Question: What if someone counted the Omer but forgot to utter the blessing – has he fulfilled his obligation? Also, why is a blessing necessary altogether? There is no blessing for the counting of the zayin nekiyim.
M. Goldman
Miami Beach, FL
Answer: If a person counted the Omer without a blessing, he has fulfilled his obligation. The Gemara (Berachot 15a) notes that a cheresh – one who speaks but does not hear – may not separate terumah since he won’t hear his own blessing, and the blessing is a requirement. Nonetheless, counting the Omer is different because the berachah requirement is only rabbinical and the Rabbis did not make the fulfillment of the mitzvah dependent on it. Ein beracha me’akevet.
The Pnei Yehoshua (ad loc.) argues that even had the blessing been biblical, the mitzvah would still be considered fulfilled. Why, then, does the Gemara state that the mitzvah was fulfilled because the berachah is only rabbinic? Merely to give an additional reason. The truth is, though, that even biblically-required blessings are not essential to the mitzvot to the point that they are considered unfulfilled if one forgets to say them.
Regarding Sefirat HaOmer, the Mechaber states (Orach Chayim 489:7) that if a person forgot to count the Omer at night, he should count the following day without a blessing.
The Shulchan Aruch Harav (Orach Chayim 489:12-13) writes interestingly, “There are those authorities (see Rema ad loc.) who opine that it is permitted to count the Omer bein ha’shemashot.” Indeed, the Rema discusses what a person should do if he finds himself in a congregation counting the Omer bein ha’shemashot, and surely the Rema is not talking about a sinful congregation (atu b’reshii askinan?).
Even though the period of bein ha’shemashot is one of doubt (with it being unclear which Jewish day this period of time belongs to), we allow people to count the Omer during this time since the mitzvah is only a rabbinic one nowadays (since we are bereft of the Beit Ha’Mikdash and are unable to bring the actual Korban Ha’Omer), and we have a rule (Shabbos 34a) that we are lenient in all cases of doubt regarding rabbinic obligations. Nonetheless, the Shulchan Aruch Harav notes that some authorities argue against counting bein ha’shemashot unless one has to. Otherwise, one should wait until after tzeit ha kochavim when it is surely night.
Tosafot (Megilla 20b, sv “v’ha kayyma lan…”) actually writes that there are some stars that are even visible by day; thus, bein ha’shemashot might be an acceptable time to count the Omer.
(To be continued)