Rabbis have argued about when to begin the count to the Feast of Weeks since ancient times. It was a major difference in interpretation of certain verses of scripture between the Sadducees and Pharisees during the Temple period. The interpretation which was used seems dependent upon whomever was in power. The surviving rabbinic oral traditions, which were formalized in the Third Century, seem principally those of the Pharisees.

While the oral traditions provide insight not available elsewhere, they can never be put on the same level as written scripture. Other ancient sources about counting to the Feast of Weeks such as Josephus (37 - 100 A.D.), only record temple practice current at the time.

This article is an analysis of scripture that describes the requirements for counting to the Feast of Weeks. Verses are from The Scriptures bible, 2nd edition. The month called Nisan herein was Abib before the Babylonian captivity, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread herein may properly be called the Feast of Unleavens. Authors' emphasis is in bold, capitals, brackets, italics, etc.

LEVITICUS 23:

4 These are the appointed times... set-apart gatherings which you are to proclaim at their appointed times.

5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day... between the evenings, is Passover...

6 And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread... seven days you are to eat unleavened bread.

7 On the first day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.

8 And you shall bring an offering made by fire... for seven days. On the seventh day is a set-apart gathering...

10 When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest.

The reaping refers to cutting stalks of Barley for an offering, NOT harvesting the crop. WHEN the sheafs of grain were cut and BROUGHT is NOT mentioned.

However, clues may be found by looking at the formalized Third Century rabbinic traditions about the ceremony used for cutting the grain offering. From The Temple its Ministry and Services by Alfred Edersheim, Wm. B. Eerdrmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, March 1975, The Sheaf of Firstfruits:

"This Passover-sheaf, or rather omer, was to be accompanied by a burnt-offering...and after it had been brought, but not till then, fresh barley might be used and sold in the land. Now this Passover-sheaf was reaped in public the evening before it was offered and it was to witness this ceremony that the crowd gathered around 'the elders,' who took care that all was done according to traditionary ordinance.

...Already, on the 14th of Nisan, the spot whence the first sheaf was to be reaped had been marked out by the delegates from the 'Sanhedrin, by tying together in bundles, while still standing, the barley that was to be cut down... When the time for cutting the sheaf arrived, that is on the evening (twilight) of the 15th of Nisan (even though it were a Sabbath), just as the sun went down, three men, each with a sickle and basket, formerly set to work. But in order clearly to bring out all that was distinctive in the ceremony, they asked of the bystanders three times each of these questions: "Has the sun gone down?" "With this sickle?" "Into this basket?" "On this Sabbath(or first Passover-day)?"- and, lastly, "Shall I reap?"

Having each time been answered in the affirmative, they cut down barley to the amount of one ephah, or ten omers... The ears [sheafs] were brought into the Court of the Temple, and trashed out with canes or stalks, so as not to injure the corn [grain]; then 'parched' on a pan perforated with holes so that each grain might be touched by the fire, and finally exposed to the wind."

The standing grain would have been cut after sundown in the twilight beginning Nisan 15. The cut sheafs would have immediately been brought to the priest, even if in darkness. There were good reasons for doing so. The morrow, still Nisan 15, was the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, a set-apart gathering; fine flour had to be made for the burnt offering, etc.

LEVITICUS 23:

11 ...And he shall wave the sheaf ... On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it....

This verse has caused a lot of discussion about when to start the count to the Feast of Weeks. It is summed up in a footnote from the Schocken Bible, The Five Books of Moses by Everett Fox, (Leviticus 23:11).

"the morrow after the Sabbath: The precise meaning of this phrase was the subject of lengthy debate among the ancient rabbis. Traditionally in Judaism, seven weeks are counted until this Festival of Weeks (Shavot), beginning on the day after the start of Passover. Another old interpretation understands the phrase to mean the Sunday [first day] after Passover. Fishbane (1988) proposes that an older meaning of Shabbat, namely "full moon", may be operative here, and that it solves the problem inherent in this passage "

Be aware that in the footnote above, the later Jewish custom is to refer to Passover on Nisan 14 as the 'preparation' and the seven days of the Festival of Unleavened Bread as 'Passover Week,' starting on Nisan 15. At other times the custom included Nisan 14 and was called 'eight days of Passover.'

For years like 2001, when Passover falls on the weekly Sabbath, what is the result of the two interpretations for when to start the count to the Feast of Weeks?

