Omer offering
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Theomer offering(korban omer), or thesheaf offering,was anoffering(korban) made by theJewish priestsin theTemple in Jerusalem.The offering consisted of oneomerof freshly harvested grain, and was waved in the Temple.[1]It was offered onPassover,and signaled the beginning of the 49-daycounting of the Omer(which concluded with theShavuotholiday), as well as permission to consumechadash(grains from thenewharvest).
The omer offering was one example of awave offering(Hebrew:tenufahתנופה), which was waved in the Temple.[2]
Omer offering
[edit]Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
— Leviticus 23:9NASB
The offering containing anomer-measure ofbarley,described asreishit ketzirchem( "the beginning of your harvest" ).[3]Josephusdescribes the processing of the offering as follows:
After parching and crushing the little sheaf of ears and purifying the barley for grinding, they bring to the altar anissaronfor God, and, having flung a handful thereof on the altar, they leave the rest for the use of the priests. Thereafter all are permitted, publicly or individually, to begin harvest.[4]
The leftover of thekorbanare kept by thekohenand was listed as one of thetwenty-four priestly gifts.[5]
The offering was made on "the morrow after the day of rest". This phrase was variously interpreted (seeCounting of the Omer): According to rabbinic tradition, the omer offering was offered on the second day ofPassover,the 16th day of Nisan. According toKaraite Judaism,it was offered on the Sunday occurring within Passover.
The omer offering was discontinued following the destruction of theSecond Temple.[6]
Counting of the Omer
[edit]Along with the offering of the omer offering, thecounting of the Omerbegins. This is a count of 49 days beginning with the omer offering, and concluding with the holiday ofShavuot(which is the 50th day).
For rabbinic Jews, the count is performed at night. For example, the first day of the omer is counted on the second night of Passover (which precedes the second day, as Jewish days begin in the evening).
Other wave offerings
[edit]Various other offerings are also described as being waved as part of their ritual. After the ritual, the wave-offering then became the property of the priests.
The nountenufah(waving) is formed from the verbnufin the same way asterumah,theheave offering,is formed fromrum"heave." In theSeptuagint,tenufahwas translatedaphorisma(ἀφόρισμα).[7]
Bothtenufahandterumahare often mentioned together.[8]Both being given to the priests askohanic gifts.
TheLevitesthemselves were also offered to God byAaronas a wave offering.[9]
References
[edit]- ^Leviticus 23:9–14.
- ^ "MikraotGedolot – AlHaTorah.org".mg.alhatorah.org(in Hebrew).Retrieved2024-02-27.
- ^The wordreishitmeans "beginning"; the usual word for "first-fruits" (bikkurim) is not used in this passage.
- ^Josephus, Antiquities 3.250–251, in Josephus IV Jewish Antiquities Books I–IV, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1930, pp. 437–439.
- ^Michael Katz (Rabbi), Gershon Schwartz, Searching for Meaning in Midrash: Lessons for Everyday Living – Page 162 – 2002 "Twenty-four priestly gifts were presented to the Kohanim—twelve in the Temple and twelve throughout the borders....the remnants of the log of oil of the leper, and the remnants of the omer, the two loaves of bread."
- ^Kerry M. Olitzky, Marc Lee Raphael, An Encyclopedia of American Synagogue Ritual – Page 112. 2000 "Once the omer offering was discontinued following the destruction of the Temple, the rabbis invited the community to count (lis-por; sefirah) the 49 days."
- ^"ἀφόρισμα".Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias.Retrieved2024-02-27.
- ^Exodus 29:27,Leviticus 10:14,etc.
- ^Numbers 8:11, 13.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Easton, Matthew George(1897). "Offerings".Easton's Bible Dictionary(New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.