Parshas Vayikra)
This year the Shabbos HaGadol drosha is given the week before the Shabbos of erev Pesach (this year it’s Parshas Vayikra). The reason for this is, the minhag is to say over in the drosha halachos related to Peasch, and if we only relate these halachos on the Shabbos of erev Pesach it may be too late for many of the halachos (Mishnah Berurah 429:2).
Although the drosha is given on the Shabbos before the Shabbos of erev Pesach, the regular Haftorah for Shabbos HaGadol of, וערבה לה', is read on the Shabbos of erev Pesach (besides for those who follow minhag haGra, who hold that on this Shabbos we read the regular Haftorah). Those who have the minhag to read the Haggadah on Shabbos HaGadol by mincha do so on the Shabbos of erev Pesach (Mishnah Berurah 430:2)
Motzei Shabbos
The motzei Shabbos of the Shabbos that the Shabbos HaGadol drosha is given on, is a regular motzei Shabbos and we recite ויהי נועם and ואתה קדוש like normal, as in the upcoming week there is six regular working days (in fact for most people, six very busy working days!).
Some say that if one uses cloves for besomim he should hide them together with any chometz he sells to a non-Jew, as many times they add alcohol which comes from chometzdika items (see Shulchan Aruch 467:8, in Rema). However, see the sefer Bedikas Chometz U’Biuroi (Perek 2, he’orah 107) who writes that in recent times they have stopped doing this. However, this is something that may change, and needs to be checked out on a year to year basis.
Thursday
Taanis Bechorim – The Fast of the Firstborns
This year, Taanis Bechorim is brought early to Thursday as we can’t fast on erev Pesach which is Shabbos and ideally, we don’t fix fasts on erev Shabbos. However, there is a discussion in the achronim if the Thursday fast is tashlumin [compensation] for the fast which should really be on Shabbos, or if they uprooted the original day of the fast and in a year when erev Pesach falls on Shabbos they enacted that the fast is on Thursday. The above question makes a big difference in several cases:
1) If a bechor [firstborn] is a sandek or mohel on Shabbos, he is still obligated to either fast or join in a siyum on Thursday, as even if the fast is tashlumin for Shabbos, it can’t be better than Shabbos itself. And just like the fact that the fast falls on Shabbos doesn’t exempt one from the fast, being a sandek or mohel on Shabbos also doesn’t (R’ Elyashiv, cited in Siddur Pesach Kehilchasoi 1:4).
2) A bechor who becomes bar mitzvah on Shabbos is exempt from fasting on Thursday, and his father must fast or join in a siyum in his stead, since the minhag is that the fast is on Thursday (R’ Elasyhiv, Mevakshei Torah, Kovetz 30, pg. 224)
3) If a bechor turns bar mitzvah on erev Shabbos, since strictly speaking he should need to fast on erev Shabbos, some say that he isn’t exempt with the siyum that his father attended on Thursday, and he must partake in a siyum himself on erev Shabbos. Or make a small seudah himself in honor of his bar mitzvah and use that instead of a siyum (Siddur Pesach Kehilchasoi, Perek 1, he’orah 9). However, some say, since the minhag is that we fast on Thursday, what his father did for him on Thursday is enough (R’ Elyashiv, Mevakshei Torah, Kovetz 30, pg. 224).
4) Similarly, if a bechor forgot to fast on Thursday and ate like normal, he should make a siyum on erev Shabbos as strictly speaking he should be fasting on erev Shabbos. We find a similar thing by Taanis Esther (Mishnah Berurah 686:3) that when Purim falls on Sunday, and Taanis Esther is on Thursday, if one ate on Thursday, he should make sure to fast on erev Shabbos.
The Mikraei Kodesh (Pesach, Vol 2. siman 23) writes that although in a regular year the minhag is that bechorim partake of a seudas mitzvah on erev Pesach, and it exempts them from fasting, it is a big leniency and the only reason we allow it is so that they can do all the mitzvos on seder night properly (without being too hungry). However, this year when this reasoning doesn’t apply, they should really fast. However, practically, even this year we are lenient, either because nowadays the minhag is that bechorim only fast when there is no siyum, or because some hold that this year there is no Taanis Bechorim at all (see Shulchan Aruch 470:2, although from the Rema it is clear that this year there is also a fast).
When Taanis Bechorim is brought early to Thursday, some are meticulous to take part in a siyum on Friday as well. In Orchos Rabbeinu (Vol. 2, pg. 57) it’s brought down that this is how the Steipler was accustomed. In Mikraei Kodesh (in Hararay Kodesh, Pesach, Vol. 2, siman 23, he’orah 2) it’s brought that one should make a siyum on Thursday and keep some leftovers to eat on Friday as well. The Chok L’Yisroel (ois 2) brings proof to this idea from the Yerushalmi (Moed Kotan 2:3) which says that R’ Yochanan would eat leftover food from a seudas mitzvah the day following the seudah.
