[Avodah] The Torah was not given on Shavuos!!

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, May 17, 2010 at 11:30:31PM -0400, Shmuel Weidberg wrote:
: Surprisingly, the Torah was not given on Shavuos. The Torah was
: supposed to be given on the 50th day of the omer, but Moshe added one
: day so it was given on the 51st day of the omer which according to the
: chachamim was the sixth day of Sivan, because that year both Nissan
: and Iyar were Malei...

So it WAS given on Shavuos.

What the subject line should have said is that it wasn't given on the
50th day of the omer. But then, who said that's a problem?

(Which reminds me of the Lub Rebbe's position on the international date
line and omer. Leshitaso, one should observe the 1st day of Shavous
on their own 50th day. However, the YT sheini shel goliyos, which is
minhag avoseihem beyadeihem, is always 7 Sivan -- since that's when they
observed it in Bavel. Even if this means that someone who crossed the
date line one way has a day of chol between the two halves of Shavuos,
or the one who went the other way has both coinciding.)

The question about *Rabbi* Hillel's calendar not guaranteeing the two
coincide is addressed by the Maadanei Yom Tov. Why does the Torah say
"tisperu chamishim yom" if you're only supposed to cound 49? We
generally assume the 50th day is Shavuos. The MYT argues that it includes
day 0 -- the first day on Pesach. So the 50 days run from the start of
Pesach to erev Shavuos..

This is "zeman matan Toraseinu". Not the calendar date, but after 50
days of preparations.

They all must be temimos. No problem for us. But yetzi'as Mitzrayim was
at midnight. So in the first year, tisperu 50 yom had to start one day
lter. Thus MRAH delayed matan Torah to the day adter the 50 whole ones.
However we, who start the 50 whole days of preparation one day earlier,
we hit the zeman matan Toraseinu one calendar day earlier than they did.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 49th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        7 weeks in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Malchus sheb'Malchus: What is the ultimate
Fax: (270) 514-1507                            goal of perfect unity?