Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : as the verse states: “Seven weeks you shall number for you; from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain you shall begin to number seven weeks” (Deuteronomy 16:9). By using the term “for you,” the verse indicates that the counting of the weeks is dependent upon the decision of the court, as they know how to calculate the new months. This serves to exclude the possibility that the counting starts after the Shabbat of Creation, whose counting can be performed by every person, not only the court.
הֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״תִּסְפׇּר לָךְ״, סְפִירָה תְּלוּיָה בְּבֵית דִּין, יָצְתָה שַׁבַּת בְּרֵאשִׁית שֶׁסְּפִירָתָהּ בְּכׇל אָדָם.
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : Rabbi Yosei says that the verse: “And you shall count for you from the morrow after the day of rest [hashabbat]” (Leviticus 23:15), means from the morrow after the festival of Passover. Do you say it means from the morrow after the festival of Passover, or is it only referring to from the morrow after Shabbat of Creation, i.e., Sunday? You can say in response: Is it stated: From the morrow after the day of rest [hashabbat] that is during Passover? No, it is stated only: “From the morrow after the day of rest [hashabbat].” Considering that the entire year is full of Shabbatot, go and try to examine to which Shabbat the verse is referring. How does one know which Shabbat this means? Clearly, then, this “day of rest” is the Festival, not Shabbat.
רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: ״מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת״ – מִמָּחֳרַת יוֹם טוֹב. אַתָּה אוֹמֵר מִמָּחֳרַת יוֹם טוֹב, אוֹ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא מִמָּחֳרַת שַׁבַּת בְּרֵאשִׁית? אָמַרְתָּ: וְכִי נֶאֱמַר ״מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הַפֶּסַח״? וַהֲלֹא לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא ״מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת״, דְּכׇל הַשָּׁנָה כּוּלָּהּ מְלֵאָה שַׁבָּתוֹת, צֵא וּבְדוֹק אֵיזוֹ שַׁבָּת.
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : Rabbi Yosei cites another proof: And furthermore, it is stated “shabbat” below, with regard to the festival of Shavuot (Leviticus 23:16), and it is also stated “shabbat” above (Leviticus 23:15), with regard to starting the counting of the omer. Just as below, with regard to the festival of Shavuot, it is stated: “Even until the morrow after the seventh week [shabbat] you shall number fifty days,” and the word shabbat is referring to a time at the beginning of the Festival; so too here, with regard to the bringing of omer, the word shabbat means Festival, and the counting starts near the beginning of the Festival, on the second day of Passover. According to the Boethusians, sometimes the commencement of the counting is well after the start of Passover.
וְעוֹד, נֶאֶמְרָה ״שַׁבָּת״ לְמַטָּה, וְנֶאֶמְרָה ״שַׁבָּת״ לְמַעְלָה. מָה לְהַלָּן – רֶגֶל וּתְחִילַּת רֶגֶל, אַף כָּאן – רֶגֶל וּתְחִילַּת רֶגֶל.
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : The baraita continues: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says there is yet another proof: One verse states: “Six days you shall eat unleavened bread” (Deuteronomy 16:8), and one verse states: “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread” (Exodus 12:15). How can these texts be reconciled? Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar explains that there is matza that you are unable to eat for all seven days of Passover, due to the prohibition of harvesting and eating from the new crop of grain that ripened before Passover until after the omer offering. But you are able to eat that same matza for six days, although it is from the new crop, as it is permitted after the bringing of the omer offering on the second day of Passover. This resolution of the verses is possible only if the omer offering is brought on the sixteenth of Nisan, not on any other date.
רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר: כָּתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר: ״שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת״, וְכָתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר: ״שִׁבְעַת יָמִים מַצּוֹת תֹּאכֵלוּ״. הָא כֵּיצַד? מַצָּה שֶׁאִי אַתָּה יָכוֹל לְאוֹכְלָהּ שִׁבְעָה מִן הֶחָדָשׁ – אַתָּה יָכוֹל לְאוֹכְלָהּ שִׁשָּׁה מִן הֶחָדָשׁ.
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar clarifies another two verses that deal with the counting of the omer: “And you shall count for you from the morrow after the day of rest, from the day that you brought the sheaf [omer] of the waving; seven weeks there shall be complete; even until the morrow after the seventh week you shall number fifty days; and you shall present a new meal offering to the Lord” (Leviticus 23:15–16). One might have thought that although one must harvest and bring the omer meal offering on the second day of Passover, the sixteenth of Nisan, he may start to count the omer from whenever he wishes after that day.
״מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם ... תִּסְפְּרוּ״ – יָכוֹל יִקְצוֹר וְיָבִיא, וְאֵימָתַי שֶׁיִּרְצֶה יִסְפּוֹר?
