Komentarz do Kapłańska 23:15

ממחרת השבת FROM THE MORROW AFTER THE DAY OF REST — i. e. from the morrow after the first day of the Passover festival (Menachot 65b).

AND YE SHALL COUNT ‘LACHEM’ (UNTO YOU). The meaning thereof is similar to the expression And ye shall take ‘lachem,’²⁶⁴Further, Verse 40. thus establishing that the counting [of the forty-nine days of the omer] and the taking [of the lulav, ethrog etc. on the Festival of Tabernacles] be done by each and every person. Thus the counting must be done by word of mouth, and he should mention the number, just as our Rabbis have received it by tradition.²⁶⁵This may refer to what the Rabbis have said: “It is obligatory to count the days, and it is obligatory to count the weeks” (Menachoth 66 a). Thus we say e.g., “This is the tenth day, making one week and three days of the omer.” This is unlike the expressions and he shall count ‘lo’ (to himself) seven days for his cleansing;²⁶⁶Above, 15:13. then she shall number ‘lah’ (to herself) seven days²⁶⁷Ibid., Verse 28. [referring to a man or woman who suffered a flux, in which case the counting of the clean days does not have to be uttered by word of mouth], because if they so wish, they may remain in their impurity; they must only beware not to forget their impurity [and enter the Sanctuary or eat holy food in a state of defilement, which Scripture strongly forbids].²⁶⁸But otherwise the man or woman suffering a flux [i.e., zav or zavah] is under no obligation to proceed with the purification. Hence “the counting” of the seven clean days which the Torah mentioned that they must do could not be in the nature of a positive act — counting by word of mouth — but merely a warning that they should not forget their state of impurity. However, in the case of the counting of the omer, this reasoning is inapplicable, since the observance of Shevuoth on the fiftieth day is not a matter of choice, hence “the counting” must mean by word of mouth. Similarly, And thou shall number ‘lecha’ (unto thee) seven Sabbaths of years etc.²⁶⁹Further 25:8. of the Jubilee, means [only] that you shall be heedful of the number so that you should not forget [when the Jubilee year falls, but the actual counting of the years does not have to be by word of mouth]. But in the Torath Kohanim I have found it said:²⁷⁰Torath Kohanim, Behar 2:1. “And thou shalt number unto thee²⁶⁹Further 25:8. — in the court.” Now I do not know if the intention is to state that the Great Court [of seventy-one judges] is obliged [actually] to count the years and the Sabbatical cycles²⁷¹Thus the counting would be done e.g., in the following manner: “This year is the twentieth year, making two Sabbatical cycles and six years of the Jubilee.” See “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 148-149. at the beginning of every year, and to recite a benediction before the counting as we do at the counting [of the forty-nine days] of the omer; or it may be that the intention [of the Torath Kohanim] is to state that the court should be careful in the counting of the years, and sanctify the fiftieth year.²⁷²See ibid., p. 144. Thus the number of days from the day of the waving of the omer until the day of the holy convocation [i.e., the Festival of Weeks], is identical to the number of years of the [seven] Sabbatical cycles until the Jubilee, and the reason for them is the same. Therefore ye shall number fifty days²⁴⁹Verse 16. which means that one is to count seven weeks [comprising] forty-nine days,²⁷³Perhaps the thought conveyed here is as explained above (in Verse 11) that these seven weeks are not determined from the start of the regular cycle of weeks, but by these forty-nine days which are counted from the day of the waving of the sheaf, on whatever day of the week it may take place. and sanctify the fiftieth day which he has counted [and make it a holy convocation], just as He said with respect to the Jubilee.²⁶⁹Further 25:8. This is the meaning of the word t’mimoth (complete) — [seven weeks shall there be ‘complete’], meaning that they be exactly that number, no less and no more, just as is the meaning of the expression: they shall be perfect,²⁷⁴Numbers 28:19. for anything additional or missing makes a thing imperfect.²⁷⁵The thought is similar to a principle stated by the Sages: “Every addition of a limb is considered equivalent to the entire absence of the respective limb [in an animal or fowl]” (Chullin 58 b). Thus the explanation of this section is that we are to begin counting the days in the beginning of the barley harvest,²⁷⁶Ruth 1:22. and bring of the first fruits of the harvest, of the fresh ears,²⁷⁷Above, 2:14. a meal-offering unto the Eternal, and also to offer up with it an offering,²⁷⁸As specified in Verse 12: And in the day when ye wave the sheaf, ye shall offer a he-lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt-offering unto the Eternal. and to finish the counting of the days in the beginning of the corn harvest, as a shock of grain cometh up in its season,²⁷⁹Job 5:26. and bring of it a meal-offering of fine corn flour unto the Eternal, and to offer with it also an offering.²⁸⁰As specified in Verse 18: And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs … This is the reason why He mentioned these offerings in this section, because they are brought on account of the meal-offerings which are the main [commandment] of these festivals, but He did not mention the Additional Offerings brought on these festivals [which are enumerated in the Book of Numbers],²⁸¹Numbers 28:18-31. even as He did not mention those of the rest of the festivals.

