Difference between revisions of "MiMachorat HaShabbat/2"

From AlHaTorah.org
Jump to navigation Jump to search
m
m
Line 43: Line 43:
 
<p>The Omer was brought on the first Sunday following theinitial harvest of the season.</p>
 
<p>The Omer was brought on the first Sunday following theinitial harvest of the season.</p>
 
<mekorot>The Samaritan sect the Savoim, מישויה אלעכברי, a Karaite of the "Mourners of Zion"</mekorot>
 
<mekorot>The Samaritan sect the Savoim, מישויה אלעכברי, a Karaite of the "Mourners of Zion"</mekorot>
<point><b>"תִּסְפׇּר לָךְ מֵהָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה"</b> – According to this approach the time markers in Vayikra and Devarim complement each other.&#160; The former ("מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת") teaches which day of the week the Omer is to be brought while the latter ("הָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה")&#160; explains when this day falls out during the year.</point>
+
<point><b>Meaning and mentions of Shabbat</b> – As above, one of the advantages of this approach is the ability to uphold the simple interpretation of the word Shabbat as the seventh day of the week in all its appearances in the passage..</point>
 +
<point><b>"תִּסְפׇּר לָךְ מֵהָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה"</b> – According to this approach the time markers in Vayikra and Devarim complement each other.&#160; The former ("מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת") teaches which day of the week the Omer is to be brought while the latter ("הָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה")&#160; explains when this day falls out during the year.<fn>The description of the Omer as "רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם" further supports the connection to the season of "הָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה".</fn></point>
 
<point><b>Dating of "מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת"</b> – This position, like the first approach above, assumes that there is no set date for the Omer offering; it is totally dependent on nature and can fall before, during, or after Chag HaMatzot.</point>
 
<point><b>Dating of "מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת"</b> – This position, like the first approach above, assumes that there is no set date for the Omer offering; it is totally dependent on nature and can fall before, during, or after Chag HaMatzot.</point>
 
<point><b>Lack of Date for Shavuot</b> – Since the date of the Omer offering varies widely from year to year based on the agricultural---, it is easily understood why the Torah could not write a set date for Shavuot.&#160; It does not have one.</point>
 
<point><b>Lack of Date for Shavuot</b> – Since the date of the Omer offering varies widely from year to year based on the agricultural---, it is easily understood why the Torah could not write a set date for Shavuot.&#160; It does not have one.</point>
<point><b>Disconnect from Chag HaMatzot</b> – This position disconnects the Omer offering form Chag HaMatzot entirely.&#160; The new heading of verse 9, "וַיְדַבֵּר י"י אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר""</point>
+
<point><b>Disconnect from Chag HaMatzot</b> – This position disconnects the Omer offering from Chag HaMatzot entirely.&#160; It suggests that the new heading of verse 9, "וַיְדַבֵּר י"י אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר" breaks the verses into two disconnected units, leaving nor reason why the laws regarding the Omer should be dependent on the verses speaking of Chag HaMatzot.<fn>The Moshe--- assert that had the Omer been tied to Chag Hamatzot, when listing the sacrifices of the day the verse should have included "הלבד הנפת העומר" as it does on other festival days where it lists not just the sacriifces unique to the day bt others that might eed to be brough t onm that day as well.&#160; see, for example by Rosh HAshanah</fn></point>
 +
<point><b>"וַיֹּאכְלוּ מֵעֲבוּר הָאָרֶץ מִמׇּחֳרַת הַפֶּסַח"</b></point>
 