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : Therefore, the verse states: “Seven weeks you shall number for you; from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain you shall begin to number seven weeks” (Deuteronomy 16:9). This verse indicates that the counting should commence upon the reaping of the grain for the omer offering. If one would read just this verse: “From the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain you shall begin to number,” one might have thought that one can harvest and count and then bring the omer offering whenever he wishes. Therefore, the other verse states: “From the day that you brought the sheaf of the waving…you shall number fifty days,” indicating that the counting should start on the day the omer offering is brought.
תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״מֵהָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה תָּחֵל לִסְפֹּר״. אִי ״מֵהָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ תָּחֵל לִסְפּוֹר״ – יָכוֹל יִקְצוֹר וְיִסְפּוֹר, וְאֵימָתַי שֶׁיִּרְצֶה יָבִיא? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם״.
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : If one would derive the halakha from this verse: “From the day that you brought the sheaf of the waving,” one might have thought that he should harvest and count and bring the omer offering during the day, not on the night of the sixteenth of Nisan. Therefore, the verse states: “From the day that you brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks there shall be complete.” When do you find that there are seven complete weeks? You find it at the time when you begin to count from the evening. Only if the counting commences at night, at the start of the sixteenth of Nisan, will the seven weeks of counting be complete, without missing that first evening.
אִי ״מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם״ – יָכוֹל יִקְצוֹר וְיִסְפּוֹר וְיָבִיא בַּיּוֹם? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר ״שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה״. אֵימָתַי אַתָּה מוֹצֵא שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימוֹת? בִּזְמַן שֶׁאַתָּה מַתְחִיל לִימְנוֹת מִבָּעֶרֶב.
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : If so, one might have thought that all of the rites of the omer should be at night, and therefore one should harvest and bring the omer offering and start to count at night. Therefore the verse states: From the day that you brought the sheaf of the waving. How can these texts be reconciled? Does one start at night or in the day? Harvesting and counting should be performed at night, and the bringing of the omer offering is during the day.
יָכוֹל יִקְצוֹר וְיָבִיא וְיִסְפּוֹר בַּלַּיְלָה? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר ״מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם״, הָא כֵּיצַד? קְצִירָה וּסְפִירָה בַּלַּיְלָה, וַהֲבָאָה בַּיּוֹם.
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : § The Gemara has presented two baraitot with ten proofs between them countering the Boethusian claim that the counting of the omer begins on the Sunday after Passover. Rava said: For all of the suggested proofs there is a possible refutation except for those of the two last tanna’im cited, both in the first baraita and in the second baraita, for which there is no refutation.
אָמַר רָבָא: כּוּלְּהוּ אִית לְהוּ פִּירְכָא, בַּר מִתַּרְתֵּי תַּנָּאֵי בָּתְרָאֵי, בֵּין בְּמַתְנִיתָא קַמַּיְיתָא בֵּין בְּמַתְנִיתָא בָּתְרָיְיתָא, דְּלֵית לְהוּ פִּירְכָא.
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : Rava elaborates: If one seeks to prove from that which Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said, that there is a contradiction between two verses, as one indicates that there is an obligation to count fifty days and another that the obligation is to count seven weeks, perhaps this contradiction can be resolved in accordance with the statement of Abaye. As Abaye said: It is a mitzva to count days, and it is also a mitzva to count seven weeks. When one counts, he should track both the number of days and the number of weeks.
אִי מִדְּרַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי, דִּלְמָא כִּדְאַבָּיֵי, דְּאָמַר אַבָּיֵי: מִצְוָה לְמִימְנֵי יוֹמֵי, וּמִצְוָה לְמִימְנֵי שָׁבוּעֵי.
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : Rabbi Eliezer derived that the counting is dependent upon the court, not the individual. Therefore, he claimed that when the verse mentions shabbat it must be referring to the Festival, not a regular Shabbat, which does not require a court for its determination. Rabbi Yehoshua derived that just as the counting and sanctifying of the New Moon is performed at a distinct time, so too the counting of the omer and start of Shavuot that follows must occur on a specific date. Rava refutes both of these claims: If the proof is from that which Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua said, granted that their proofs successfully demonstrate that the counting should start after the Festival, not after Shabbat, but from where does one know that it is referring to the first day of the Festival? Perhaps it is referring to the last day of the Festival, i.e., the seventh day of Passover?
אִי מִדְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, מִמַּאי דִּבְיוֹם טוֹב רִאשׁוֹן קָאֵי? דִּלְמָא בְּיוֹם טוֹב אַחֲרוֹן קָאֵי!
Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : Rava now addresses the statements of the final two tanna’im cited in the first baraita: With regard to the proof given by Rabbi Yishmael from the two loaves that are brought at the beginning of a Festival, and the proof mentioned by Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira from the usage of the word shabbat in connection with Shavuot, Rava said: They have no refutation.
דְּרַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בְּתֵירָא – לֵית לְהוּ פִּירְכָא.