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Menahot 65: How a Boethusian Heretic Counts the Omer

03.17.2026 | כ״ח באדר תשפ״ו

A new mishnah! On the ceremony of the process of the omer – how they wove the stalks of barley together while they were still attached to the ground, which made them easier to harvest. And the people who lived in the area came together to celebrate. And the ceremony continued… with underlying goals of taking a polemical stance against the Boethusians. [Who’s Who: The Boethusians]. Plus, Megillat Ta’anit, and the days when it was not permitted to fast, and some when it wasn’t permitted to eulogize either. Where the day of the starting counting the omer is highly disputed.

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Anne and Yardaena

Anne Gordon is the deputy editor of Ops & Blogs at The Times of Israel. She is a veteran educator, having taught in high school and post-high school institutions in Israel and America for several decades. Yardaena Osband is a pediatrician and teaches in her community and online. They both hail from Boston, proud alumna of Maimonides School, where they first learned Gemara. Talking Talmud is their conversation (via podcast) on the daf yomi. They say: “Learning the daf? We have something for you to think about. Not learning the daf? We have something for you to think about! (Along with a taste of the daf…) Join the conversation with us!”

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