The Israelites were commanded after the conquest of Canaan to bring at harvest-time an 'omer of the first-fruits to the priest as a wave-offering (Leviticus 23:10-11 ). The day on which the 'omer of the wave-offering had to be brought is vaguely indicated as "on the morrow after the Sabbath." It would appear from Leviticus 23:11 that the priest had only to wave it on the morrow of the Sabbath, while it might be brought on some previous day but verse 15 of the same chapter shows that the bringing and waving were to take place on the same day. That day required a special sacrifice after the waving of the 'omer, namely, a "he-lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering, two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour with oil for a meal-offering, and of wine the fourth part of an hin for a drink-offering." The Israelites were forbidden to eat of the newly harvested grain till after they had brought the sacrifices of the 'omer ( ib. verses 12-14). From the day on which the 'omer of the wave-offering was brought the Israelites had to count seven weeks or forty-nine days, the fiftieth day being the Feast of Pentecost ( ib. verses 15 et seq. ). The counting is still practised and, though the bringing of the 'omer ceased with the destruction of the Temple, the days between Passover and Pentecost are called the "'omer days" (see
Regulations Concerning the Reaping.
The reaping was done with much ceremony. Messengers, sent by the bet din to the chosen field on the day preceding the Passover Feast, drew the heads of the stalks together in sheaves and tied them in order to facilitate the work of the reapers. Then when the hour for gathering came the reapers thrice asked permission to reap this was done in order to impress upon the Boethusians that this was the proper time for the gathering of the 'omer (Men. 6:3).
Manner of Waving the 'Omer.
After the grain had been gathered it was brought to the courtyard of the Temple, where, according to R. Meïr, it was parched while it was still in the ear according to the other rabbis, it was first thrashed and then parched. The grain was ground into coarse meal and then sifted through thirteen sieves until it became very clean, after which the tenth part was taken, the measure of the 'omer, and given to the priest. The remainder, which was subject to ḥallah, and, according to R. Akiba, to tithe also, could be redeemed and eaten even by laymen. The priest proceeded with the 'omer as with any other meal-offering: he poured oil and frankincense over the meal, "waved" it, and then burned a handful of it on the altar the remainder was eaten by the priests (Men. 6:4). The "waving" was done in the following way: The offering was placed on the extended hands of the priest, who moved them backward and forward (to counter-act the effects of injurious winds) and then upward and downward (to counteract the effects of injurious dews Pesiḳ. R. xviii. [ed. Friedmann, p. 92a] Pesiḳ. 8:70b Men. 62a Lev. R. 28:5 ). As soon as the 'omer ceremony was completed the people of Jerusalem were permitted to eat of the newly harvested grain people of towns far from Jerusalem might not do so until after noon, when it was certain that the ceremony at Jerusalem had been concluded. After the destruction of the Temple, R. Johanan b. Zakkai decided that the new grain might not be eaten at all during the 16th of Nisan (Men. 6:5). No grain might be reaped until the barley for the 'omer had been gathered (Men. 6:7).
The Rabbis considered the bringing of the 'omer as one of the most important observances: it is a repayment to God for the manna given in the wilderness, of which every Israelite collected the measure of an 'omer (see