Erev Pesach

From Halachipedia
  1. The Ashkenazi minhag is not to say Mizmor LeTodah on Erev Pesach. [1]

Time to stop eating Chametz

  1. From the beginning of the fifth hour (halachic hours) Chametz is forbidden to eat.[2]

Time to stop owning Chametz

  1. From the beginning of the sixth hour Chametz is also forbidden to derive benefit from. [3]

Eating Matzah before Pesach

  1. One shouldn’t eat Matzah on Erev Pesach [4] including the nighttime. [5]
  2. One should be strict not to have baked goods which include matzah meal such as Pesach cakes. [6]
  3. Some have the minhag not to eat Matzah from 30 days before Pesach [7], some have the minhag not to eat Matzah from the beginning of the month [8]and some have the minhag to eat it until Erev Pesach. [9]
  4. One shouldn’t eat Matzah before Pesach which was made without intent for the mitzvah of eating Matzah. [10]

Melacha

After Chatzot

  1. It is forbidden to do melacha on erev pesach after mid-day. [11]
  2. It is also forbidden to get a haircut or a shave [12], to sew new clothing [13],

and to do laundry after mid-day. [14] Preferably one should also cut his nails before mid-day. [15] All of the leniencies that apply to chol hamoed in these cases apply to erev pesach also. [16]

  1. It is permissible to iron clothes, polish shoes [17] sew buttons, or perform minor mending. [18]

References

  1. Rama 429:2
  2. S”A 443:1
  3. S”A 443:1
  4. Rama 471:2
  5. Magan Avraham 471:6. The Chok Yaakov 471:7 quotes the Shiyarei Knesset Hagedola that some have the custom to refrain from eating matza from rosh chodesh nissan.
  6. Sh”t Shevet HaLevi 8:117, Piskei Teshuvot 471:3. See Halichot Shlomo 8:4 who writes that it’s permissible if in the kneading the dough lost its form as bread.
  7. Mishna Brurah 471:12, Sh”t Igrot Moshe 1:155
  8. Sh”t Igrot Moshe 1:155 says that such is the minhag of individuals
  9. Orchot Chaim Safinka 471:5
  10. Halichot Shlomo 8:3, Rabbi Mansour on dailyhalacha.com
  11. Shulchan Aruch 468:1. Mishna Berura 468:1 says based on a Yerushalmi quoted by Tosafot Pesachim 50a "makom shenahagu" that the reason for this is that it is when we brought korban pesach and the day which you bring a korban is a yom tov and work is forbidden midirabanan, and this prohibition applies nowadays even though we don't have the korban. Rashi there gives a different reason that we want people to be free to prepare for the seder and get rid of their chametz. Pnei Yehoshua there explains that it is because the rabbis gave erev pesach the status of chol hamoed. Biur Halacha "mechatzot u'limala" says that according to Tosafot's reason if Pesach falls out on erev shabbat, melacha is not prohibited until mincha. But he adds that for Rashi the prohibition would still apply even when Pesach falls out on erev shabbat it would still be forbidden after mid-day, but concludes that most poskim hold like tosafot so one doesn't need to be machmir.
  12. Mishna Berura 468:5
  13. Rama 468:2
  14. Mishna Berura 468:7. He adds though that it is permissible to have a non-Jew do laundry for you.
  15. Mishna Berura 468:5. Orchot Rabbeinu vol. 2 page 56 says this can be done without restrictions.
  16. Mishna Berura 468:7.
  17. Orchot Rabbeinu vol. 2 page 56
  18. Rama 468:2. Mishna Berura 468:8 writes that you can also do these things for others without pay.