When do we start to count the Omer? What are the different views?

 

Counting the Omer 2021

Sefirat HaOmer 5781

       ספירת העומר

Detail of the 2021 Calendar with Passover on March 27th, Feast of Firstfuits (also Easter this year) on April 4th and Shavuot on May 23, the same day celebrated as Pentecost by the Catholic and Protestant Church. In between these are the 49 days of the Omer count beginning April 4th and ending May 23rd. This schedule is based on the Aristocratic majority view of counting the omer.

 

 When do we start to count the Omer? What are the different views?

There are four different approaches or interpretations as to when we are to begin counting the omer. The most popular up until the end of the second temple period was the Aristocratic majority view which held that the waving of the omer wave offering should be timed with the first day of the week, the day we call Sunday, after Pesach (Passover). This view was based directly on Leviticus 23:11 which commands that the omer offering should be waved on the day after the Sabbath following Passover. They interpreted the word Sabbath to refer to the weekly Sabbath. The result is that, the first day of the omer always falls on the Feast of First Fruits, Habikkurim and the fiftieth day, being Shavuot, always falls on the first day of the week. Unlike every other major festival, Shavuot, according to this reckoning, does not fall on a particular day of the month in the Hebrew calendar, in keeping with scripture.

Another related view, the Quasi-Aristocratic minority view, interpreted the word Sabbath to refer to the weekly Sabbath that would occur after the 7-day feast of unleavened bread. This results in the wave offering being offered on the first day of the week after the end of the 7 days of unleavened bread. One reason why this view has never gained much support is that the counting of the omer could begin as much as 13 days after Passover when Abib 15 (Nisan 15) falls on the second day of the week. 

The view that is most popular today is the Hassidic majority view. In this interpretation the Sabbath referred to is the high Sabbath festival day of Pesach - Abib 15 (Nisan 15). According to most Hebrew calendars today the Omer wave offering always occurs and the counting of the omer begins on the 16th day of Abib (Nisan) no matter which day of the week that might be. This system seems to have been put into place about 68 C.E. when the control of the Sanhedrin shifted from the Pharisees to the Sadducees, however, it is supported according to some by Joshua 5:10-11.

The final view, the Quasi-Hassidic minority view is similar in interpretation but like the Quasi-Aristocratic view it holds that the Wave offering should be made after the festival of Unleavened Bread is complete. Therefore in this view the Sabbath referred to in Leviticus 23:11 is the high Sabbath festival day occurring on the last day of unleavened bread. This day is always Abib 21 (Nisan 21) no matter which day of the week that might be. In this case it is a direct contradiction of Joshua 5:10-11.

Days of the omer count in 2021, according to the Aristocratic majority view.  Here we see only the days that we will be counting the omer and the corresponding dates of the Gregorian calendar. Beginning on the first day following the first Sabbath after Passover, we are to count forty-nine days – seven Sabbaths. The fiftieth day is Shavuot or Pentecost.

Why the Aristocratic Majority view is preferred

In this guide we prefer the Aristocratic majority view which was believed to have been the accepted practice during temple times and is the only one which sets the start of the omer count on the day associated with Yeshua’s resurrection and establishes Shavuot on the first day of the week in keeping with the account of Pentecost provided in Acts 2. A careful reading of the Hebrew text in Leviticus 23:15 supports this view as well. Read from left to right in this interlinear presentation of the verse:

The word-for-word translation reads: "And count from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf wave offering, seven complete Sabbaths."  Even if you interpret the first Sabbath reference to refer to the day of Passover as per the Hassidic majority view, the subsequent use of the plural Sabbaths can only mean the regular weekly Sabbaths. Otherwise the Hebrew word used here would be Shavuot – Weeks, not Shabbatot – Sabbaths. This clearly indicates that the regular weekly Sabbath is in view and could be the reason that the specific days of the month are never given in the text for the feast of Firstfruits and for Shavuot. Accoding to this interpretation, they will always fall on the day after the Sabbath – Sunday, regardless of what day Passover falls on. 

It should be noted that when Passover (Nisan 14) falls on the Sixth day of the week - Friday, (as it did in 2018 and 2019 and will again in 2022 and 2029) nearly everyone will be in agreement about the day to start counting the omer.

    For a more complete examination of this subject, see "The Festivals and Sacred Days of Yahweh" Chapter 16:  Counting Shabuath (Pentecost) published by Qadesh La Yahweh Press and available at the time of this printing at the following link: http://www.yahweh.org/PDF_index3.html