</opinion>
 
</opinion>
 
</category>
 
</category>

Version as of 14:58, 29 April 2015

MiMachorat HaShabbat

Exegetical Approaches

Shabbat Bereshit

Within Chag HaMatzot

Sources:Baytusim, Samaritans, Karaites - Daniel Alkumsi the Karaite, opponents in R. Saadia GaonSefer HaHavchanahAbout R. Saadia GaonSolomon b. Yerucham the KaraiteSolomon b. Yerucham the Karaite, Milchamot Hashem Shaar 10, Yefet (commentary), Levi b,. Yefet, Karaites in Kuzari3:41About R. Yehuda HaLevi, Aharon b. Yosef (Hamuvchar), Keter Torah,
What must be within Chag MaMatzot?
  • ממחרת השבת – According to the Karaites, the "day following the Shabbat" (rather than Shabbat itself) must fall within the week of Chag Hamatzot.  Thus, one could conceivably bring the Omer offering and start counting as early as the 15th of Nissan.1
  • השבת – The Samaritans, in contrast, maintain that the Shabbat itself (not the "day following the Shabbat") must fall within the holiday.  As such, one would never bring the Omer offering before the sixteenth, but depending on when Shabbat were to fall, one might bring it as late as the 22nd, after the conclusion of the festival.
Why connect it to Chag HaMatzot? This position assumes that there is overlap in time between the unit of verses speaking of Chag HaMatzot and those speaking of the Omer offering2  and the latter's dating is informed by the former.
Evaluation of meaning of Shabbat – This understanding of Shabbat as the seventh day of the week would seem to be the simple meaning of the word, as supported by multiple verses in Torah.  See, for example, Shemot 20:7,10, Shemot 31:14-15 and Devarim 5:12-15.3
Various mentions of Shabbat – Alkumsi and Solomon b. Yerucham4 point out that one of the advantages of this approach is that it is consistent in understanding the word "Shabbat" in all three of its occurrences in Vayikra 23:15-16  as referring to the seventh day of the week.
Lack of date for Shavuot – The Karaites5 point to another advantage of this approach; it easily explains why Shavuot, unlike other holidays, is not dated in the Torah. According to them, Shavuot actually has no fixed date, only a set day of the week and in any given year it might fall out anywhere between 5-11 Sivan.6
"וַיֹּאכְלוּ מֵעֲבוּר הָאָרֶץ מִמׇּחֳרַת הַפֶּסַח"
  • The Karaites7 assert that the year the Israelites entered the land, Chag HaPesach fell on a Shabbat, and the Omer offering was brought on the next day ‎‏(‎"‏‎‏מִמׇּחֳרַת הַפֶּסַח‎"),8‎‏ Nissan 15. allowing the nation to eat of the new harvest on that very day. The passage in Yehoshua, thus, could support their understanding of "מׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת".
  • Since the Samaritans do not accept Sefer Yehoshua as part of their canon they are not bothered by any contradictions therefrom.9
"תִּסְפׇּר לָךְ מֵהָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה" – Aharon b. Yosef suggests that this time marker is equivalent to that of "מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת", with both referring to the day the Omer is offered.  He compares the phrase to that in Divrei HaYamim II 31:10, "מֵהָחֵל הַתְּרוּמָה לָבִיא בֵית י"י" suggesting that both point to a day when a sacrifice is brought to the Mikdash.
Significance of date? This approach must explain what is significant about a Sunday that Hashem would decide that the counting (and thus Shavuot) need fall out on that specific day of the week.
  • Two days of rest – In the Scholion to Megillat Taanit, a Baytusi tells R. Yochanan b. Zakkai that Hashem wanted the nation to rest for two consecutive days on Shavuot, which otherwise would be a short one day holiday.
  • Prevent Sabbath desecration – Solomon b. Yerucham suggests instead that Shavuot was set on Sunday to ensure that the holiday never fell on Shabbat which would be problematic for bringing a Shelamim offering.
Objections
Polemical Motivations – This reading might in part be motivated by a desire to prevent the possibility of the day of the Omer sacrifice falling on a Shabbat, necessitating reaping on Shabbat.10  By setting a fixed day of the week, they eliminated the need to ever have to transgress the regular laws of Shabbat.11

After Chag HaMatzot

Sources:Dead Sea Scrolls
Meaning and mentions of Shabbat – As above, the understanding that Shabbat refers to the seventh day of the week is supported by many verses throughout Tanakh.  This interpretation also allows one to explain all  three appearances of the word in the same manner.
Why connected to the Shabbat after Chag HaMatazot? According to this approach, the verses which speak of the Omer offering follow chronologically from those that precede them. As such, it is natural to assume that the Shabbat referred to is the one that falls after Chag HaMatzot and not within it.
Dating of "מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת" – Unlike the above approach, due to the unique calendar of the Dead Sea sect12 whose year is divisible by seven, the Omer offering was always brought not only on a set day of the week but also on a set date of the month, the 26th of Nissan.13 As such, according to their calendar,14 Shavuot always falls on the 15th of Sivan.15
Lack of date for Shavuot – Since the Qumran sect does assert that the holiday of Shavuot has a set date16 it is surprising that the Torah never mentions one.  They might reply that it was simply unnecessary since the law requires one to count from the Omer offering until the holiday.17
"וַיֹּאכְלוּ מֵעֲבוּר הָאָרֶץ מִמׇּחֳרַת הַפֶּסַח" – This verse in Yehoshua is difficult for this approach as it implies that the Israelites ate from the new wheat on the 15th of Nissan, while, according to Qumran, this should have been prohibited until the 26th of Nissan when the Omer was brought.  They might reply that the verse is not speaking of eating of the new produce but rather the old.18
"תִּסְפׇּר לָךְ מֵהָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה"
Significance of date? As above, this approach might suggest that Hashem specifically chose a Sunday for both the bringing of the Omer and Shavuot so as to eliminate any need for desecration of Shabbat (in reaping or the sacrificng of Shelamim offerings) were the day of the week variable.

After the First Harvest

The Omer was brought on the first Sunday following theinitial harvest of the season.

Sources:The Samaritan sect the Savoim, מישויה אלעכברי, a Karaite of the "Mourners of Zion"
Meaning and mentions of Shabbat – As above, one of the advantages of this approach is the ability to uphold the simple interpretation of the word Shabbat as the seventh day of the week in all its appearances in the passage..
"תִּסְפׇּר לָךְ מֵהָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה" – According to this approach the time markers in Vayikra and Devarim complement each other.  The former ("מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת") teaches which day of the week the Omer is to be brought while the latter ("הָחֵל חֶרְמֵשׁ בַּקָּמָה")  explains when this day falls out during the year.19
Dating of "מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת" – This position, like the first approach above, assumes that there is no set date for the Omer offering; it is totally dependent on nature and can fall before, during, or after Chag HaMatzot.
Lack of Date for Shavuot – Since the date of the Omer offering varies widely from year to year based on the agricultural---, it is easily understood why the Torah could not write a set date for Shavuot.  It does not have one.
Disconnect from Chag HaMatzot – This position disconnects the Omer offering from Chag HaMatzot entirely.  It suggests that the new heading of verse 9, "וַיְדַבֵּר י"י אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר" breaks the verses into two disconnected units, leaving nor reason why the laws regarding the Omer should be dependent on the verses speaking of Chag HaMatzot.20
"וַיֹּאכְלוּ מֵעֲבוּר הָאָרֶץ מִמׇּחֳרַת הַפֶּסַח"

Yom Shabbaton (Yom Tov)

A Day of Ceasement

Week