WHEN TO START COUNTING THE OMER

“And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed.  Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to YHWH.” (Lev 23:15-16) “

You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain.   Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to YHWH your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as YWHW your God blesses you.” (Deut 16:9-10)

The Torah (Lev. 23:15) instructs us to count the days from the Sabbath after Passover to Shavu’ot.  This period is known as the Counting of the Omer.  An omer being a unit of measure. On the first day of counting, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut and brought to the Temple as an offering – this offering was referred to as the Omer. (See Lev.23:9-14)

From at least the Second Temple period there has been a dispute as to when the counting should begin. The Pharisees – and later the Rabbis – believed that God gave Moses an oral Torah along with the written Torah, and according to that oral Torah the word “Shabbat” in Lev. 23:15 refers to the first day of Unleavened Bread, which is a “Shabbat”.  In this view, held by most Jews today, the counting begins on the second night of Passover/Unleavened Bread.  However, the instructions go on to say, “seven Sabbaths shall be completed.  Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to YHWH.” (Lev 23:15-16)  Note carefully that it says, “Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath.”  Now, it is impossible to count fifty and reach “the day after the seventh Sabbath” unless you start counting on the day after the weekly Sabbath after Passover.

It is unfortunate to have to suggest the reason for the Rabbinnic adoption of the Pharasaic tradition was due to the obvious connection between the day of harvesting the single omer and its presentation before YHWH and the resurrection of Yeshua ~ and therefore His being the promised Messiah.

We shall therefore begin our counting on the day after Shabbat, that is Saturday evening to Sunday evening, 23rd-24th April this year.

• 01st day of Counting,
• 02nd day of Counting
• 03rd day of Counting
• 04th day of Counting
• 05th day of Counting
• 06th day of Counting
• 07th day of Counting
• 08th day of Counting
• 09th day of Counting
• 10th day of Counting
• 11th day of Counting
• 12th day of Counting
• 13th day of Counting
• 14th day of Counting
• 15th day of Counting
• 16th day of Counting
• 17th day of Counting
• 18th day of Counting
• 19th day of Counting
• 20th day of counting
• 21st day of Counting
• 22nd day of Counting
• 23rd day of Counting
• 24th day of Counting
• 25th day of Counting
• 26th day of Counting
• 27th day of Counting
• 28th day of Counting
• 29th day of Counting
• 30th day of Counting
• 31st day of Counting
• 32nd day of Counting
• 33rd day of Counting
• 34th day of Counting
• 35th day of Counting
• 36th day of Counting
• 37th day of Counting
• 38th day of Counting
• 39th day of Counting
• 40th day of Counting
• 41st day of Counting
• 42nd day of Counting
• 43rd day of Counting
• 44th day of Counting
• 45th day of Counting
• 46th day of Counting
• 47th day of Counting
• 48th day of Counting
• 49th day of Counting
• 50th day of Counting

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