The commandment of the sacrifice of the omer of barley: That we offer on the second day of Pesach, beyond the additional offering of the rest of the days of Pesach, a one-year old sheep for a burnt-offering and one omer of barley, that is called the omer of waving — as it is stated (Leviticus 23:10-11), “When you come to the Land, etc., you shall bring the omer, the beginning of your harvest, etc. And he shall wave the omer in front of the Lord from the morrow of the Shabbat.” And Onkelos translates, “after the holiday” — meaning to say, on the second day of Pesach. As behold, it is referring to Pesach in the section before this. And it is stated there (Leviticus 23:12), “And you shall make on the day of your waving the omer an unblemished one-year-old sheep, etc.” And this sacrifice of the omer is called the offering of the first fruits. And it is a hint to this when He, may He be blessed, says (Leviticus 2:14), “And if you shall bring an offering of the first-fruits to the Lord, new roasted with fire, etc.” And the language of Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael 22:24 is “Each and every ‘if’ in the Torah is optional, etc. except for three that are obligatory and this is one of them.” And they said there, “You say it is an obligation or is it only optional? [Hence] we learn to say, “you shall offer the offering of your first fruits” — [it is] an obligation and not optional. And the matter of the offering is thus (Menachot 63b): That they would bring three seah of barley, and they would take out one issaron from all of it, which they would sift with thirteen sieves. And the rest would be redeemed and eaten by any person. And it is liable for the challah-tithe but exempted from the [other] tithes. And we take this issaron of fine barley flour and we mix it with a log of oil and place a handful of frankincense upon it — like the other meal-offerings. And the priest waves it in the East — he extends [it] and brings [it back], raises [it] and lowers [it] — and presents it across from the point of the southwest corner, like the other meal-offerings. And he takes a handful and incinerates [it], and the rest is eaten by the priests, like the remainders of all of the meal-offerings (Menachot 67b).
It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] in order that we contemplate, through [this] deed, the great kindness that God, blessed be He, does for His creatures, to renew the grain each year for [our] nourishment. Therefore it is fitting for us that we should sacrifice to Him, blessed be He, from it — so that we remember His kindness and His great goodness before we benefit from it. And from that which we become fitting for blessing by the refinement of our deeds in front of Him, our grain will be blessed, and God’s will for us will be fulfilled — as He desires blessing for His creatures, from His great goodness. And we were commanded about this on the second [day] of Pesach and not on the first, so that we not mix [one] joy with [another] joy — as the first is prepared to remember the great miracle that He, blessed be He, took us out from slavery to freedom and from anguish to joy.
From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Menachot 68b) that the commandment of the omer is to bring it from barley — and not from wheat, nor spelt, oats or rye — and from what is close to Jerusalem that came out first. If the close ones did not come out, they would bring it from another place in the Land of Israel. And its commandment is to harvest it on the night of the sixteenth of Nissan — whether on [a weekday] or whether on Shabbat. And its commandment is from the [barley that is] damp (fresh) — its explanation [is that it] is in order that its being a first-fruit is more visible and recognizable to the eye. And all of the cities that are close to there gather, in order that it is harvested with a big deal. And all of this is from the root that we wrote — so that they can give their hearts to the word of God, may He be blessed, through the deed and the joy.
And three men with three baskets and three sickles would harvest these three seah (Menachot 63b, 65a). And when it got dark, the harvester says to those standing there, “Did the sun set?” They say to him, “Yes,” three times. “This sickle?” They say, “Yes,” also three times. “This basket?” They say, “Yes” also three times. “Should I harvest?” They say to him, “Harvest,” three times. And why so much? Because of those in error, who left from [being in the people of] Israel at the [time of] the Second [Temple], and would say that that which it is stated in the Torah, “from the morrow of the Shabbat,” is the Shabbat of creation (the seventh day of the week). And the rest of its details are fully elucidated in Menachot. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Daily Offerings and Additional Offerings 7.)
And this commandment is practiced at the time of the [Temple] with males. And even Israelites are obligated to make efforts with this commandment, as behold the messengers of the court go out and make bundles in the field from the eve of the holiday, and as is explained in Menachot 65a. But nonetheless, the main obligation is the offering, the waving, the presenting, the taking of a handful and the incineration — and all of this is with the priests. And nonetheless since there is a portion in it for all of Israel and the foundation of the commandment is because of the renewal of the grain — which is something that is a necessary thing for all — we should write it in the tally of the commandments that are incumbent upon all the Children of Israel.
