Shalosh Seudos
When the first day of Yom Tov is Shabbos, the requirement of shalosh seudos becomes a little challenging due to the fact that we may not have a meal so close to the evening Yom Tov meal. Therefore, to accommodate the halacha of eating shalosh seudos as well as the halacha of maintaining an appetite for the Yom Tov meal at night, many poskim suggest “splitting” the day meal. This means that one eats the first meal Shabbos morning and before dessert, benches, and takes a 15 or 20 minute break by cleaning off the table, going out for a stroll, playing with their children, learning Torah, or any other activity. They then return to the table, wash again, eat dessert, and in that way fulfill the mitzvah of shalosh seudos without interfering with the evening meal. Shalosh seudos is a requirement for men and women. Someone who feels that washing twice in such a short period of time may have a negative effect upon their health, may fulfill the requirement of shalosh seudos by eating some type of mezonos or a fruit.
Eruv Tavshilin
On the first day of Yom Tov we are not permitted to cook or to do any preparations for the next day of Yom Tov. Similarly, we are not permitted to cook on Yom Tov for Shabbos. By making an Eruv Tavshilin, Chazal, our Rabbis, permitted cooking on Yom Tov which falls on Erev Shabbos for that Shabbos. This year, it is necessary to make an Eruv Tavshilin on Friday, April 9, before the start of Yom Tov. The Eruv Tavshilin consists of two types of food, one baked and one cooked. You should take a complete piece of matza and put it together with a cooked egg, piece of chicken or fish, and recite both the bracha and the text of the Eruv. The text is recited in a language that one understands. (This can be found in all siddurim and machzorim, and in the Artscroll siddur on page 654.)
There is a minhag to use the matza of the Eruv for lechem mishna at the seudos Shabbos and to eat it at the seudah shlishis in order to do as many mitzvos with one item as possible. (One who does not eat shalosh seudos at home should eat the Eruv Tavshilin at the second meal.)