וספרתם לכם, "and you shall count for yourselves, etc." The reason the Torah adds the word "for yourselves" is that G'd commanded to count for seven weeks consecutively. We are told in the Zohar volume 3 page 97 that seeing the Jewish people were in a state of impurity and G'd wanted to betroth them to Himself He applied the legislation pertaining to a menstruant woman who is required to purify herself for seven days. He therefore commanded them to "purify" themselves for seven weeks by counting those days much as a menstruant counts the seven days. The count then was for the benefit of the Israelites in order that they would become G'd's "bride" as it were and would be able to step under the wedding canopy at Mount Sinai. The reason that the period of counting was seven weeks instead of seven days was the extraordinary amount of impurity the Jewish people had accumulated during their extended stay in Egypt. Another reason is that in this instance we speak about an entire people having to shed their accumulated impurities. I have explained on Exodus 19,1 that the word בצאתם was to be understood as a cause for G'd having delayed the giving of the Torah, i.e. the presence of the Israelites in Egypt for a long time necessitated the period of seven weeks during which the Jews prepared themselves for this event. The sentiment that the reason the Torah was not given immediately after the Exodus is supported by the words ממחרת השבת, that the Torah would not be given immediately after the Sabbath, i.e. Passover, but after a period described as the morrow of that day. The nature of this count is that the days have to be whole days, as opposed to parts of days. Seeing the 15th of Nissan at that time was a Sabbath and that on part of that day the Israelites were still in Egypt, the count of the seven weeks could not commence until the following day, i.e. ממחרת. While it is true that this consideration applied only to the generation of Israelites who left Egypt at that time, the Torah legislated that the same procedure be followed year after year starting with the year of the Exodus. Kabbalists understand why we have to re-enact history in this fashion. According to the plain meaning of the text the reason the Torah refers to "the day following the Sabbath" is a reminder of the fact that while in Egypt the Jews had to perform slave labour also on the Sabbath. You may do well to read what I have written on Genesis 2,2 in connection with the words ויכל אלוקים ביום השביעי.

וספרתם לכם, “you are to count for yourselves, etc.” Some commentators believe that the reason the Torah demanded this count is that seeing that these are days when the harvesting in the fields is in full swing, the common people, the farmers, might lose track of the exact number of days that had elapsed since the Passover. Seeing that during that period they are hardly ever at home, the messengers from the court might have difficulty in reaching them. These farmers might not find out if the month of Nissan had 29 days or thirty days, and similarly, they might not know if the High Court had extended the length of the month of Iyar or not. By counting until 50 they would be certain to observe the festival of Shavuot on the correct day. This is also the reason that the optimal time for counting these days was in the evening, as during the day they might have been to preoccupied with their harvesting activities.

וספרתם לכם ממחרת השבת, “you will begin to count for yourselves, commencing with the day after the first day of Passover;” seeing that there are seven weeks between the beginning of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest, periods when the commandment of sh’mittah is observed in earnest, the prophet (Jeremiah, 5,24) has already categorized them as: שבועות חוקת קציר ישמר לנו, “Who keeps for our benefit the weeks appointed for the harvest.”Rashi comments: “seven weeks during which G-d decreed for us two laws, that of the harvesting of the “omer and the presentation of the first two loaves of the new wheat harvest.” He sees to it that we can harvest these two species at the appropriate time of the year. Seeing that such an important part of our livelihood depends on these two harvests, it is easy to understand that the Torah expects us to keep the counting of these days meticulously. Just as we have to count days we also have to count weeks, at the end of which period we sanctify the fiftieth day after completing the seventh week. We have to do the same concerning counting for the sh’mittah year and the arrival of the yovel year. The emphasis of this whole paragraph is on the respective concepts of sh’mittah and yovel. There are a total of 49 potential disasters that the Torah warns us of if we fail to observe these two basic positive commandments. [Thenumber 49 symbolizes the number of days we fail to assimilate the social significance of those laws to ensure that no extremes of rich and poor will become permanent features in our land. [My choice of words. Ed.]

