חג שבועות - The Mystery of מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת

We discuss the meaning of the phrase "מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת" (the morrow of the Shabbat) in Leviticus 23, which dictates the timing of the Omer offering and the counting of fifty days to Shavuot. Various interpretations are presented: the Karaite perspective argues it refers to the day after the weekly Shabbat, resulting in a flexible date for Shavuot and an overlap with the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The Qumran community also interpreted it as the day after the weekly Shabbat, but their fixed 364-day calendar meant both the Omer and Shavuot had set dates. Rabbinic tradition, represented by Rashi and Saadia Gaon, understands "Shabbat" here to mean the first day of the festival of Unleavened Bread, thus dating the Omer to the 16th of Nisan.