MiMachorat HaShabbat/1/en
MiMachorat HaShabbat
Introduction
An Enigmatic Phrase
Vayikra 23 provides a complete list of all of the festivals of the year. After mentioning the special days of Shabbat, Pesach, and Chag HaMatzot, it proceeds to describe the Omer offering and the fifty day count from it until the presentation of the Two Loaves ("שתי הלחם"). In recording when these offerings were brought, the Torah thrice repeats the same term "מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת":
(י) דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם וּקְצַרְתֶּם אֶת קְצִירָהּ וַהֲבֵאתֶם אֶת עֹמֶר רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם אֶל הַכֹּהֵן. (יא) וְהֵנִיף אֶת הָעֹמֶר לִפְנֵי י"י לִרְצֹנְכֶם מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת יְנִיפֶנּוּ הַכֹּהֵן...
(טו) וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה. (טז) עַד מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת הַשְּׁבִיעִת תִּסְפְּרוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה לַי"י. (יז) מִמּוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם תָּבִיאּוּ לֶחֶם תְּנוּפָה שְׁתַּיִם שְׁנֵי עֶשְׂרֹנִים סֹלֶת תִּהְיֶינָה חָמֵץ תֵּאָפֶינָה בִּכּוּרִים לַי"י...
(כא) וּקְרָאתֶם בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם כׇּל מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ חֻקַּת עוֹלָם בְּכׇל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם.
But what is this "הַשַּׁבָּת" to which the Torah refers? Does it allude to a day previously mentioned, as the definite article (ה' הידיעה) might imply? If it harks back to the weekly Shabbat described at the beginning of the Chapter, which of the many Sabbaths of the year is it? Alternatively, if it refers to the immediately preceding holidays of Pesach / Chag HaMatzot, why the use of the term "שַׁבַּת"?
Uniqueness of Shavuot
For almost all of these holidays, the Torah opens by giving their calendrical dates, continues with the prohibitions of performing labor, and in some cases adds some of their unique laws. The lone exception is the holiday of the Bikkurim (or Shavuot) for which no lunar date is provided. Instead, this festival is prefaced by a lengthy description of the Omer offering and the fifty day count which links it to the Two Loaves offering. Only after all of this does the Torah tell us that the day of the Two Loaves offering should be proclaimed as a holiday