You shall count for yourselves. The word chosen for designating counting (וספרתם) alludes to the soul’s benefit — becoming sanctified and purified from all materialistic desires and lowly thoughts during this seven week period. For even the word תספור (count) does not connote merely to know how many days and weeks, rather, it implies analysis and watchfulness, as it says, “But now, You count my steps” (Iyov 14:16). This mainly implies analysis and watchfulness of one’s steps and behavior. Similarly, here too, the meaning of “you shall count for yourselves” is that you should inspect your lives, think deeply about yourself — what is the true good you should choose and the true evil from which you must flee. Do not do anything without weighing it first in the scales of judgment to see if it is good or bad. This can be compared to someone who received a sum of money from his friend. He will be careful about the amount of the coin count and also the quality of each counted coin, lest he have an invalid, defective coin … Possibly, we can also say that in using the word וספרתם the Torah includes the idea of purity and refinement, as the language of the verses (Yechezkel 1:26): “Sapphire (ספיר) stone,” and (Shemos 24:10), “Sapphire brick.”.

תמימת תהיינה [SEVEN WEEKS] SHALL BE COMPLETE — This teaches that one has to begin counting in the evening, for otherwise they would not be complete (Menachot 66a).

וספרתם לכם, according to Nachmanides the additional word לכם, “for yourselves,” was the reason why our sages decreed that every individual was to count these days, it was not enough for the members of the Court to do so on behalf of the people at large, as they did when they proclaimed the day of the New Moon. On the other hand, when the Torah writes וספרת לך in the singular mode, pertaining to the Jubilee year, that is a task reserved for the High Court exclusively. (Leviticus 25,8) The number of days from the first heaving of the omer offering corresponds exactly to the number of years in a Jubilee cycle. The seven years in that cycle, correspond to the seven weeks in the counting of the omer. Presumably, this is the reason why the Torah wrote תספרו חמישים יום, “you are to count 50 days, meaning that you count seven times seven days, i.e. 49 days, whereupon the 50th day is a holy convocation, again a wording which closely parallels the Jubilee legislation in chapter 25. The principal reason for mentioning the number 50 is to ensure that we do not count either less or more than the number stipulated by the Torah.

A moral-ethical approach to our verse may be derived if we see in the word וספרתם the root ספיר, sapphire, the material the second tablets were made of (compare Vayikra Rabbah 32,2). The souls of the Jewish people are compared to the nature of sapphires which lose their lustre when they become dirty. As a result of sins committed by their owners (bodies inhabited by these souls) something similar happens to their souls. The message of the word וספרתם is that by means of the count the Jewish people would "polish up" their souls so that they would be unblemished by the time they would experience the revelation at Mount Sinai.

ממחרת השבת, if you were to say that these words refer to the day following the original Sabbath, i.e. the first day of the week, you would on occasion have to count fifty two days instead of forty nine days or even fifty four days or fifty six days, neither less nor more. This is why the first day of Passover cannot occur on either: Monday, Wednesday or Friday. How then could I fulfill the commandment implied in the words “on the day following the Sabbath?” This can only be done by understanding the word שבת, as referring to the first day of the festival.

ממחרת השבת, the word ממחרת is as if the Torah had written במחרת, “on the day following, etc.” This is quite accurate as the counting begins on the day following the first day of the matzah festival. The Torah adds: (actually at the end of verse 14)

ממחרת השבת מיום הביאכם, "on the morrow of the Sabbath from the day you offer the Omer, etc." The meaning is that the count commences now before you come to the Holy Land. As far as what is to happen after the people will come to the land of Canaan the Torah writes: "from the day you offer the Omer sacrifice." The reason the Torah first mentioned the words ממחרת השבת, is that the commandment of counting commenced already at the time of the Exodus.

חוקת עולם לדורותיכם בכל מושבותיכם, “an eternal decree for all your generations wherever you will reside.” The decree referred to is 1) that of not eating of the new barley harvest before the day on which the omer offering has been presented. 2) To observe the fiftieth day as a festival on which the performance of work is prohibited. I might have thought that seeing that these laws have been linked to offering sacrifices, also to the offering of the first sacrifice of breads made from the new wheat harvest on Shavuot, that the other regulations do not apply when there is no Temple and when we are not dwelling in our own land. This is also the reason that the Torah stresses the same applicability of the prohibitions of the Day of Atonement, as there too, seeing that the atonement mentioned in the Torah is linked to special offerings and the ceremony of the scapegoat, that when these cannot be performed that the entire Yom Kippur legislation would be null and void. By writing these extra lines the Torah makes plain that this is not so. There was no need to specifically mention applicability of the prohibitions of New Year, Sukkot and chag hamatzot wherever Jews lived except in connection with the laws in Exodus chapter 12,17 seeing that it appeared to depend entirely on the availability of a male lamb in its first year for slaughter in the Temple. We might have thought that once there was no place available to offer the blood and fat of that lamb on the altar, the laws about unleavened bread and bitter herbs would also not apply, therefore the Torah had to write verse 17 to disabuse us of such an idea. As long as the Torah did not restrict a prohibition to periods when there would be a Temple, such prohibitions remain in force regardless. (Compare Kidushin 37)