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Lesson 19: How to Make an Eruv Tavshilin When Yom Tov Falls on Friday
Welcome to Lesson 19: How to make an Eruv Tavshilin when Yom Tov (a Jewish holiday) falls out on Friday.
Whenever Yom Tov is on Friday—whether it’s a two-day Yom Tov starting on Thursday and continuing into Friday (and then into Shabbos [Shabbat]), or it’s Friday and Shabbos as the two days of Yom Tov—in order to be able to prepare food on Friday (Yom Tov) for Shabbos, you must make an Eruv Tavshilin.
When Can You Prepare Food on Yom Tov?
Generally, food may only be prepared on Yom Tov for that same day. For example, if Yom Tov is Tuesday and Wednesday:
- You can prepare food Monday night and Tuesday for consumption on Monday night or Tuesday.
- You can prepare Tuesday night and Wednesday for Tuesday night or Wednesday.
But you may not prepare food on Tuesday for Wednesday, because Tuesday night is already the second day of Yom Tov.
Preparing from Yom Tov to Shabbos
However, when Yom Tov falls on Friday, we are going directly from Yom Tov into Shabbos. To prepare food on Yom Tov for Shabbos, one must make an Eruv Tavshilin in advance.
Who Should Make It?
Every household should make its own Eruv Tavshilin.
Although many communities have a rabbi who makes an Eruv on behalf of the community, that communal Eruv only applies to:
- Those unaware of the halachah
- Those whose Eruv was lost or eaten
- Or individuals who faced an emergency and couldn’t prepare their own
Otherwise, each household should fulfill the mitzvah themselves. That’s why we say a brachah—because making an Eruv Tavshilin is a mitzvah.
What Is an Eruv Tavshilin?
An Eruv Tavshilin includes:
- A cooked item (this is the primary component). Most people use a hard-boiled egg, though it could be fish, chicken, or any cooked dish.
- A baked item (e.g., challah during the year or matzah on Pesach)
We begin preparing food for Shabbos on Erev Yom Tov, and then we can finish those preparations on Yom Tov (Friday).
The Eruv is symbolic—it shows that we began the preparations before Yom Tov, and are simply continuing them on Friday.
Important Practical Details
- Prepare the Eruv on Erev Yom Tov, and store it somewhere safe and visible so it isn’t eaten or spoiled.
- The Eruv must be intact when you begin preparing food on Friday.
- The food you’re making for Shabbos must be edible before Shabbos begins.
- For example, if you’re making cholent, put it up early Friday—ideally in the morning or right after your Yom Tov meal, not late afternoon.
How to Make the Eruv Tavshilin
- Take the cooked and baked foods (e.g., a hard-boiled egg and a matzah).
- Hold them in your hands and say the brachah: Baruch Atah Ado-noi Elo-heinu Melech HaOlam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvosav v’tzivanu al mitzvas Eruv.
- Then say the declaration, which is usually found in the Machzor before the holiday prayers. It can be said in Aramaic or English: Bahadein Eruva, yehay sharai lan, l’afuyei, u’vashulei, u’tmunei, l’hadlukei sh’raga, u’lavruchei, u’lemibad kol tzarkana, miyom tov l’Shabbata. (With this Eruv, it shall be permitted for us to bake, cook, insulate, light candles, and perform all necessary preparations from Yom Tov to Shabbos.)
- Some texts add: L’anan u’l’kol Yisrael hadarim b’ha’ir hazos
(For us and all the Jews dwelling in this city)- Only say this if you’re the rabbi making the Eruv on behalf of the community.
Afterward
Store the egg or other cooked item in a labeled bag (e.g., write “Eruv Tavshilin” on it), and keep it refrigerated. This will prevent others from mistakenly eating it before you’ve completed your Shabbos preparations.
It is suggested that the matzah from your Eruv be used for lechem mishnah on Shabbos.
If you’d like a deeper halachic explanation of the procedure, this primer from the OU provides an excellent overview.
Enjoy your Erev Yom Tov and your Shabbos!
Rabbi Pinchus Rappaport is a respected rabbi who received his Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva of Staten Island, under the tutelage of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. He currently serves as a rabbi in Brooklyn, NY.
Since halachic opinions vary among the rabbis of different communities, Oorah and Rabbi Rappaport encourage you to direct any questions to, and get halachic guidance from, your local Orthodox rabbi. You may, however, rely on this video and email Rabbi Rappaport with questions in the interim, at askrpr2@gmail.com.
Shared as a zechus l’iluy nishmas Moshe Zeev ben Aryeh Leib