מִצְוַת קָרְבַּן הָעֹמֶר שֶׁל שְׂעוֹרִים – שֶׁנַּקְרִיב בְּיוֹם שֵׁנִי שֶׁל פֶּסַח יָתֵר עַל הַמּוּסָף שֶׁל שְׁאָר יְמֵי הַפֶּסַח כֶּבֶשׂ בֶּן שְׁנָתוֹ לְעֹלָה, וְעֹמֶר אֶחָד שֶׁל שְׂעוֹרִים הַנִּקְרָא עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כג י יא) כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ וְגוֹ' וַהֲבֵאתֶם אֶת עֹמֶר רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם וְגוֹ' וְהֵנִיף אֶת הָעֹמֶר לִפְנֵי ה' מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת. וְתִרְגֵּם אוּנְקְלוֹס מִבָּתַר יוֹמָא טָבָא. כְּלוֹמַר, בְּיוֹם שֵׁנִי שֶׁל פֶּסַח, שֶׁהֲרֵי בַּפֶּסַח אַיְרֵי בַּפָּרָשָׁה שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִזֶּה, וְנֶאֱמַר שָׁם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם בְּיוֹם הֲנִיפְכֶם אֶת הָעֹמֶר כֶּבֶשׂ תָּמִים בֶּן שְׁנָתוֹ וְגוֹ'. וְקָרְבָּן זֶה שֶׁל עֹמֶר נִקְרָא מִנְחַת בִּכּוּרִים, וְאֵלֶיהָ הוּא הָרֶמֶז בְּאָמְרוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, וְאִם תַּקְרִיב מִנְחַת בִּכּוּרִים לַיְיָ, אָבִיב קָלוּי בָּאֵשׁ וְגוֹ' (ויקרא ב יד). וּלְשׁוֹן מְכִילְתָּא (משפטים סי' קפב) כָּל אִם וְאִם שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה רְשׁוּת וכו'. חוּץ מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה שֶׁהֵם חוֹבָה וְזֶה אֶחָד מֵהֶם. וְאָמְרוּ שָׁם, אַתָּה אוֹמֵר חוֹבָה אוֹ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא רְשׁוּת? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר תַּקְרִיב אֵת מִנְחַת בִּכּוּרֶיךָ חוֹבָה וְלֹא רְשׁוּת. וְעִנְיַן הַמִּנְחָה כֵּן (מנחות סג, ב) שֶׁהָיוּ מְבִיאִין שְׁלֹשָׁה סְאִין שְׂעוֹרִים וּמוֹצִיאִין מִן הַכֹּל עִשָּׂרוֹן אֶחָד שֶׁהוּא מְנֻפֶּה בִּשְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה נָפָה, וְהַשְּׁאָר נִפְדֶּה וְנֶאֱכָל לְכָל אָדָם, וְחַיָּב בַּחַלָּה וּפָטוּר מִן הַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת, וְלוֹקְחִין זֶה הָעִשָּׂרוֹן שֶׁל סֹלֶת הַשְּׂעוֹרִים וּבוֹלְלִין אוֹתוֹ בְּלֹג שֶׁמֶן וְנוֹתְנִין עָלָיו קֹמֶץ לְבוֹנָה כִּשְׁאָר הַמְּנָחוֹת וּמְנִיפוֹ הַכֹּהֵן בַּמִּזְרָח, מוֹלִיךְ וּמֵבִיא, מַעֲלֶה וּמוֹרִיד, וּמַגִּישׁוֹ כְּנֶגֶד חֻדָּהּ שֶׁל קֶרֶן מַעֲרָבִית דְּרוֹמִית כִּשְׁאָר הַמְּנָחוֹת, וְקוֹמֵץ וּמַקְטִיר, וְהַשְּׁאָר נֶאֱכָל לַכֹּהֲנִים כִּשְׁיָרֵי כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת (שם סז ב).
