0

There are different nusachot that count sfirah as "ba'omer" or "la'omer." But shouldn't we count days m'omer? The omer was brought on the 16th and that's what we are counting from. Leviticus 23:15 says: וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם, אֶת-עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה: שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת, תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה. So why are we counting days "in" the omer or "of" the omer instead of counting "from" the omer?

Perhaps the flip side of the question is what do "baomer" and "laomer" mean? The omer is a sheaf of grain, what does it mean to have days "in" or "of" the sheaf? The Torah does not call the days themselves "the Omer."

Improve this question
13
  • Right there in the blessing we say העומר
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Apr 23, 2023 at 18:52
  • I don't see your point. The blessing comes much later than the Torah. Also "al sfirat haomer" doesn't necessarily mean you are counting something called the omer. It could mean the counting that relates to the omer. (Though presumably if you said "l'spor haomer" b'dieved you're yotzei). "Sfirat hazav" does not mean you are counting zavim.
    – Avraham
    Commented Apr 23, 2023 at 19:10
  • "The blessing comes much later than the Torah." So does appending "laomer"/"baomer" to the count, so not sure why that matters
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Apr 23, 2023 at 19:12
  • Because my question is on the svara that went into it. Why (and perhaps when) did the Torah's concept of counting from the omer become instead a concept of counting "the omer." Conversely, why do you assume "laomer" or "baomer" came later? What nusach do you think Moshe and David HaMelekh used?
    – Avraham
    Commented Apr 23, 2023 at 22:28
  • 1
    "mei-omer" would be one day off. Day one of the omer is the day the qorban is brought, zero days after the omer.
    – Micha Berger
    Commented Apr 24, 2023 at 7:52

0

Reset to default

You must log in to answer this question.

Browse other questions tagged .