("eve"). In general usage, the day before a holy day. In this context Friday is referred to as erev Shabbat ("Sabbath eve") and the day before a festival is erev yom tov. Such days are distinguished by halakhic regulations. On the eve of Sabbaths and festivals, the Taḥanun prayer is omitted in the Afternoon Service. The Shofar (ram's horn) is not blown on the eve of the New Year. The day preceding Passover is the Fast of the Firstborn. The prohibition against eating leavened bread is applicable from Passover eve and some communities do not work on that day.
The Jewish concept of a day is a 24-hour period from sunset to sunset (see Day and Night). Consequently, the Sabbath and all festivals begin at sunset of the previous day. The more precise meaning of erev therefore is the first evening of the holy day. In Temple times a shofar was sounded to signal the division between the pre-holiday non-sacred time and the sacred time of the holiday itself. This has its modern parallel in the sirens which are sounded in certain localities in Israel to signal the commencement of the Sabbath or the festival.
