Peshat - the plain and simple meaning

Karaite Korner, and the people and organizations quoted on http://www.karaite-korner.org, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

---

This year, both Rabbinical and Karaite Jews held Passover on the same day. It was truly an incredible coincidence, since the rabbinical calendar is normally off by two days from the new moon calendar described in the Torah. Anyhow, It is quite unfortunate that Rabbinical Jews will be holding Shavout starting on Tuesday evening, June 7, 2011. Based on the following verses, Shavout should always occur the day after Sabbath, a Sunday -- this year, June 12, 2011.

More discussion is here: Counting the Omer 2009

	Leviticus Chapter 23 9 And YHWH spoke unto Moses saying: 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest. 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 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 YHWH. 13 And the meal-offering thereof shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto YHWH for a sweet savour; and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. 14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day, until ye have brought the offering of your God; it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the day of rest, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks shall there be complete; 16 even unto the morrow after the seventh week shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto YHWH. 17 Ye shall bring out of your dwellings two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, for first-fruits unto YHWH. 18 And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams; they shall be a burnt-offering unto YHWH, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto YHWH. 19 And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace-offerings. 20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before YHWH, with the two lambs; they shall be holy to YHWH for the priest. 21 And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest; thou shalt leave them for the poor, and for the stranger: I am YHWH your God.

http://www.karaite-korner.org/omer.shtml:

June 11, 2011:
Today is the 7th day of the 7th week of seven weeks. Today is the 49th day of the counting of fifty days from the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Sabbath. Today is Sabbath, the 7th Sabbath of seven Sabbaths. Today completes the 7th week of seven weeks.

11 יוני 2011:
הַיּוֹם יוֹם שְׁבִיעִי לַשָּׁבוּעַ שְׁבִיעִי מִשִׁבְעָה שָׁבֻעוֹת. הַיּוֹם אַרְבָּעִים וְתִשְׁעָה יוֹם מִסְפִירַת חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם מֵהֲנָפַת הָעֹמֶר מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת. ‏הַיּוֹם שַׁבָּת, שַׁבָּת שְׁבִיעִית מִשֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת. הַיּוֹם נִשְׁלַם שָׁבוּעַ שְׁבִיעִי מִשִׁבְעָה שָׁבֻעוֹת.

Today is Sunday, May 31, 2009 -

Day 50 of Omer
Chag Sameach Shavuot!

Feast of Weeks, Feast of Harvest
Feast of First Fruits

Baruch YHWH!

Rabbinical Jews start the counting of the Omer on the day after Passover. Karaites believe the counting of the Omer starts the day after the shabbat that occurs during passover. Let's try to understand what the Torah actually says.

A couple simple verses leading to the first day of Omer starting the day after shabbat during Passover:

- We are to count 7 shabbats which logically points to shabbat as the shabbat, not Passover as the first shabbat -- there are not 7 Passovers. Shavua is hebrew for week - Shavout is afterall interpretted to mean Feast of Weeks. Having the name for week in the Feast name and still interpretting shabbat as week rather than 7th day of rest seems extreme.

- Most revealing is Lev 23:16 where it specifies the fiftieth day being the "morrow after shabbat", which clearly would be a Sunday.

Therefore, the count would begin on the day after shabbat during Passover.

Interestingly enough, those following the lunar calendar would have the same count in the year 2009 since Passover fell on shabbat according to the lunar calendar.

	Contrary to popular belief, the Counting of Omer leading to Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost) begins after shabbat, not after Passover. From http://www.karaite-korner.org/shavuot.shtml: Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost) is the Biblical harvest-festival celebrated 50 days after the Sunday which falls out during Passover. These fifty days are called the Counting of the Omer. A more accurate translation of Lev 23:15-16 follows: Leviticus Chapter 23 15 And you shall count for yourself from the day after the seventh day of rest (the shabbat - הַשַּׁבָּת), from the day that you brought the sheaf of waving; seven seventh days of rest (a shabbatote - שַׁבָּתֹות) shall there be complete; 16 even unto the day after after the seventh day of rest (the shabbat - הַשַּׁבָּת) shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto YHWH. The references to shabbat in these verses specify a definite article using "the shabbat" rather than "a shabbat". The definition of shabbat occurs a few verses earlier in Lev 23:3. Leviticus Chapter 23 3 Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest (a shabbat shabbathown - שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתֹון), a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of work; it is a sabbath (a shabbat - שַׁבַּת) unto YHWH in all your dwellings. Leviticus Chapter 23 15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the day of rest (הַשַּׁבָּת), from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks (שַׁבָּתֹות) shall there be complete; 16 even unto the morrow after the seventh week (הַשַּׁבָּת) shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto YHWH. 17 Ye shall bring out of your dwellings two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, for first-fruits unto YHWH. 18 And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams; they shall be a burnt-offering unto YHWH, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto YHWH. 19 And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace-offerings. 20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before YHWH, with the two lambs; they shall be holy to YHWH for the priest. 21 And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

Nehemia & Devorah Gordon, and the people and organizations quoted on Karaite-Korner.org, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

---

	Sign up for the New Moon Report at Karaite-Korner.org

Karaite Korner Newsletter #326

Aviv Found!

On Sunday March 23, 2008 Nehemia Gordon and Devorah Gordon found large quantities of Aviv barley at Ein Mabua near Jerusalem and at multiple locations in the central Jordan Valley. This confirms that the new moon expected on April 7, 2008 will begin the Month of the Aviv. Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread) will commence at sunset April 21, 2008 and continue until sunset April 28, 2008.

Shanah Tovah!
Happy New Year!

Nehemia Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel

	Aviv was found and the new moon was seen in Israel, today is the first day of the first month, Aviv (or the Babylonian Nisan)... so Happy New Year!!! Deuteronomy Chapter 16 1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto YHWH thy God; for in the month of Abib YHWH thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.

On Monday April 7, 2008 the new moon was sighted from several locations around Israel. The moon was sighted:

*from Eilat by Eli El-Tanani and Shai El-Tanani at 19:13
*from Ashdod by Neriah Haroeh and Nilit Masliach at 19:15
*from Mitzpeh Ramon by Bart Vangronsvelt and Ganneke Kunst at about 19:15
*from Beersheva by Simchon Firouz, Kobi El-Tanani, and Ovadiah Firouz
at about 19:30
*from highway 6 by Chad and Barbara Peterson at 19:39

On the previous evening, Sunday April 6, the moon had a lagtime of 33 minutes and illumination of 0.52% which means it was not visible under any circumstances from Israel.

Shanah Tovah!
Happy New Year!

Nehemia Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel

	Confirmed: Pesach begins the evening of April 21, 2008 Leviticus Chapter 23 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at dusk, is YHWH'S passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto YHWH; seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. 8 And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto YHWH seven days; in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. 9 And YHWH spoke unto Moses saying: 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest. 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the sabbath (שבת) the priest shall wave it. 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 YHWH. 13 And the meal-offering thereof shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto YHWH for a sweet savour; and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. 14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day, until ye have brought the offering of your God; it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

Continue for more information about the Counting of Omer leading to Shavout... based on the timing of Passover.

» Read More