Ask Our Rabbis – April 30th, 2022

Q: What happens if I forgot to eat the foods which comprised the Eruv Tavshilin that I made
before the last days of Pesach? Am I allowed to eat them or do I need to dispose of them?

A: The purpose of the Eruv Tavshilin was to allow food preparation to be performed on the
Friday of a Yom Tov for the following day of Shabbos, whether the Shabbos in question is a
Yom Tov or not (Shulchan Aruch OC 527:1). The Eruv Tavshilin allows food preparation to be
done on Yom Tov for another date, when food preparation on Yom Tov is supposed to be done
for the day on which the preparation is being performed. In our case, the Eruv Tavshilin was
made before Yom Tov as required and was extant throughout Yom Tov. It did its job as
intended. The Halacha is that the Eruv Tavshilin should be eaten on Shabbos, preferably for
Shalosh Seudos (Mishnah Berurah 527:11). There is no statute of limitations on the
consumption the Eruv Tavshilin, and it should be consumed at the earliest possible time after
Shabbos, so that it is still edible. It should not be discarded, as this would be wasteful and a
violation of the prohibition of Bal Tashchis- wasting food (Devarim 20:19-20).