Yom Tov: Mincha, Maariv and Meals

Richard B. Aiken

WHAT TIME IS MINCHA BEFORE JEWISH FESTIVALS?

The earliest permissible time to say mincha before a Jewish festival is one-half hour after halachic midday, as with all mincha prayers including before Shabbat.

NOTE: You may begin the second day of any Jewish festival as early as plag ha'mincha. You should ideally say mincha before plag and then say ma'ariv after plag; but if you are praying with a minyan, you may say mincha anytime after plag and then say ma'ariv immediately afterward, just as on Shabbat.

NOTE: However, there is nothing gained by saying mincha early before a Jewish festival:

We don't want to start Rosh Hashana (Yom HaDin) early and no one wants to start Yom Kippur early.

You may not start either seder until after dark on Passover.

You could eat in a sukka before dark on either of the first two days of Sukkot, but you would not fulfill the requirement of eating in a sukka since it was not dark.

Likewise, the first day of Shavuot does not begin until after dark.

Since you may not say the blessing on eating in a sukka on Shmini Atzeret (which you would have to do if you eat before dark), there is nothing gained by saying mincha and ma'ariv early on that day, either.

So, as a practical matter, the only days on which saying mincha and ma'ariv early would allow beginning the holiday early are the second day of Shavuot, the second day of Rosh Hashana, and the last days of Passover.

Saying Mincha after Lighting Jewish Festival Candles

A woman who has already lit Jewish festival candles may not say mincha for the afternoon before a Jewish festival, even if she lit (after plag ha'mincha) long before sunset time, unless she intended not to begin the Jewish festival when she was lighting the candles (and intending to begin later should only be done in urgent situations, not routinely.)

JEWISH FESTIVALS: MA'ARIV

Saying Ma'ariv at Plag HaMincha

You may say ma'ariv before the start of a Jewish festival as early as plag ha'mincha (1 1/4 halachic hours before sunset), even if you did not say mincha before plag (unlike on weekdays when you must say mincha before plag in order to say ma'ariv before sunset).

Answering Kedusha If You Began the Jewish Festival Early

If you began the Jewish festival early and you are at a minyan where they are saying kedusha for mincha before the Jewish festival, you should reply to kedusha.

JEWISH FESTIVALS: MEALS

Introduction to Jewish Festival "Eating a Meal" Requirements

We are required to eat two meals on Jewish festivals, each preceded by kiddush, one in the evening and one in the morning. For both meals for each Jewish festival day (and all three meals on Shabbat), say ha'motzi over two complete loaves of bread, each of which is at least 1.3 fl. oz. in volume.

NOTE: Girls and women are not required to eat any meals (that is, including bread or matza) on Jewish festivals except the Passover seder. However, if a woman, or girl at least bat mitzva age, wants to eat bread, she should use two loaves, just as men do. This is halacha, not a custom. Also, girls and women may not fast on any festival day so even if they do not eat bread or matza, they must eat some food.

Source of Saying Jewish Festival Kiddush

Some kiddushes are commanded by the Torah (d'oraita); the others are from Chazal (d'rabanan), as follows:

Kiddush d'Oraita

First night of Jewish festivals
Night of seventh day of Passover
Night of Shmini Atzeret

Kiddush d'Rabanan

First day of Jewish festival
Second night of Jewish festival
Second day of Jewish festival
Seventh day of Passover
Eighth night of Passover
Eighth day of Passover
Shmini Atzeret day
Night and day of Simchat Torah

Source of Jewish Festival Kiddush Location

Saying Jewish festival kiddush at the place where you will eat your meal is a rabbinical (d'rabanan) enactment.

Jewish Festival Kiddush-Meal Quantities: Evening

For evening kiddush for a first-night (d'oraita) Jewish festival, a minimum of 4 fl. oz. (119 ml) of wine must be blessed on and at least half must be drunk.

For evening kiddush for a second-night (d'rabanan) Jewish festival, a minimum of 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml) of wine must be blessed on and at least 2.0 fl. oz. must be drunk.

For the evening meal, as on the first two Shabbat meals and for all required Jewish festival meals, a minimum of 1.9 fl. oz. (56 ml) of bread must be eaten within four minutes.

Eating Requirements for Jewish Festival Morning Kiddush

There are two separate eating requirements during the daytime. They may be combined (say/hear kiddush and start the main meal right away) but are often done separately (say/hear kiddush and then eat some light foods and beverages; the main meal is eaten later in the day).

NOTE: Since eating and drinking requirements on all morning kiddushes (both Shabbat and Jewish festivals) are d'rabanan, the required beverage amount for morning kiddush is only 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml) instead of the d'oraita 4 fl. oz. (119 ml) (which is required for kiddushes for Shabbat evening and all first-night Jewish festivals).

Morning kiddush requires a halachically legal “meal” with these elements:

Blessing on a minimum of 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml) of wine (or other beverage),
Someone's drinking at least half the beverage, followed by
Eating at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) of some type of mezonot within four minutes.

NOTE: If you drink at least 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml) of wine within 30 seconds, you do not need to eat mezonot.

NOTE: You do not need to drink the wine or other kiddush beverage to fulfill “establishing a meal.” You may hear kiddush and then simply eat the required amount of bread or mezonot. This applies to Shabbat or Jewish festivals, evening or morning.

The kiddush “meal” does not have to satiate.

The real meal (kovei'a se'uda) requires eating at least 1.9 fl. oz. (56 ml) of bread (or matza during Passover!) within four minutes. It must include enough food to satiate.

NOTE: You can simultaneously fulfill the requirement to “establish a meal” and to “eat a meal” by eating one (the same) piece of bread.

Yom Tov: Mincha, Maariv and Meals

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