Q&A: The Omer Offering
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Omer Offering
Question
In honor of the esteemed Rabbi,
we would be grateful for an explanation from our teacher, the Rabbi:
Why is the omer offering named after its measure, rather than after its essence, like the peace offering, the sin offering, and the like?
And relatedly, why is it an offering that permits eating, rather than an action performed on the produce, like the three tithes and the like…?
Thank you.
Answer
I don't know, but what's wrong with a name based on the measure?
The waving of the omer is an act performed on the world's grain, very much like separating terumah and tithes from the heap or the animal tithe. You take something from the world's produce and wave it before God, and by this the grain is permitted.