The commandment of the sacrifice of the omer of barley: That we offer on the second day of Pesach, beyond the additional offering of the rest of the days of Pesach, a one-year old sheep for a burnt-offering and one omer of barley, that is called the omer of waving — as it is stated (Leviticus 23:10-11), “When you come to the Land, etc., you shall bring the omer, the beginning of your harvest, etc. And he shall wave the omer in front of the Lord from the morrow of the Shabbat.” And Onkelos translates, “after the holiday” — meaning to say, on the second day of Pesach. As behold, it is referring to Pesach in the section before this. And it is stated there (Leviticus 23:12), “And you shall make on the day of your waving the omer an unblemished one-year-old sheep, etc.” And this sacrifice of the omer is called the offering of the first fruits. And it is a hint to this when He, may He be blessed, says (Leviticus 2:14), “And if you shall bring an offering of the first-fruits to the Lord, new roasted with fire, etc.” And the language of Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael 22:24 is “Each and every ‘if’ in the Torah is optional, etc. except for three that are obligatory and this is one of them.” And they said there, “You say it is an obligation or is it only optional? [Hence] we learn to say, “you shall offer the offering of your first fruits” — [it is] an obligation and not optional. And the matter of the offering is thus (Menachot 63b): That they would bring three seah of barley, and they would take out one issaron from all of it, which they would sift with thirteen sieves. And the rest would be redeemed and eaten by any person. And it is liable for the challah-tithe but exempted from the [other] tithes. And we take this issaron of fine barley flour and we mix it with a log of oil and place a handful of frankincense upon it — like the other meal-offerings. And the priest waves it in the East — he extends [it] and brings [it back], raises [it] and lowers [it] — and presents it across from the point of the southwest corner, like the other meal-offerings. And he takes a handful and incinerates [it], and the rest is eaten by the priests, like the remainders of all of the meal-offerings (Menachot 67b).
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה. כְּדֵי שֶׁנִּתְבּוֹנֵן מִתּוֹךְ הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הַחֶסֶד הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא עִם בְּרִיּוֹתָיו לְחַדֵּשׁ לָהֶם שָׁנָה שָׁנָה תְּבוּאָה לְמִחְיָה, לָכֵן רָאוּי לָנוּ שֶׁנַּקְרִיב לוֹ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִמֶּנָּה לְמַעַן נַזְכִּיר חַסְדּוֹ וְטוּבוֹ הַגָּדוֹל טֶרֶם נֶהֱנֶה מִמֶּנָּה, וּמִתּוֹךְ שֶׁנִּהְיֶה רְאוּיִין לִבְרָכָה בְּהֶכְשֵׁר מַעֲשֵׂינוּ לְפָנָיו, תִּתְבָּרֵךְ תְּבוּאָתֵנוּ וְיִשְׁלַם חֵפֶץ הַשֵּׁם בָּנוּ, שֶׁחָפֵץ מֵרֹב טוּבוֹ בְּבִרְכַּת בְּרִיּוֹתָיו. וְנִצְטַוִּינוּ בָּזֶה בַּשֵּׁנִי שֶׁל פֶּסַח וְלֹא בָּרִאשׁוֹן כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא נְעָרֵב שִׂמְחָה בְּשִׂמְחָה, כִּי הָרִאשׁוֹן נָכוֹן לְזֵכֶר הַנֵּס הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁהוֹצִיאָנוּ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵעַבְדוּת לְחֵרוּת וּמִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה.
It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] in order that we contemplate, through [this] deed, the great kindness that God, blessed be He, does for His creatures, to renew the grain each year for [our] nourishment. Therefore it is fitting for us that we should sacrifice to Him, blessed be He, from it — so that we remember His kindness and His great goodness before we benefit from it. And from that which we become fitting for blessing by the refinement of our deeds in front of Him, our grain will be blessed, and God’s will for us will be fulfilled — as He desires blessing for His creatures, from His great goodness. And we were commanded about this on the second [day] of Pesach and not on the first, so that we not mix [one] joy with [another] joy — as the first is prepared to remember the great miracle that He, blessed be He, took us out from slavery to freedom and from anguish to joy.
מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שם סח ב) שֶׁמִּצְוָתוֹ שֶׁל עֹמֶר לַהֲבִיאוֹ מִן הַשְּׂעוֹרִים, וְלֹא מִן הַחִטִּים, וְלֹא מִכֻּסְּמִין וְשִׁבֹּלֶת שׁוּעָל וְשִׁיפוֹן, וּמִן הַקָּרוֹב לִירוּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁבִּכֵּר תְּחִלָּה. לֹא בִּכֵּר הַקָּרוֹב, הָיוּ מְבִיאִין אוֹתוֹ מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר מֵאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּמִצְוָתוֹ לְהִקָּצֵר בַּלַּיְלָה בְּלֵיל שִׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן, בֵּין בַּחֹל בֵּין בַּשַּׁבָּת, וּמִצְוָתוֹ לַהֲבִיאוֹ מִן הַלַּח, פֵּרוּשׁ כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִרְאֶה וְנִכָּר יוֹתֵר לָעַיִן בִּכּוּרוֹ, וְכָל הָעֲיָרוֹת הַסְּמוּכוֹת לְשָׁם מִתְכַּנְּסוֹת, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא נִקְצָר בְּעֵסֶק גָּדוֹל. וְכָל זֶה מִן הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ לִבָּם לִדְבַר הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ מִתּוֹךְ הַמַּעֲשֶׂה וְהַשִּׂמְחָה.
