Passover- Is It Permissible To Eat Matzah, Marror, or Eggs on Erev Pesach

Passover- Is It Permissible To Eat Matzah, Marror, or Eggs on Erev Pesach


As we know, there are some laws that apply to Erev Pesach. One of the laws is that we do not eat Matzah on Erev Pesach. The reason is in order that we should eat the Matzah at the Seder Beteavon (with an appetite.) We don’t want to spoil the Seder by already eating Matzah on Erev Pesach.

The question we ask today, is whether or not this restriction also applies to other items that we eat at the Seder, specifically Marror and Eggs?

First, let's address Marror. Let’s assume a person wants to have a salad on Erev Pesach with romaine (Marror). Is it permissible or do we say to refrain from having Marror during the day in order to keep it appetizing for that night? The Halacha regarding the Marror, the Rama brings down a Minhag that there are people that do not eat Marror on Erev Pesach. However, the Bet Yoseph said that the Minhag of the Sephardim is not like that. So it is clear from the Bet Yoseph that Sephardim can eat Marror and can have romaine salad on Erev Pesach without a question.

Does this apply also to the egg? On the night of the Seder we eat the egg Zecher LiKorban Chagiga. So maybe, we should say that it is forbidden to eat eggs on Erev Pesach in order to keep that fresh also. Chacham Ovadia holds that there is no following to be strict at all on the egg. Because the egg at best is only a Minhag to eat on the night of Pesach. It is not a law. At best it is a custom. So therefore he says that even if somebody accepted upon himself not to eat eggs on Erev Pesach he still can go back to eating them, and he doesn’t even have to go in front of three Rabbis to absolve the custom that he did, because it is a Minhag without basis.

So to summarize, the Halachot; Matzah is forbidden on Erev Pesach, Marror is permissible of Erev Pesach, and eggs for sure are permissible on Erev Pesach. For Ashkenazim, they have a custom not to eat Marror on Erev Pesach as we said.