Question: What if one forgot not only to recite the bracha on a Friday, but the actual counting for that day as well, and then after having gone to the synagogue to accept an early Shabbat, suddenly reminded himself? May he then count the missing sefirah before it turns dark so that he would be able to continue counting with a blessing?
Pesach Bernstein
Via Email
Answer: It is for this reason that some are reluctant to make an early Shabbat until the conclusion of the sefirah period. Nevertheless, many do so out of real need. In many instances, they have young children whom they wish to include in the Friday night kiddush and meal, but who need to go to sleep at an earlier time. Or they themselves cannot wait to eat when the Shabbat starts at a late hour, or doing so would prevent them from properly digesting their food before a normal bedtime.
The question you ask obviously pertains to the subsequent nights. As we shall see from the ruling of HaGaon Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (Responsa Iggrot Moshe, Vol. 6; Orach Chayyim, Part 4; siman 99:3), one may still count in such a circumstance [for the previous evening].
We find the following regarding a niddah in parshat Metzora (Leviticus 15:28), “If she ceases her flow, she must count for herself seven days and after that she can be purified.”
According to Rema (Yoreh De’ah 196:11), today we follow the view that this woman first needs an interval of five full days from the cessation [a bride waits only four days], then she checks, dons “whites” and begins to count the seven days.
Now, what if the evening that the woman is to don “whites” and begin the count is a Friday night, and the congregation recited both the Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv prayers early? Will she be able to begin her count at shekiah (sundown) that night after the interval of five full days (as these five days must be full 24-hour days), or must she wait until Motza’ei Shabbat?
Rema discusses this (infra Yoreh Deah 196:1), citing two views. The Terumat HaDeshen states that the early Friday night congregational prayer does affect her and she must wait until the following evening to begin her count of seven days. Alternatively, the Agur, in the name of Maharil, held that the congregational acceptance of the Shabbat has no bearing on the woman, and she will indeed start her count of seven days that evening, on Shabbat.
Rema explains that our custom is to rely on the view of Terumat HaDeshen. Post facto, however, the view of Agur will suffice to permit such a count.
One may ask what relevance the count of the niddah has to our obligation to count Sefirat HaOmer? The Taz makes such a connection (Yoreh De’ah ad loc.): When commenting on Agur’s view, he states that even where the congregation accepted Shabbat early, such acceptance has no relevance to the niddah’s situation, as each of her five days requires a full 24 hours. [This means that she would begin her count at shekiah on Friday afternoon.]
Taz there cites Sefirat HaOmer as one of his proofs. When Shabbat is accepted early, the counting of the Omer cannot take place until nightfall, even though tosefet Shabbat – adding time to Shabbat or the early acceptance of Shabbat – is a biblical concept.
It is obvious that the Taz took a cue from Tosafot (Ketubbot 72a, s.v. “Vesafra lah, le’atzmah”), who ask the following: If the Torah required her to count, why does she not recite a blessing [on this mitzvah], just as one blesses when counting the Omer? As the Torah states, “ve’safra – she shall count.” This is the same language that is used for Sefirat HaOmer.
Tosafot answer that the only such comparison can be regarding the Jubilee, as “we only bless in regard to [the commandment of] the Jubilee year, as the beit din bless each and every year, since they can always count correctly, with absolute certainty, similar to Sefirat HaOmer. However, regarding the niddah, it is possible that her count may be overturned [and not be completed]. Therefore she may not count with a blessing.”
We see that a comparison is drawn between Sefirat HaOmer and Sefirat HaNiddah, and what applies to one would apply to the other – at least regarding the counting itself, although one of them does not require a blessing. Therefore, the actual time for counting in both situations should be at nightfall.
However, the Mechaber reminds us (Orach Chayyim 489:3): “If an individual prayed [the Ma’ariv prayer] with the congregation when it is yet day, he counts with them without a blessing, and if he remembers at night, he blesses and counts.” Rema adds that even if this individual answered Amen to the blessing uttered at the prayer service, he repeats the count with a blessing at night if his intention was not to discharge his obligation at the earlier time.
The Taz (ad loc.) takes issue with this statement of the Mechaber. He explains: “Does our discussion entail a situation of wicked desecrators [who violate the rules of Sefirat HaOmer and count while it is yet day]?” He concludes that the Mechaber’s rule refers to the period of bein ha’shemashot, the time of dusk, which is a safek layla, where there is doubt whether it is night yet and can possibly be considered still as evening.
Indeed, at the end of Rabbi Feinstein’s discussion of this matter (Responsa Iggrot Moshe, Vol. 6; Orach Chayyim, Part 4; siman 99:3), citing some of these sources, he posits that it is more reasonable to agree with those who require one to count after shekiah, even though Ma’ariv may be prayed at the earlier time, immediately after Plag HaMincha. Accordingly, one may still count the Omer of the previous evening even after the congregation has prayed [an early] Ma’ariv.
Obviously, then, if the circumstance has so occurred, one may count after shekiah for that evening and continue every subsequent evening with a blessing.
In the merit of our fastidious performance of this mitzvah, may it be His will that we soon fulfill the complete mitzvah and bring our Omer to the third Beit HaMikdash, speedily in our days.