From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Menachot 68b) that the commandment of the omer is to bring it from barley — and not from wheat, nor spelt, oats or rye — and from what is close to Jerusalem that came out first. If the close ones did not come out, they would bring it from another place in the Land of Israel. And its commandment is to harvest it on the night of the sixteenth of Nissan — whether on [a weekday] or whether on Shabbat. And its commandment is from the [barley that is] damp (fresh) — its explanation [is that it] is in order that its being a first-fruit is more visible and recognizable to the eye. And all of the cities that are close to there gather, in order that it is harvested with a big deal. And all of this is from the root that we wrote — so that they can give their hearts to the word of God, may He be blessed, through the deed and the joy.
וְשָׁלֹשׁ סְאִין אֵלּוּ הָיוּ קוֹצְרִין אוֹתָן בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים, וְשָׁלֹשׁ קֻפּוֹת וְשָׁלֹשׁ מַגָּלוֹת (שם סג ב, סה א). וְכֵיוָן שֶׁחָשְׁכָה, אוֹמֵר הַקּוֹצֵר לָעוֹמְדִים שָׁם בָּא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ? אוֹמְרִים לוֹ הֵן שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים, מַגָּל זוֹ? אוֹמְרִים הֵן, וְכֵן שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים. קֻפָּה זוֹ? אוֹמְרִים הֵן, וְכֵן, שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים. אֶקְצֹר? אוֹמְרִים לוֹ קְצֹר שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים. וְכָל כָּךְ לָמָּה מִפְּנֵי הַטּוֹעִין שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִכְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּבַיִת שֵׁנִי, וְהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים, שֶׁזֶּה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בַּתּוֹרָה מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, שֶׁהוּא שַׁבַּת בְּרֵאשִׁית וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ, מִתְבָּאֲרִים מֻשְׁלָם בְּפֶרֶק עֲשִׂירִי מִמְּנָחוֹת [הלכות תמידין ומוספין פ"ז].
And three men with three baskets and three sickles would harvest these three seah (Menachot 63b, 65a). And when it got dark, the harvester says to those standing there, “Did the sun set?” They say to him, “Yes,” three times. “This sickle?” They say, “Yes,” also three times. “This basket?” They say, “Yes” also three times. “Should I harvest?” They say to him, “Harvest,” three times. And why so much? Because of those in error, who left from [being in the people of] Israel at the [time of] the Second [Temple], and would say that that which it is stated in the Torah, “from the morrow of the Shabbat,” is the Shabbat of creation (the seventh day of the week). And the rest of its details are fully elucidated in Menachot. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Daily Offerings and Additional Offerings 7.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בִּזְמַן הַבַּיִת בִּזְכָרִים, וַאֲפִלּוּ יִשְׂרְאֵלִים חַיָּבִין לְהִשְׁתַּדֵּל בְּמִצְוָה זוֹ, שֶׁהֲרֵי שְׁלוּחֵי בֵּית דִּין יוֹצְאִין וְעוֹשִׂין כְּרִיכוֹת בַּשָּׂדוֹת מֵעֶרֶב יוֹם טוֹב, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ שָׁם בִּמְנָחוֹת (סה א), אֲבָל מִכָּל מָקוֹם עִקַּר הַחִיּוּב הִיא הַהַקְרָבָה וְהַתְּנוּפָה וְהַהַגָּשָׁה וְהַקְּמִיצָה וְהַהַקְטָרָה, וְכָל זֶה בְּכֹהֲנִים. וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם כֵּיוָן שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ חֵלֶק לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וִיסוֹד הַמִּצְוָה הוּא מִפְּנֵי חִדּוּשׁ הַתְּבוּאָה שֶׁהוּא הַדָּבָר הַצָּרִיךְ לַכֹּל יֵשׁ לָנוּ לְכָתְבָהּ בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן הַמִּצְוֹת הַמּוּטָלוֹת עַל כָּל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
And this commandment is practiced at the time of the [Temple] with males. And even Israelites are obligated to make efforts with this commandment, as behold the messengers of the court go out and make bundles in the field from the eve of the holiday, and as is explained in Menachot 65a. But nonetheless, the main obligation is the offering, the waving, the presenting, the taking of a handful and the incineration — and all of this is with the priests. And nonetheless since there is a portion in it for all of Israel and the foundation of the commandment is because of the renewal of the grain — which is something that is a necessary thing for all — we should write it in the tally of the commandments that are incumbent upon all the Children of Israel.