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SECT. II. The second day in the Passover Week. The gathering and offering of the first fruits Omer.
THE first and last days of the solemn festival Weeks were called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Holy days, or good days; and the observation of them differed little in strictness from the observation of the Sabbath. See Lev. 23. 7, 8, &c. Now the days between them were called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Moed Katon, or the lesser solemnity; a 1.1 in which, although there were not the like strictness of observance that there was of the Holy days, yet was there a distinction made betwixt them and other ordinary times: and divers things were prohibited, especially by their Traditions, to be done in them, which were permitted to be done on other days. And as for the service and imployment in the Temple, there was commonly more work and sacrificing on these days than on other ordinary days, because the peace offerings due or reserved to that time, could not all be dispatched on the other days, but did take up much of these days, and did find the Priests more than ordinary attendance and imployment about the Altar.
On this day that we have in hand, namely, the second day of the Passover week, whatsoever else of extraordinary offering was on it, there never failed to be the offer∣ing and waving of the first fruit sheaf before the Lord: The Law for this is given in Lev. 23. 10, 11. When ye be come into the Land which I give unto you, you shall reap the Har∣vest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your Harvest unto the Priest; and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: the morrow after the Sab∣bath the Priest shall wave it: Where by the word Sabbath is to be understood, not the Sabbath day in the proper sense, but the first day in the Passover Week, of which we have spoken, which was so solemn an holy day: And so the Chaldee Paraphrast, and se∣veral other Jews do well interpret it.
The Rites about gathering and offering this first fruits sheaf are largely described by Tosaphta ad Menachoth to be after this manner a 1.2: Rabbi Ismael saith, The Omer or first fruits sheaf, if it came on the Sabbath day, (properly so called, as it did that very day that our Saviour rested in the grave) it came in three Seahs, but if on another day it came in five: but the wisemen say, whether Sabbath or other day all was one, it came in three Seahs: Abba Saul said, On the Sabbath it was reaped by one man, and with one sickle, and in one Basket: but on another day it was reaped by three men, and in three baskets, and with three sickles: But the wise men said, Sabbath or other day it was all one, it was by three men, and in three baskets, and with three sickles: The first fruits sheaf came out of the vale of the ashes by the brook Kidron, &c. The day of waving it lighting on the Sabbath, the Sabbath was dispensed with for the reaping of it: And how was it done? Those that the Sanhedrin sent about it, went out, at the Evening of the holy day, (the first day of the Passover Week) they took baskets and sickles, &c. They went out on the holy day when it began to be dark, and a great company went out with them: when it was now dark one said to them, On this Sabbath, on this Sabbath, on this Sabbath; In this Basket, in this Basket, in this Basket; R. Eliezer the son of Zadock saith, With this Sickle, with this Sickle, with this Sickle, every particular three times over. And they an∣swer him, well, well, well, I will reap, and he bids them reap. And why do they thus? Because of the Baithusaeans (the Sadduces) who said that the reaping of the first fruit sheaf is not on the end of the holy day. They reap it and put it into the basket, and bring it into the Court: and pass it through the fire; that they might answer the command about parch∣ed corn. The words of Rabbi Meir, But the wise men say, That is not to be meant so, but there was a hollow vessel full of holes, so that the fire might go quite through it in the Court, and the wind blew on it, (in which they put the Corn suddenly to dry it that it might grind) and they put it on a Mill to get out a tenth deal, &c. One takes the tenth deal and puts its oil and frankincense on it, and mingles them, and waves it, and takes out a handful and puts it on the Altar, and the rest is for the Priest to eat. As soon as the Omer is offered, they go out and find Jerusalem streets full of Meal and parched Corn: which was not according to the mind of the wise men. The words of R. Meir: But the wise men say; that it was according to the mind of the wise men, for as soon as the Omer was offered, new Corn was permitted.