א ואם משה רבינו אוהב ישראל היה למה איחרן במדבר ארבעים שנה אמר לו רבי בכך אתה פוטרני אמר לו שוטה ולא תהא תורה שלמה שלנו כשיחה בטילה שלכם
1 <br> If Moses was a great lover of Israel, why then did he detain them in the wilderness for forty years'? 'Master', said the other, 'is it thus that you would dismiss me'? 'Fool', he answered, 'should not our perfect Torah be as convincing as your idle talk! Now one verse says. Ye shall number fifty days. while the other verse says, Seven weeks shall there be complete. How are they to be reconciled? The latter verse refers to the time when the [first day of the] Festival [of Passover] falls on the Sabbath, while the former to the time when the [first day of the] Festival falls on a weekday. (Mnemonic: R. Eliezer 'numbers'; R. Joshua 'counts'; R. Ishmael 'from the 'Omer'; R. Judah 'below'.) R. Eliezer says, This is not necessary, for Scripture says, Thou shalt number unto thee, that is, the numbering depends upon the [decision of the] Beth din; accordingly the Sabbath of the creation cannot be intended, as the numbering would then be in the hands of all men. R. Joshua says. The Torah says. Count days and sanctify the new moon, count days and sanctify the Feast of Weeks. Just as in regard to the new moon there is something distinctive at the commencement [of the counting], so with the Feast of Weeks there is something distinctive at the commencement [of the counting]. <br>