Beginning the Count on a Fixed Day

As the Boethusians would say [that the festival of] Shavuot [always occurs] after Shabbat, R. Yoḥanan ben Zakkai joined [the discussion with the Boethusians] and said to them, “Fools! From where [have] you [derived this]?” And there was no man who answered him, except for one elderly man who was prattling at him, and he said, “Moses, our teacher, was a lover of the people of Israel and he knew that Shavuot is [only] one day. [Therefore], he arose and established it after Shabbat, in order that the people of Israel would enjoy themselves for two days.” [R. Yoḥanan ben Zakkai] recited this verse [in response] to [that old man]: “It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the way of Mount Seir (Deuteronomy 1:2). And if Moses, our teacher, was a lover of the people of Israel, why did he delay them in the wilderness forty years?” [The elderly man] said to him, “My teacher, you dismiss me with this [retort?” R. Yoḥanan ben Zakkai] said to him, “Fool! And will our perfect Torah not be [as worthy] as your frivolous speech? [Your claim can easily be refuted.”]

[R. Yoḥanan ben Zakkai cites a proof that Shavuot does not need to occur specifically on a Sunday.] One verse states: [Even to the morrow after the seventh week] you shall number fifty days; [and you shall present a new meal offering to the Lord] (Leviticus 23:16), and one verse, [the preceding one, apparently contradicts this when it] states: [And you shall count for you from the morrow after the day of rest, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the waving;] seven weeks shall there be complete. [Is the festival of Shavuot seven full weeks after Passover, i.e., counting from Sunday through the Sabbath seven times; or is it fifty days after Passover?]

[The Gemara explains:] How so, [i.e., how can one reconcile these two verses]? Here, [the verse that mentions seven complete weeks, is referring to a year] when the festival [of Passover] occurs on Shabbat. [In such a year, the fifty-day period between Passover and Shavuot contains seven complete weeks, from Sunday through Shabbat.] There, [the verse that defines the period as fifty days, is referring to a year] when the festival [of Passover] occurs in the middle of the week. [ . . . ]

R. Eliezer says: [The previous proof] is not necessary, as [the verse] states: [Seven weeks] you shall number for you; [from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain you shall begin to number seven weeks (Deuteronomy 16:9). The term for you indicates that the] counting [of the weeks] is dependent upon [the decision of the] court, as they know [how to] calculate the new [months, upon which the date of the festival depends. Therefore, when the verse states]: The morrow after the day of rest (Leviticus 23:16), [it means]: The morrow after the festival, [as the determination of festivals is by the court. This serves to] exclude [the interpretation that the counting starts after the] Shabbat of Creation, [i.e., a regular weekly Shabbat,] whose counting [can be performed] by every person, [not exclusively by the court.]

[Citing a different proof,] R. Joshua says: [The] Torah said [to] count days, [as it is stated: A month of days (Numbers 11:20),] and [then] sanctify [the] month [with offerings. And the Torah also said to] count days [from Passover] and [then] sanctify the festival of Shavuot [with offerings, as it is stated: You shall count fifty days (Leviticus 23:16). From this comparison, one can learn that] just as [the start of the counting toward the new] month is known [even] before it comes, [as one begins counting toward the following new month on the first day of a month,] so too [the start of the counting toward] the festival of Shavuot is known [even] before it comes, [as one begins counting toward Shavuot on a fixed day of the month].