Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos-Guideline and Summary-Part 2- The Shabbos Chametz meals

The Shabbos Chametz meals when Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos:

1. Cooking Chametz on Erev Shabbos for Shabbos: One may not cook Chametz foods for Shabbos being that one is unable to wash the pots on Shabbos from the Chametz that is stuck to them. [This applies even if one performs Mechiras Chametz. Nonetheless, if one has a Kosher Eiruv in his community, one may cook Chametz in the pots and then place the content before Shabbos into disposable pans which will be discarded to the outside on Shabbos before the 6th hour. The pots are to be cleaned on Erev Shabbos. Alternatively, one is to initially cook everything in disposable baking pans. Practically, the widespread custom is to simply cook everything in Pesach vessels, and not eat cooked Chametz on this Shabbos. This is especially necessary if there is no Eiruv in one’s community and one has no ability of discarding his Chametz leftovers.]

1. Kitniyus for Shabbos: It is permitted for one to cook [in a Chametz pot] and eat Kitniyus both by Friday night and Shabbos day up until Sof Zeman Achilas Chametz by Shabbos morning. Thus, one may purchase kosher for Pesach Kitniyus foods to eat on Friday night and Shabbos day [Chumus, Tehina, etc]. There is no need to discard the leftovers in the toilet or to burn it so long as one is careful that no Chametz got into it.

3. The meal – Lechem Mishneh: One recites Lechem Mishneh over two whole loaves of bread, unless one of the valid non-Chametz alternatives are used.

• • If one does not have two Challahs available for Lechem Mishneh, one may use a whole non-Muktzah Matzah to join for Lechem Mishneh.
  • If one does not have even one whole Challah available, he cannot make Hamotzi on Matzah, as it is forbidden to be eaten. Rather, he is to fulfill his meal with other available foods.
  • Fried Matzah:  The custom is to use Chametz bread for the night and morning meals of Shabbos. Nevertheless, the following non-Chametz alternative is also available for Lechem Mishneh: Matzah which was fried before Shabbos and still retains a whole Kezayis remains Hamotzi. It may be eaten up until the 10th hour of the day on Erev Shabbos, although those who avoid eating this on Pesach due to Gebrochts, avoid eating it beginning from the 5th hour of the day. Practically, it is not customary to use fried Matzah for the Shabbos meals, even by Shalosh Seudos.
• How much bread to eat: Every person must eat at least a Kebeitza of bread, within two times Kdei Achilas Peras, as is the rule on every Shabbos.
• Being careful to guard the crumbs and may one eat the bread with other foods during the meal, and how should the Chametz be cleaned and discarded? Throughout the meal one should be careful that Chametz crumbs do not get spread throughout the house and past the area of the table.
  • Good advice is to use a noncrumbly bread such as Pita for Lechem Mishneh, as well as for the rest of the bread of the meal.
  • Flushing down toilet: The bread throughout the meal should be eaten over a napkin or precut paper towel which will then be wrapped up and flushed down the toilet, and it should not be dipped onto plates or any other item that will need to be cleaned from Chametz as a result.
  • Discarding in outside public for all garbage: If one lives in an area with an Eiruv, then he can choose to use disposable cutlery and plates and tablecloth and eat his bread as usual, and at the end of the meal simply throw the entire tablecloth with all its contents in the garbage, and at the very least prior to the sixth hour of the day of Shabbos [Sof Zeman Biur Chametz] the garbage should be taken out to a public for all area, such as a public garbage dump. It should not be discarded in a building garbage which is designated only for certain people. Certainly, it does not suffice to place it in one’s personal garbage can outside his home, unless the garbage will be picked up by the city before the sixth hour of the day of Shabbos.
  • See Halacha E for further details of cleaning the Chametz!
• Those who plan to eat bread only at the beginning of the meal: Those who desire to keep it safe and only eat the Chametz bread in the beginning of the meal over a napkin and then flush it down the toilet right away, and then eat only kosher for Pesach foods and no longer eat bread, must be careful to recite Birchas Hamazon after they are done eating the bread, prior to beginning the next course without bread, as meal foods are only exempt with the blessing of Hamotzi if bread will potentially still be eaten while they are served. After Birchas Hamazon when the other courses are served, a blessing must be recited individually over each food.
• Cleaning the leftover Chametz: All Chametz must be destroyed or removed from one’s home prior to the start of the 6th hour on Shabbos. The following are the details of this obligation:
  • All leftover Chametz crumbs which are less than a Kezayis and have fallen onto the floor prior to the 6th hour of the day, onto areas that people walk, are considered destroyed and don’t have to be removed. 
  • If one’s area contains an Eiruv, one can throw the crumbs outside into a public for all area.
  • One can flush the Chametz crumbs down the toilet.
  • If one verified with the Rav who performed the sale that the sale includes all the Chametz one owns until the 6th hour on Shabbos then one can place the Chametz in the area sold to the gentile, if one performed Mechiras Chametz.
  • Leftover large pieces of Chametz: If one’s area contains an Eiruv, one can throw the Chametz outside into a public for all area. Alternatively, one can break the Chametz to small pieces and flush it down the toilet.  Alternatively, one can place the Chametz in the area sold to the gentile, if one performed Mechiras Chametz, and the sale includes all the Chametz one owns until the 6th hour on Shabbos. This matter should be verified through the Rav who performed the sale.
  • Tablecloth and plates:  The tablecloth needs to be shaken from any Chametz crumbs and discarded, as explained above. Likewise, the plates and all other eating utensils are to be cleaned from any visible Chametz using one’s fingers or napkin.
    • The napkin used to clean the utensils is to be flushed down the toilet or thrown into a public area if there is an Eiruv.
    • Disposable plates and utensils may be simply thrown into the garbage and discarded outside to a public for all area, in areas with an Eiruv. If, however, one does not have an Eiruv in his area, then one needs to clean even the disposable plates from any visible Chametz.
    • To avoid the need to clean the utensils, it is advised to eat all the Chametz foods over napkins and then flush the napkin down the toilet.