An Interruption in Sefiras HaOmer

Q. If someone knows that they will be unable to count every single day of Sefiras Ha’Omer (e.g. they are scheduled for surgery), should they begin reciting Sefiras Ha’Omer with a bracha, or is it better to count without a bracha?

A. The Mishnah Berurah (489:3) writes that women should not count Sefira with a bracha because it is unlikely that they will remember to count each day. While it has been pointed out that women today are often more meticulous with counting Sefiras Ha’Omer than men, it nonetheless can be inferred from the Mishna Berurah that a person who knows in advance that a day of Sefira will be missed, should not count with a bracha. There are poskim who view the 49 days of Sefira as one mitzvah, and if one misses one day, the mitzvah has not been fulfilled, and all berachos previously recited are considered a bracha livatala. As such, one may not begin counting the Sefira with a bracha if it is clear in advance that the Sefira will not be recited in total.

On the other hand, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomo 11:9A), Rav Shmuel Kaminetzky (Kovetz Halochos 4:13) and others disagree and maintain that the bracha recited on the Sefira does not become a bracha livatala retroactively if the bracha was recited before a day was missed. This is because there was an obligation to perform the mitzvah at that time, and a bracha was appropriate. According to this approach, Sefira should be said with a bracha even if a person knows in advance that the cycle will not be completed.

To Be Continued...

____________________________________________________

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.