Eruv Tavshilin
Eruv Tavshilin is a Jewish legal ritual performed before a holiday (Yom Tov) that falls on a Friday, when cooking for Shabbat would otherwise be forbidden. By setting aside a cooked dish and bread before the holiday begins, one symbolically begins Shabbat preparations early β and may then continue cooking on the holiday itself. The blessing and Aramaic declaration that follow are traditional rabbinic formulas. Whether you are Jewish or simply curious about how Jewish law weaves together time and sanctity, you are welcome to read and reflect on this ancient practice.
Laws of Eruv Tavshilin
When a holiday (Yom Tov) falls on the eve of Shabbat β
that is, when Yom Tov falls on a Friday β
and we wish to prepare food on the holiday for Shabbat,
we must perform β before the holiday begins β an Eruv Tavshilin.
Without an Eruv Tavshilin,
our Sages of blessed memory forbade
preparing food on Yom Tov for Shabbat,
because doing so shows disregard for the sanctity of Yom Tov.
When we prepare an Eruv Tavshilin before the holiday,
we demonstrate that we have already begun our Shabbat preparations,
and accordingly, we may continue them on Yom Tov.
How is an Eruv Tavshilin performed?
One takes at least a kezayit (27 ml) of an important cooked food
that is customarily eaten with bread β
whether boiled, roasted, or pickled
(today the custom is to use a whole hard-boiled egg) β
together with bread in the amount of a kezayit
(and it is praiseworthy that it be a whole loaf:
a roll or challah, and on Passover: a matzah).
One then recites the blessing and the Eruv formula,
and as long as the Eruv remains intact,
it is permitted to cook on Yom Tov for the needs of Shabbat.
The Order of Eruv Tavshilin
One takes the Eruv and recites the blessing:
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe,
who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the mitzvah of eruv.
And then says [in Aramaic]:
By means of this eruv, may it be permitted for us
to bake and to cook and to keep food warm
and to kindle a light
and to attend to all our needs
from the holiday for Shabbat β
for us and for all Israel who dwell in this city.
If one does not understand Aramaic, one says instead in Hebrew:
By means of this eruv, may it be permitted for us
to bake and to cook and to keep food warm
and to kindle a light
and to attend to all our needs
from the holiday for Shabbat β
for us and for all Israel who dwell in this city.
Chag Sameach β a joyous holiday!
Hilchot Eruv Tavshilin
Ka'asher Yom Tov chal be'erev Shabbat β
klomar: Yom Tov chal be-yom shishi β
va'anachnu rotzim lehachin ochel be-Yom Tov le-Shabbat,
alenu la'asot β lifney Yom Tov β Eruv Tavshilin.
Belo Eruv Tavshilin,
asru chachamenu zichronam livracha
lehachin be-Yom Tov ochel le-Shabbat,
mishum zilzul bi-kedushat Yom Tov.
Ka'asher anachnu mechinim "Eruv Tavshilin" lifney he-chag,
anachnu mar'im she-kvar hitchalnu et ha-hachanot le-Shabbat,
umi-mamela, nuchal lehamsicham be-Yom Tov.
Eich osim Eruv Tavshilin?
Lokchim le-fachat ke-zayit (27 s"m) tavshil chashuv
shi-darko le-he'achel im pat:
mevushal, tzaluy, o kavush
(ha-yom ha-minhag hu lakachat beitza shelemah mevushalah),
yachad im pat be-shi'ur ke-zayit
(ve-ra'uy she-tihyeh pat shelemah:
lechamiya / chalah, u-ve-Pesach: matzah).
Ve-omrim et ha-berachah ve-nusach ha-eruv,
ve-chol zman ha-eruv kayam,
mutar levashel be-Yom Tov le-tzorech ha-Shabbat.
Seder Eruv Tavshilin
Lokech ha-eruv u-mevarech:
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
asher kideshanu be-mitzvotav ve-tzivanu al mitzat eruv.
Ve-omer:
Be-hadein eruva yehe shera lana
le-mefa u-levashla ve-le'atmena
ve-le'adlaka sharaga
ule-me'evad kol tzorchana
mi-yoma tava le-Shabbeta
lanu u-le-chol Yisrael ha-darim be-ir ha-zot.
Ve-im eino mevin Aramit, omer bi-leshon ha-kodesh:
Be-zeh ha-eruv yehe mutar lanu
le-efot u-levashel ve-le-hatmin
ve-le-hadlik ner
ve-la'asot kol tzorchenu
mi-Yom Tov le-Shabbat
lanu u-le-chol Yisrael ha-darim be-ir ha-zot.
Chag Sameach!
Common Questions
Jewish law permits cooking on a holiday (Yom Tov) only for food to be eaten on that same day. When Yom Tov falls on Friday, cooking for Shabbat β which begins that evening β would seem to violate this rule. The Eruv Tavshilin is the rabbinic solution: by beginning the Shabbat food preparation before the holiday, one establishes a legal continuity that permits finishing the cooking on the holiday itself.
Two food items are required: a cooked, roasted, or pickled dish that is typically eaten with bread β today the universal custom is to use a whole hard-boiled egg β and a piece of bread no smaller than a kezayit (an olive-bulk, approximately 27 ml). It is praiseworthy to use a whole loaf: ideally a challah roll, and on Passover, a whole matzah. These two items are held in hand while the blessing and declaration are recited.
The traditional declaration of the Eruv Tavshilin is written in Aramaic, the vernacular spoken by Jewish communities in Babylonia during the Talmudic period. Rabbinic legal formulas were often composed in the language that ordinary people could understand, ensuring that everyone grasped the intent of the act. The text printed here includes a Hebrew alternative for those who do not understand Aramaic, reflecting the traditional ruling that the declaration must be understood by the one reciting it.
A community's rabbi or leader may perform the Eruv Tavshilin on behalf of all community members who forgot or were unable to do so themselves. When a person recites the declaration with this communal intent, the legal benefit extends to neighbors and fellow community members. This communal dimension reflects a broader Jewish legal value: that individuals bear responsibility for one another's ability to observe Shabbat with proper honor.
The egg and bread must remain intact until after the Shabbat cooking is complete β ideally until Shabbat itself. If they are eaten or lost before then, the Eruv may be invalidated. Many people eat the egg and bread as part of the Shabbat or holiday meals, so that the items set aside in holiness are honored by being consumed in a festive context.