Shavuos blessings to Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael; chronology of dates of week when Jews first brought omer offering

[Cf. Tehillim 19:8.]

[Vayikra 23:15.]

[As is true when the Counting of the Omer begins Saturday night.]

[I.e., the year that the Jews entered Eretz Yisrael.]

[Rambam is referring to the Sadducees who denied the Oral Torah and would start the Counting of the Omer on the day after the first Shabbos following Pesach, based on Vayikra 23:11 which states: “He shall wave the omer… on the day after the day of rest (haShabbos).”]

[Rambam elaborates in disproving the Sadducees interpretation, writing:

This interpretation is also reflected in the Written Law itself,] for it is written in the Torah [Vayikra 23:14]: “You shall not eat bread, roasted grain, or kernels of grain until this self-same day.” And [Yehoshua 4:11] states: “And they ate matzos and roasted grain from the produce of the land on the day after Pesach.” If one would presume that in that year Pesach fell on Shabbos as these fools have supposed, why would Scripture make the license for them to eat new grain dependent on a factor that is not fundamental, nor the true cause, but mere coincidence?

The simple meaning of Rambam’s words is that since it is forbidden to eat from fresh grain until after the omer was brought, and the Jews ate from the produce of the land on the day after Pesach, it is clear that they did not wait until the day after Shabbos to offer the omer and then partake of the produce. It is possible to explain that this proof is not sufficient to disprove the Sadducees’ thesis, because it could be argued that during that year, Pesach fell on Shabbos. Therefore the day following Pesach was also the day following Shabbos and it was on that day that they brought the omer offering.

Rambam disproves that argument by asking: “Why would Scripture make the license for them to eat new grain dependent on a factor that is not fundamental, nor the true cause, but mere coincidence?” The Rebbe adds a further point: It was impossible for Pesach to fall on Shabbos that year, as the letter proceeds to explain.]

[With this phrase, the Rebbe appears to be favoring the view that Moshe passed away on Friday. See Letter no. 924 which discusses this matter.]