When Passover occurs on a weekly Sabbath the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, one of the annual Sabbaths, would be Nisan 15, the first day of the week (Sunday). The sheafs of barley would have been cut after sundown in the twilight which began the 15th and brought to the priest. During the daylight portion of the 15th of this set-apart gathering, the sheafs would have been waved, and the burnt offering made. The morrow after the sheaf was waved would be Nisan 16. According to the Pharisee's interpretation, the count would always begin on this date because they believed the 'Sabbath' in Lev. 23:11 meant the 'annual' Sabbath.

If weekly Sabbath were meant in Lev. 23:11, and Passover (Nisan 14) occurred that same day, the grain would have been cut and brought to the priest at the beginning of Nisan 15th. During the daylight portion of this first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the sheaf would have been waved and the burnt offering made. For years like 2001, the count starts on Nisan 15, because it is the first day of the week, the morrow AFTER the weekly Sabbath.

For those years when Passover did not fall on the weekly Sabbath, the sheaf would still always be waved on the first day of the week, on the morrow AFTER the weekly Sabbath. When Passover falls on the first day of the week, the sheaf would not be waved until SEVEN DAYS later, but would still be within the days of unleavened bread. This is essentially the Sadducee's interpretation.

If Fishbane's "full moon" is substituted instead of 'Sabbath,' the result is essentially the same as if 'Passover' were meant. It would tend to support the Pharisee's interpretation.

LEVITICUS 23:

12 And on that day when you wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb...as a burnt offering.

13 ...and its grain offering... and its drink offering...

14 ...and you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain UNTIL the same day that you have BROUGHT an OFFERING...a law throughout your generations

Eating bread, etc., in verse 14 was contingent upon WHEN the OFFERING was BROUGHT, NOT WHEN the SHEAF was WAVED.

15 And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you BROUGHT the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves seven completed Sabbaths.

16 Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days...

What are the differences in counting if the 'Sabbath' in verse 15 is: (a) Nisan 15, the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, an annual Sabbath or (b), the weekly Sabbath?

(a) If 'from the morrow after the (annual) Sabbath,' i.e., if after the first day of Unleavened Bread were meant, counting exclusively FROM Nisan 15, on Nisan 16, for fifty days would always end on Sivan 6. The count would contain 'fifty days' according to verse 16, but would not have the 'seventh Sabbath' or seventh complete week that Lev. 23:15 requires, nor would it always end on the first day of the week.

(b) If 'from the morrow after the (weekly) Sabbath,' were meant, the count would start ON the first day of the week following the weekly Sabbath after Passover. If Passover were on the first day of the week, it would be SEVEN DAYS before the sheaf was waved and burnt offering made. Regardless, counting inclusively on that first day of the week automatically includes seven 'complete Sabbaths' in accordance with the scripture. Fifty days later on the morrow, would be the first day of the week, and the Feast of Weeks.

The above provides background requirements for the verses which follow:

JOSHUA

4:19 And the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month [Abib] ..

5:2 At that time..."make knives of flint... and circumcised the sons of Israel..."

8 ...they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed.

10 ...and performed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month [Abib] at evening...

Apparently manna was eaten with this Passover meal since the Israelites were forbidden to eat grain until the sheaf offering was cut at the beginning of Abib 15, and BROUGHT to the priest in obedience with Lev. 23:10.

11 And they ate of the stored grain of the land on the MORROW AFTER the PASSOVER [on Abib15], unleavened bread and roasted grain on this same day.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, manna could have been available, but the scripture specifically says they ate stored grain. To eat ANY grain, some stalks of grain first had to have been cut for an offering and BROUGHT to the priest. New grain could have been reaped between Abib 15 and 21 when regular work was permitted, except if a weekly Sabbath occurred. Thus, unleavened bread could have been eaten as required, during the seven days of Unleavened Bread.

12 And the manna ceased on the day [Abib 16] AFTER they had eaten the stored grain of the land. The children of Israel no longer had manna, but ate of the food of the land of Canaan... that year.

Although the new grain in Canaan had not been planted by the Israelites, it was 'theirs' because the land and all in it (buildings, furnishings, orchards, gardens, etc.), had been given to them.

Verse 12 may be the basis of the Pharisee's interpretation that the count to the Feast of Weeks started from Abib 15, or on Abib 16. Other reasons advocated, such as it being the same time period as when the law was presented on Mt. Sinai, have no scriptural basis.

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