Sefiras Haomer and Accepting Shabbos Early
Q. I forgot to count Sefiras Ha’Omer on Thursday night and only remembered after I accepted early Shabbos. Can I still count the Sefira for Friday or is it too late?
A. Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l (Igros Moshe OC 4:99) compares this to a situation discussed by the Taz. A congregation did not have a Shofar available on Rosh Hashana. Late Friday afternoon, the congregation accepted Shabbos before sunset, and then a Shofar suddenly arrived. Do we say that Shofar can no longer be blown because accepting Shabbos brings Rosh Hashana to a conclusion?
The Taz rules that Shofar should be blown before sunset for two reasons:
- The acceptance of Shabbos was a mistake. Had they known that the Shofar was coming they would not have accepted Shabbos. Therefore, the acceptance of Shabbos by the congregation was not valid.
- Accepting Shabbos before sunset has no impact on Shofar, as it is still Rosh Hashana.
Similarly, Rav Moshe rules that Sefira can be counted Friday afternoon before sunset, even if one accepted an early Shabbos.
However, Rav Moshe points out that there is significant difference between the two reasons advanced by the Taz. According to the first reason, if the person already davened maariv, one cannot say that the acceptance of Shabbos was a mistake, since this would necessitate davening maariv again, and the previous tefillah would be considered a bracha levatala (a blessing recited in vain). However, according to the second reason of the Taz, even if one davened maariv before sunset, they may still count the Sefira of Friday since it is still daytime, even though Shabbos was accepted. He concludes that the second reason of the Taz is more compelling and therefore one may count the Sefira of Friday after accepting Shabbos and continue counting with a bracha after nightfall.
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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.