Yom Tov

What you may do on Yom Tov

• You may use a peeler to peel vegetables or fruit.
• You may remove the pit from the fruit by taking the pit out and throwing it away.
• You may remove the bones from the fish by removing the bones.
• You may make tea using a teabag and you may remove the teabag as you usually do.
• To have clear soup you may strain the soup with a strainer.
• You may go through your clothes to choose what to wear.

What you may do on Yom Tov

• Fruit and vegetables that spoil easily may be cut into small pieces (because if you would do it on Erev Yom Tov they would spoil).
• Food that doesn’t spoil you may cut with a Shinui (doing it slightly different then you usually do it).
• For food that would spoil if done Erev Yom Tov, when using a grater you should grate with a Shinui (different than usual). You should hold the grater upside down or grate onto the table. If during the year you always use the food processer using a grater is considered a Shinui and you may grate the usual way.
• You may mash potatoes with a potato masher the usual way.
• You may mash bananas and avocado the usual way.

• On Yom Tov you may use hot water (heated by gas) however if the hot water is tankless you may not use it (if it has a small reservoir tank a Shailo should be asked).
• You may turn up the flame on a gas stove.
• You may also turn down the flame on a gas stove if the food will burn. You may only turn it down if you don’t have another option (you are not able to light another flame)-Rabbi Miller Shlita
• Rabbi Miller Shlita holds you may not increase/decrease the temperature of a digital electric oven (even if the oven has a Shabbos mode).
• You may increase the temperature of an old model electric oven which has manual controls, when the light is on.
• You may also, lower the temperature when the light is off, but you may not turn it completely off
• To add water to an Electric Hot Water Kettle (Shabbos Kettle) you should make sure the kettle is on or you should add a small amount at a time. Another option you can do is to heat the water on the stove and when boiling add it to the kettle.

• If the gas went out on Yom Tov you may only relight it from an existing flame.
• You may not strike a match to relight it. You may light a match from an existing flame to relight it.
• The same Halacha applies to lighting the candles,  you may only light them from an existing flame.
• It is advisable to light a Yohrtzeit light to have a light to light the candles.
• You may ask a non-Jew (no need to hint) to strike a match to relight the stove or to light the candles.

• You may take out from the freezer a frozen soup and defrost it and cook it on Yom Tov. It is preferable to defrost it in a pot with a small amount of water in it.
• You may take something out of the freezer to defrost on the first day to use on the second day as long as it doesn’t completely defrost on the first day.
• Many hold you may make freeze pops on Yom Tov. Some hold you shouldn’t.

Question:

Can one make the Second day of Yom Tov early to daven Mincha before Plag and Maariv after Plag as we do on Shabbos to be able to eat earlier or should one wait till night to daven Maariv?

Answer:

The Minhag is not to daven Maariv early the Second night of Yom Tov. In extenuating circumstances (for example for a sick or elderly person) a Shailo should be asked.

• The reason why the Minhag is not to daven early is because you are not allowed to prepare on the first day for the second day. You are allowed to cook on Yom Tov for Yom Tov but you are not allowed to cook or prepare on Yom Tov for a weekday. You may also not cook or prepare on the first day Yom Tov for the second day Yom Tov because if the first day is Yom Tov the second day is a weekday. Cooking or preparing for the second day is like preparing for a weekday.
• You must wait till night to start preparing for the second day.

• You may only cut your nails on Chol Hamoed if you cut them before Yom Tov, so you should remember to cut your nails tonight or tomorrow if you want to be able to cut them Chol Hamoed. 
• You can’t them on Chol Hamoed if you cut them on Friday for Shabbos.

• You may take out from the freezer a frozen soup and defrost it and cook it on Yom Tov. It is preferable to defrost it in a pot with a small amount of water in it. 
• You may take something out of the freezer to defrost on the first day to use on the second day as long as it doesn’t completely defrost on the first day. 
• Many hold you may make freeze pops on Yom Tov. Some hold you shouldn’t. 
• If the gas went out on Yom Tov you may only relight it from an existing flame. 
• You may not strike a match to relight it. You may light a match from an existing flame to relight it.  
• The same Halocho applies to lighting the candles you may only light them from an existing flame.  
• It is advisable to light a Yourzeit light to have a light to light the candles. 
• You may ask a non-Jew (no need to hint) to strike a match to relight the stove or to light the candles. 

• A man may sew on a button on Chol H’moed (Melaches Hadyot). 
• Women may tweeze their eyebrows and remove any body hair by cutting/shaving/waxing (besides the hair on her head). 
• You may cut your nails on Chol H’moed if you cut them on Erev Yom Tov. 
• You may polish shoes (with polish) on Chol H’moed. 
• It is not permitted to do laundry on Chol H’moed, however, you may wash children’s clothes that make their clothes dirty and you need the clothes for Chol H’moed or Yom Tov. 
• When you wash children’s clothes you may add to the wash children’s clothes that may not be needed for Yom Tov.  However, you may not add adult’s clothes. 
• In some instances, adults clothes may be washed (A Shailoh should be asked). 
• You may spot clean on Chol H’moed if you need it for Yom Tov.  
• If clothes get an ink or blood stain and by leaving it till after Yom Tov the garment will get ruined, you may wash the whole garment if necessary to remove the stain. 
• You may iron, but you may not make new folds or pleats. 
• You may not have them professionally pressed. 
• You may wash the floors and vacuum carpets, but you may not shampoo or steam them. 
•   You may brush your hat.